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A
heritage of helping
By Brad Meyer
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Mary Phelps, 81, of
Conroe, displays the coat of arms for the Garrett family discovered as
part of the genealogical research, which links her to Thomas Garrett, an
abolitionist who helped free 2,700 slaves through the Underground
Railroad.
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| Updated: 02.16.09 |
Conroe Courier
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A Conroe woman has discovered her desire to
help others is a family tradition that traces its roots to a time long
before she was born.
Genealogy research indicates Mary Phelps, a retired cardio-pulmonary
technologist from Conroe, is a direct descendent of Thomas Garrett – a
Maryland abolitionist credited with helping nearly 2,700 slaves to freedom
through his efforts with the Underground Railroad.
“It makes you feel good to know you’re related to someone who worked so hard
and accomplished so much,” said Phelps, mother of three adopted children
whose maiden name is Garrett. “Slavery was just plain wrong, and I’m glad he
worked against it.”
The revelation about Thomas Garrett, and other family history, came when a
relative researched ancestral genealogy and shared the results with family
members. The information documents family members who fought in the Civil
War as well as more recent history.
"We were even able to get copies of the newspaper accounts of the drowning
of my brothers when they were small children,” Phelps said. “It’s
fascinating what you can find on the Internet.”
While she is interested in the results of genealogical research, Phelps
plans on leaving future research to younger members of the family. Although
she worked with computers as a technologist at Doctor’s Hospital in Conroe
for many years, at age 81, she says her vision isn’t up to extensive
Internet use.
“It’s very interesting, but at my age, it’s a little more difficult to get
around,” she said. “But learning about your ancestors certainly makes
history more interesting.”
For those interested in tracing family history, the Genealogy Library at the
Conroe Central Library is a good place to start. The fourth-largest
genealogy library in Texas offers census records dating back to 1850,
military records, family histories, passenger manifests, periodicals, tax
records, and birth, death and marriage records.
For more information about genealogy research at the Central Library in
Conroe, call (936) 788-8363.
At a glance
For more information on learning about your genealogy and family history,
visit the
Genealogy Library, located on the second
floor of the Central Library in Conroe, or call (936) 788-8363. Additional
information may be available online at
www.ancestry.com
and
www.heritagequestonline.com. |
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