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EMMANUEL CAMBOW / CUMBO – One of the “Twenty and Odd”

Emanuel Cambow (Cumbo), “a free African,” was granted 50 acres in James City County, Virginia before 18 April 1667. There are very few Africans who had the ability to manuever through the English judicial system to earn their freedom, much less hold title to their own land.  Emmanuel Cambow/Cumbo was one of them.  Like others who accomplished this feat – he is possibly one of the first “twenty and odd” unnamed in the residence of Gov. George Yeardley.

Descendants of Emanuell CAMBOW (CUMBO)

1st Generation

1. EMANUEL1 CAMBOW (CUMBO) was born abt. 1614 in Angola. He died in the English colony of Virginia.

2nd Generation

2. RICHARD CAMBOW JR. (Emanuel1 CAMBOW (CUMBO), Emanuell1) was born by 1667 in Charles City, Charles, Virginia. He died in Apr 1741 in Charles City, Charles, Virginia. He married Ann DRIGGERS in 1687 in Charles City County, VA.  Ann died in 1740 in Charles City County, VA,

Richard CAMBOW and Ann DRIGGERS had the following children:

i. MARY CAMBOW was born in 1724 in Virginia.

ii. PAUL CAMBOW was born in 1726 in Charles City, Charles, Virginia,

iii. DAVID CAMBOW was born in 1722 in Virginia, United States. He died in Granville County, North Carolina..

iv. RICHARD, Jr. CUMBO was born in 1715 in Virginia, United States. He died in 1800 in VA.

3. v. JOHN CUMBO was born by 1700 in Charles City, Charles, Virginia. He died in 1780 in Halifax, Virginia, United States. He married SUSANNAH in 1727 in Surry, VA. She was born  by 1702 in Surry, VA. She died in 1780 in Halifax, Virginia, USA.

4. vii. GIDEON CAMBOW was born by 1702 in Virginia. He died in Halifax, Halifax, Virginia.

Our DNA has Memory

In the beginning, I didn’t understand where the desire came. I just knew it was there.  The desire quickly became a passion and consequently an addiction.

Nine years ago, looking for my husband’s ancestors, I came across a woman whose allure was irresistible. As a genealogist, I find many significant people with vital stories throughout history.  Why was this one so overwhelmingly important?

Her name was Margaret Cornish.  She was one of the first Africans to arrive in the English settlement of Virginia in 1619.  The desire to understand where she came from and how she found herself in an English settlement became intoxicating.  Every hour of every day filled with questions overwhelming my senses.  My husband’s 9th generation great-grandmother had captured my mind like she was captured by the marauders of her kingdom almost four-hundred years ago.  Some 20,000 + hours of research turned into a series of novels with the first book winning a national gold medal.  But, the grandest surprise was yet to come.

As my own 97-year-old grandmother’s health began to fail, and with her tireless urging, I collected her DNA.  Then in June of 2014 her spirit passed into the land of our ancestors and I said goodbye to a woman of unwavering faith.  Simultaneously, I received her DNA results and the explanation of my addiction quickly became crystal clear.  Margaret Cornish wasn’t only my husband’s ancestor, but mine as well.  With tears of joy streaming down my face I began to understand. The addiction I felt was a scream from within myself.  A memory from within my own DNA begging to be heard.  Finally, I understood my fate was deep within my own DNA.  A story of an ancestor begging to be told.

Join my journey as I take you down the path of Margaret Cornish’s life, one of FATE & FREEDOM.