Publisher's Synopsis
The questions of my children concerning who we are as a family, where we came from and who in our family was of note were my impetus for beginning what has become a consuming passion for discovering the genealogical roots of our Kinsler family. I had no idea where this initial curiosity would take me nor the doors of discovery that would be opened unto us. For every morsel of knowledge that was revealed, a deeper hunger to know more, to connect the dots of our disparate historical beginning burned within me. That drive and passion led me on a journey from Florida to North Carolina and as far away as Utah to push the limits on seeking to legitimize our story.For many years my cousin Brenda Kinsler would call me periodically to share some tidbit discovered while she sought to unearth links that would tie together the pieces of who we were as a family. Her discoveries would excite and pique my interests for the moment, but inevitably, the grind of daily life would usher those thoughts to the back of my mind. The 2017 Kinsler Family Reunion changed all of that. As part of our celebration in Columbia South Carolina, we visited the former plantation where our ancestors were enslaved. The burial place of our descendants had been carefully preserved by the new owners of the property. To enter that sacred placed deeply moved us individually and collectively. I knew at that moment that we had to tangibly preserve our history. I will forever be grateful to Brenda for igniting enough of her passion within me that I felt compelled to give voice to the countless ancestors she uncovered through her dogged determination and desire to fill in the missing branches of what turned out to be our extensive family tree.
