I have just returned to Maine from a visit with family in Chester, PA. While there I was asking my mother about family stories and she told me about a great, great Uncle Zachary Walker. Uncle Zach was the brother of Sue Walker, who was the wife of my great, great grandfather Sam Brice. Their daughter, Ida Mae Brice married my great grandfather William Burton. Their son John S. Burton married my grandmother, Elvira Ringgold and my mother Jacqueline Duson is the oldest of their nine children.

As you may know, Sam Brice (apparently, brother-in-law to Zach) was also a distinquished citizen of Chester County. He was one of the Rough Riders who stormed San Juan Hill. My mother says that there are pictures of Sam (a red haired Black man) and Zach (of Black and Indian mix) at the West Chester Historical Society but there is no mentioned of the familial connection between them.

I am currently serving as a city councilor in Portland, Maine's largest city. I am a former Mayor of the city and am preparing to run for the U.S. House representing Maine's 1st Congressional district. Wow, our shared history...an amazing thing.