Family Lines

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Grant Peter Lee Gordon pictured with wife Darthula Gordon, contributed by Cheryl Johnson Caldwell.

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Grant Peter Lee family photo contributed by Cheryl Johnson Caldwell

Beloit is home to various family lines that are able to trace their genealogy several generations back, in some cases all the way back to the eighteenth century. We receive two family trees including the Wren Family Tree and Gordon Hughes family tree. Notably, The Gordon Hughes family tree dates back to 1795. This family tree includes prominent community members.

Cheryl Johnson Caldwell contributed information on Rubie and Velma’s inclusion in the tree. Velma Bell was a Beloit College alumna and received an honorary doctorate from Beloit College. Rubie Bond, also a Beloit College alumna, married into the Bowling family who were the third Black family to migrate to Beloit and Mrs. Bond also related to the Gordon Hughes family. Cheryl Johnson Caldwell contributed information on Rubie and Velma’s inclusion in the tree. Carolyn Lawrence is related through marriage too. Finally, Grant Peter Lee Gordon, who has an autobiography describing life in Mississippi and Beloit from the early 1900s and is grandson to Peter Brummel Hughes who is the first name listed in the Gordon Hughes family tree.The Gordon Hughes family tree is a notable artifact considering the lack of information on Blacks because of the forced separation of families during enslavement and the inability of many Blacks to trace family lines farther than a few generations. 

Read more about Black churchesView the Gordon Hughes Family Tree.