Nikki shares the story of her ancestor, thoroughbred racehorse trainer of Lecomte, Hark West, who in 1854 defeated Lexington in New Orleans; breaking the 1870 brick wall by finding ancestor Zachariah Harris who joined the Union Army as a United States Colored Troop (USCT) soldier at Camp Nelson, Kentucky and was awarded Jefferson Davis' property for his service but the land was taken back by the United States government; enriching the American narrative by sharing unknown stories; using DNA testing to prove descent from American Revolutionary War patriot Edward Barrett through ancestor Ellen who was enslaved on the O'Kelley plantation in Mississippi and Louisiana and bore children for her slave owner; discovering the origin of the O'Kelley name is not Irish, as was celebrated by white descendants.  In the next episode, Part 2, hear what happens when the two sides of the O'Kelley family meet and Nikki's experience as a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution.  Read Nikki's biography at  www.daughterdialogues.com/daughters

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