Well, I have been working on my book all day and I’m loving the progression of it. Every time I finish documenting a family, I get excited knowing how much they will love the information and pictures. A while back, I decided to not put living descendants in my book so that I wouldn’t have to worry about anyone suing me and it also makes me comfortable knowing that all the information I do have is sourced.
My first book will be about the descendants of Martin DONATO listed in his Last Will and Testament. In 1847 Martin DONATO, a wealthy planter in Saint Landry Parish, Louisiana left behind a last will and testament giving freedom to certain Mulatto slaves and included clauses that if any of his living descendants were to contest their freedom, the contesting descendant would be removed from his will. It was later discovered these slaves they were actually all his children and grandchildren. The book “Creoles of Color of the Bayou Country” by Carl A. BRASSEAUX and Keith FONTENOT mentioned this, but I will be able to provide additional information, including proof of Donato kinship, as a result of being a descendant of one of those slaves.
It’s a tough and long process, but hopefully the outcome will be worthwhile. In 2015, my story of Martin’s Last Will and Testament went viral after I discovered that NBA Superstar Paul George of the Indiana Pacers and his rookie teammate Joe Young are descendants of the twins Martin freed in his will. My book will have information that I didn’t release publicly and I can’t wait to share our story.
