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Mary Lee Brady, Ph.D.

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Nancy Harriette Lee's Value System stems From her Heritage

She believed in solving social work problems by researching the beginning, not simply the ending defined by law.  She tried to get to root of problems.  Nancy often remarked that majority scholars continued to insist from at least the post-Revolutionary War generation #60 (births 1780-1809) up into generation #64 (births 1900-1929) .... that African-Americans did not and should not know their heritage, regardless of claims or even government records and other documentation.  As part of her heritage :

This is what she viewed was going on during the time of her ancestors.

She cited the documentation of William Lee's revolutionary war services  written in the will of George Washington and the thousands of men who obviously observed "Billy Lee" performing for years as a soldier constantly at the side of Washington; ... but, so far as most historians and sociologists are concerned he was nothing more than a slave (ie property like Washington's horse or saddle).  She found it unacceptable that White writers would accept the existence of a person like Phyllis Wheatley who communicated with George Washington via one letter of support; but, not William Lee who communicated with him every day.  Ohio, Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. Census data  of free colored populations help to confirm and document Lee's heritage of men and women freed from slavery following the deaths of George and Martha Washington. 

Believe it or not, it also affirms the common practice of slave owners to routinely separate family members for any number of reasons best known to themselves.  This is what she believed was going on with her ancestor William Lee, in his life time.  During  my own research, I have taken the liberty of expanding what has been learned since Nancy' death about  her Ancestor William Lee.

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Last modified: 12/29/16