Living in the Revolutionary War period, Benjamin Banneker was a genius in an age of American greatness. He was a freed black man in Maryland who built a clock out of wood (yes, you read that right), published several almanacs, and critically helped survey the land for the District of Columbia. Rachel Jamison Webster found out in recent years that she is a white relative of his. A writing professor at Northwestern, she constructs a family history with relatives in this book and discovers that she, too, is a part of an American story of race, privilege, exclusions, ingenuity, and ultimate unity.
The book mixes two giant stories, with one chapter about the family history and the next about the contemporary discovery of the family history. The family history begins in 1680 when Molly is sent from England to Maryland as an indentured servant. She marries a black man and births a daughter. This daughter, too, marries a black man and births Benjamin and several siblings. Benjamin never has children, but his sister’s line continues. As was common in the race-sensitive 19th century, the offspring split into white and black camps, with folks “passing” as white not acknowledging their black relatives. Family historians amply supplement the written record, which gives the research a richness not often found, especially among historically oppressed people of color.
Webster works with these relatives and encounters deep hurt and wider cultural scenarios of privileged white writers cashing in on black historians. During the COVID years, she and the co-authors continue research to flesh out this story. Of course, as with any family history – and especially with African American family histories – primary source material is hard to come by; when it does exist, it is often scant. They try to construct what they can from oral stories. Complicating matters still more is that Benjamin’s cabin (with the wood clock and voluminous writings) was burned by criminal arsonists on the day of his funeral. Due to his impact, he legacy survives – including a famous letter to Thomas Jefferson advocating for the educability of enslaved people.
This quintessential American story includes racial injustice and reconciliation, mindless contradictions and moral clarity, and a country haunted by an unresolved history. The interlacing of the narrative reminds us of Faulkner’s observation that the past has truly not passed. Some of the writing is strongly imaginative. Thus, it cannot be considered a strictly historical biography. Further, as relatives, the authors have an obvious (and stated) bias. However, the oral nature of the source material should not detract from a good story. Further, the lives of the authors contain much of the values of their forefathers along with their traditions. Yes, they are not objective historians of this story, but interested actors. As for genre, I place it somewhere in the continuum between memoir and biography.
Some readers may have trouble with this imaginative component, but I would encourage any reader to approach the work with an open mind. The authors are eloquent and seek the best, even if that leads to seeming contradictions, past and present. Such is the nature of any historical reconstruction, and, to borrow from a common metaphor, they spin good yarn. Their imaginations are realistic and not contrived. I hope this reignites an interest in Benjamin Banneker, a true historical genius and fans the flame of America’s renewed interest in racial reconciliation. This story of the healing of one family can lead to the healing of many more… if we’d give it a chance.
Benjamin Banneker and Us: Eleven Generations of an American Family
By Rachel Jamison Webster
With Edith Lee Harris, Robert Lett, Gwen Marable & Edwin Lee
Copyright (c) 2023
Henry Holt & Co.
ISBN13 9781250827302
Page Count: 351
Genre: Memoir/Biography
www.amazon.com