WRAL's Nia Harden discovers a North Carolina hero in her family tree

For African-Americans, researching African American genealogy can be a challenge, but when WRAL reporter Nia Harden's mother began exploring their family tree, Harden connected with her deep North Carolina roots and found she had an ancestry of heroes.

Posted 5:20 p.m. Feb 27, 2020 — Updated 11:03 p.m. Feb 27, 2020

Nia Harden

, WRAL reporter

RALEIGH, N.C. — For African-Americans, researching African American genealogy can be a challenge, but when WRAL reporter Nia Harden's mother began exploring their family tree, Harden connected with her deep North Carolina roots and found she had an ancestry of heroes.

"Sometimes your family history can show you something great and unexpected. That's what happened when I found out about my fifth great uncle: Thomas Oscar Fuller," Harden said.

Born in Warrenton, Thomas Oscar Fuller was the first black American elected to the North Carolina Senate. Indeed, he was the only black person elected to the Senate until 1968.

"Born just two years after the Civil War, Fuller had already earned a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from Shaw University and served his community as a school teacher, principal and Baptist minister before his election to the Senate," wrote Lt. Gov. Dan Forest in a recent Fayetteville Observer article, where he explored Fuller's impact on North Carolina.

"He left an indelible mark on our state’s history," said Forest.

Forest wrote that Fuller worked to preserve schools serving black children in a time before segregation had ended. "He vigorously defended black Americans’ right to vote," wrote Forest. "One of his speeches was described by the press as having 'swept the audience away on wings of oratory.'"

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He was also pastor of the Belton Creek church in Oxford – a church that is still open 130 years later, and living legacy of Harden's great uncle's work.

Harden's uncle even had roots in Raleigh, where he attended Shaw University.

Harden visited Shaw, searching for hints to her great uncle's past like a treasure hunt. "The university staff pulled archives that showed my mother and I how involved he was. He graduated in 1890 and later received two honorary degrees."

She found his name on a commencement program from that year – the name of her blood kin, printed on fragile historic documents.

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He was even one of the appointed student teachers, according to records.

Harden's mother, Mondre Watson, found Fuller in 2009 when tracing her roots through her maternal grandmother's father's side.

She had to go knock on doors and ask questions. It was a very tedious journey. She never thought it would lead to this incredible story from her family's past.

"I was impressed. I was surprised. I was very proud," said Harden.

Her great uncle later moved to Memphis, TN, to continue his work in the ministry.

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"My mother says a lot of African Americans don't get to know their family history from this far back," said Harden. "Our culture doesn't place a lot of emphasis on finding out who our ancestors are – the blood family who helped form who we are, who we never met."

She hopes her experience will encourage families to look into their ancestry.

"If we want to strengthen our legacy, then we've got to know who we are and where we came from, so we can pass that information down to our children and their children," said Harden. "It's not about us, but it's about our future, preserving our future."

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