"They came by covered wagon"
Stephen De Windt recalls hearing about how and why some of his ancestors came to California.
Stephen De Windt
Stephen De Windt moved with his family from the San Francisco Bay area to Pasadena when he was twelve. He attended Pasadena City College and Arizona State University. After a career in the airline industry, he became an actor—a “background artist”—in Hollywood.
De Windt heard a great deal about his talented great-great-aunt Pauline Powell Burns from the women in his family. Fascinated by his family history, he made a number of donations to the collections of the African American Museum and Library at Oakland. He was not fully aware of his connection to the Fossetts of Monticello until 2006. When he heard their story, his response was, “They stepped up to the plate.”
Interview Information
17 July 2006, Long Beach, CA
Interviewee: Stephen De Windt
Excerpts
"She talked about her piano playing"
Stephen De Windt recalls his grandmother often talking about her aunt Pauline Powell Burns.
A "seek-and-find mission about my family."
Stephen De Windt describes how he pursued his family history.
"They were very proud of her"
Stephen De Windt remembers his elders talking about his "Aunt Pauline" Powell Burns.
Themes: Achievement, Arts, Music, and Culture, Family
"It seems as though it evolved from her"
Stephen De Windt wonders about characteristics he might have inherited from Pauline Powell Burns and his other forebears.
Theme: Family
"There's a deep-rooted connection"
Stephen De Windt speaks of what learning about his ancestors means to him.
Theme: Monticello
Ancestry
- Elizabeth Hemings 1735–1807
- Mary Hemings Bell 1753–post 1834
- Joseph Fossett 1780–1858
- Isabella Fossett Turner 1819–1872
- Stephen De Windt 1946–2011
Related People
- Pauline Powell Burns great-great-aunt