New podcast Roots and Branches: Unveiling Our Family Legacy is a storytelling podcast that delves deep into the rich, complex history of the Hinton family. Hosted by Dr. Darryl Powell, this podcast uncovers the untold stories, triumphs, and struggles of a lineage rooted in Johnston County, North Carolina. Each episode takes listeners on a journey through the past, exploring the lives of ancestors, debunking family folklore, and connecting the dots between generations.
From historical revelations to personal reflections, Roots and Branches is more than just names and dates—it’s an exploration of identity, resilience, and the powerful legacies we carry with us. Whether you’re a member of the Hinton family or simply interested in the broader narrative of family history, this podcast invites you to listen, learn, and engage with the stories that shape who we are.
Join us on this journey as we unveil our family’s past and discover what it means for our present and future.
A Swiss Protestant flees a fractured Europe and finds new life in South Carolina. Over generations, faith becomes identity, and identity becomes whiteness. Whiteness is not the beginning — it is a conclusion.
8 Mar 2025
Season Finale: Myths and Truths
In this season finale of Roots and Branches, we confront long-standing family myths and uncover the real history behind the Kearse name.
Many of us believed that the name originated at Sims Plantation, but research reveals another possibility—William Kearse (1770–1838), a plantation owner in Barnwell County, South Carolina, whose legacy includes enslaved individuals who may have carried the name forward.
This episode dives deep into:✅ The real origins of the Kearse name and its migration to America✅ How enslaved people were given surnames—and how they made them their own✅ The myth of colorism in our family’s history✅ The truth about Native American ancestry claims
History isn’t always neat, and sometimes the stories we tell ourselves aren’t the whole truth. But our ancestors weren’t defined by their enslavers—they were defined by how they endured.
Listen now as we untangle the past and reclaim our family’s true legacy. 🎙️
1 Mar 2025
Threads of the Past: The Draper-Kearse Family Story
📢 New Episode Alert! 🎙️✨
🔥 Roots and Branches is back with an episode you don’t want to miss! This week, we’re diving deep into the Draper-Kearse family history, uncovering the stories of love, loss, and survival that shaped generations.
22 Feb 2025
Paris Draper: The Wife, The Mistress, and the 20+ Children
What happens when one man fathers over 20 children, has a wife who holds it all together, and a mistress everyone knew about? You get Paris Draper, a man whose legacy is still unraveling today.
In this episode of Roots and Branches—the only podcast where DNA tests ruin Thanksgiving every year—Dr. Darryl Powell takes you through the tangled family tree of Paris Draper. We’ll start with his wife, Della Dublin, the matriarch who raised a household of ten kids. Then, we uncover Julia Stroman, his long-time mistress and the mother of his other children. Finally, we highlight Sarah Draper, the daughter who fought back against life’s tragedies and kept the family moving forward.
This isn’t just genealogy—this is family history with all the drama, survival, and resilience that made us who we are.
15 Feb 2025
Episode 3: The Rise and Decline of Paris D. Draper’s Legacy
In this episode of Roots and Branches, we explore the remarkable life of Paris D. Draper, a freed African American born in 1854 in George’s Creek, South Carolina. Paris defied the odds, securing land, building a family, and navigating the challenges of Reconstruction and Jim Crow America.
But what happens after success is achieved?
We examine Paris’s land purchase in 1918, the mysterious death of his son Paul Draper on the Seaboard Railroad in 1915, and how that tragic event may have influenced his ability to buy property. Despite his hard-earned progress, the land he fought for was sold back at a significantly lower price after his death—a fate that befell many Black landowners in the early 20th century.
Through census records, oral history, and the role of the Freedmen’s Bureau, we investigate how Paris rose to success and how systemic barriers ultimately stripped his family of their generational wealth.
8 Feb 2025
Season 2- Episode 2- Who is Thomas Draper
In this episode of Roots and Branches, we uncover the story of Thomas "Bob" Draper, a man born in 1826 South Carolina, whose family made surprisingly rapid progress in post-slavery America. From George’s Creek to Barnwell and Bamberg Counties, the Draper children—Hager, Thomas Jr., Paris, Harriet, Harry, Millie, Sarah, James, and Robert—moved, married, and settled at an unusually fast pace for newly freed African Americans.
How did they do it? One possible explanation: The Freedmen’s Bureau.
Established in 1865, the Bureau provided labor contracts, legal assistance, and education to newly freed families. Could it have played a pivotal role in the Draper family’s success? We explore the suspicion that the Bureau’s resources helped the Drapers secure marriages, land, and economic stability faster than many others of their time.
Join us as we examine George’s Creek’s history, the Draper family’s movements, and the Freedmen’s Bureau’s impact on Black progress during Reconstruction. Could this be the key to understanding their extraordinary trajectory?
🎙️ Listen now to uncover the mystery behind the Drapers' rapid rise in post-slavery South Carolina!
31 Jan 2025
Season 2: Episode 1- It all starts here
In this episode of Roots and Branches, we journey into the origins of Bamberg County, South Carolina, exploring its deep African American history and the forces that shaped it. From the indigenous Edisto people to the rise of plantations, the Civil War, and the Jim Crow era, we uncover the struggles and resilience of Black men and women in this region.
We take a closer look at life in the 1920s–1940s, a time of economic hardship, racial violence, and community strength. Institutions like Voorhees College and the local Black church provided hope and opportunity, while the threat of lynching and segregation loomed over daily life. Through it all, African Americans in Bamberg County found ways to survive, organize, and fight for a better future.
Join us as we set the stage for Season 2, following the family history of my grandmother, Nellie Wilson. This season, we’ll uncover the migrations, legacies, and untold stories of Black families in Denmark, Olar, and beyond.
History isn’t just in the past—it lives within us.
20 Nov 2024
This all leads to Lily Mae
Lillie Mae Kearse recounts her remarkable life journey, from a migrant work trip to building a family and facing life's challenges, offering a powerful testament to resilience and determination.
29 Oct 2024
Special Annoucement
📍 Special Announcement by a Special Guest! 📍
The Roots and Branches podcast, hosted by Dr. Daryl Powell, is now available on Apple, Spotify, and Podbean! 🎙️🌳 Don’t miss out—make sure to tune in, stay curious, and be rooted!
Spotify: Listen Here
Apple Podcasts: Listen Here
Podbean: Listen Here
23 Oct 2024
Inez Hinton: A Legacy of Resilience and Complexity
In this episode, we dive deep into the life of Inez Hinton, a woman whose legacy is both tangled and profound. Born in 1895, Inez was part of the first generation of African Americans born outside the direct legacy of slavery but deeply entrenched in the realities of Jim Crow. Through stories passed down from family members, we explore her relationships, the challenges she faced as a Black woman in the early 20th century, and the complexities surrounding her family and life choices. Inez’s life was shaped by survival, resilience, and controversy, but her story also offers an intimate view into a world that was unforgiving to Black women. Join me as we untangle the nuanced history of my great-great-grandmother and gain insights into the decisions that defined her life.
7 Oct 2024
Grivel’s Legacy: The Children Who Carried the Hinton Name Forward
In this episode of Roots and Branches, we continue our journey through the Hinton family legacy, exploring the lives of Grivel Hinton’s children and many others who carried the Hinton name, we delve into the significant transitions from slavery to freedom, sharecropping to land ownership, and the impact of Reconstruction. Each story highlights the fortitude it took for these individuals to build lives amidst the racial and economic hardships of the South. Join me as we honor their contributions and set the stage for our next episode, where we’ll focus on Inez Hinton and her journey into the 1920s and 1930s, a time of both new freedoms and profound challenges for African American women. Stay rooted, stay blessed, and let’s keep our story alive together
23 Sept 2024
Grivel’s Journey: From Chains to Roots
In this episode of Roots and Branches, host Darryl Powell uncovers the story of Grivel Hinton, an ancestor who experienced life as an enslaved person and later as a freed man in Johnston County, North Carolina. We trace Grivel's journey through the legacy left by Esther and Elizabeth Hinton, the vast Hinton family estate, and the harsh realities of 19th-century life in the South. Through detailed research, we explore the role of slavery, the crops worked by the enslaved population, and the significant historical events that shaped the Hinton family's history. This episode shines a light on the resilience of one man and the enduring strength of family. Tune in for a powerful, untold chapter of our past
21 Sept 2024
Episode 4 Teaser
Next week on the Roots and Branches podcast, we're taking a deeper dive into the Hinton legacy. We're moving past the history of the white ancestors and starting the introduction of some of the more formidable Black figures. Up first, we’ll be talking about Grivel Hinton, a man whose story begins in slavery but has so much more to tell.
Tune in Monday, and let's continue this journey together. Have a safe and blessed weekend! ✌️
16 Sept 2024
Episode 3: Militias, Land Grabs, and Family Ties: The Hintons' Wild Colonial Ride
In Episode 3 of Roots and Branches, host Darryl Powell takes us on a journey through three generations of the Hinton family, starting with the speculative link between Thomas Hinton of England and Colonel William Hinton, the first Hinton born in America. We explore how these early ancestors helped shape colonial North Carolina, from their militia roles to their participation in the Revolutionary War and regulatory movement. Darryl dives deep into the life of Colonel William Hinton, John Hinton Sr., and John Hinton Jr., whose legacy left an indelible mark on Wake County, North Carolina. This episode sets the stage for the next chapter, where the Hinton family’s ties to the first African American member, Grivel Hinton, will be introduced
13 Sept 2024
Episode 3 Teaser – "From England to America: The Journey of John Hinton Sr
Hey family! I hope you’re having a great day! Episode 3 of Roots and Branches is coming soon, and this week we’re taking the journey from England to America. We’ll follow John Hinton Sr. as he leaves England and makes his way to the Carolinas in the 1700s, setting the stage for our family’s roots in Johnston County, NC. Stay tuned—it’s a story you won’t want to miss! 🌍✈️
9 Sept 2024
Who the heck is Thomas Hinton?
In this episode of Roots and Branches, we dive into the life of Thomas Hinton, born in 1574 in Wiltshire, England. From his roots in a prominent family to his political career in the English House of Commons, Thomas Hinton's story is one of power, landownership, and knighthood. We'll explore the legacy that eventually leads to his descendants arriving in Johnston County, North Carolina.
4 Sept 2024
Weekly Teaser (Sept 4)
Happy Wednesday, family! After the long Labor Day weekend, I hope everyone is feeling refreshed. I’m excited to give you a little teaser for this week’s episode of Roots and Branches, which will drop on Friday
28 Aug 2024
SOOOOO Johnston County.........
Episode 1: The Roots of Our Family Legacy in Johnston County, NC
Welcome to the inaugural episode of Roots and Branches: Unveiling Our Family Legacy. In this first episode, host Dr. Darryl Powell takes listeners on a journey into the origins of the Hinton family, starting with their deep roots in Johnston County, North Carolina.
This episode serves as a starting point in exploring our family’s complex history, beginning with the larger narrative of Johnston County—a place marked by both prosperity and deep racial injustice. Dr. Powell shares personal insights, drawing from years of family research spearheaded by his mother, Daphne Powell. Listeners will learn about the historical landscape of Johnston County, the lives of our ancestors, and the resilience that carried them through difficult times.
This episode is more than just a history lesson—it’s an honest exploration of our family’s legacy, with stories, laughter, and truth-telling. If you are a descendant of the Hinton family or simply interested in learning more about our roots, this episode is for you. Tune in as we set the foundation for deeper dives into the people and stories that shaped who we are today.
Thank you for listening, and welcome to Roots and Branches!
28 Aug 2024
Podcast Intro and Teaser
Welcome to Roots and Branches: Unveiling Our Family Legacy! In this special teaser, host Dr. Darryl Powell gives listeners a sneak peek into the fascinating journey of uncovering the untold history of the Hinton family. If you’re a friend of mine on Facebook, there’s a 99% chance that this family history pertains to you! From our roots in Johnston County, North Carolina, to the remarkable stories of resilience passed down through generations, this podcast is about exploring the legacies that have shaped us all. Tune in for a brief introduction and find out how you fit into this incredible story
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