Ellie Faidley-Solars
Family History
The Faidley family's roots go back a long way in the south. One of my relatives started the first printing press in Chattanooga, TN and they were a prominent family. They were, of course, giant racists. The Trail of Tears started in Chattanooga (one of the starting points) that is about 20 minutes away from where my mom grew up.
My great great great great grandmother, Rose, was very upset about the Native Americans being pushed out, so she set up a secret network to protect pregnant Native Americans. The women would come to her, and she would hide them in her house. She gave them food, clothes, and beds, and doctors. The doctors would come into her house and deliver the babies. Then, Rose would help take care of the babies and mothers until they were healthy and strong enough. (Then, they had to go on the trail....that is upsetting). But, she helped so many women along the trail, and the word spread about her so Native Americans from the Appalachian Mountain area would come to see her and her secret nurses and doctors.
One thing that I think is cool is that Rose had to fight her husband because he didn't want to be arrested for harboring so many Native Americans in their home. Rose told him that she would not stop her mission and that he could leave (which apparently was not done so much in those days).
My grandfather and his sister, my great aunt, have a HUGE collection of arrowheads and other tools made by the Native Americans that should probably be in a museum somewhere. Generations of the family found the arrowheads and other things themselves.
Anyway, Rose is cool and I'm glad she is in my otherwise very awful family history!