The Descendants: Roots of Edenton
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Edenton is a town alive with over 300 years of history in North America. It is a place that has given birth to some of the most noteworthy, creative, hardworking, intelligent, and resourceful people in our nation—in particular, African Americans.
It is difficult to find historical references of the African Americans who were the heart and backbone of Edenton’s society. Many of their descendants still live in the area or visit each year for family reunions. Edenton families and historians know the stories of these African Americans. It is time to add their contributions to Edenton’s legacy, and show how the interdependence of all Edentonians influenced the legacy of the town as well as the regions in which their descendants relocated. "The Descendants” page is committed to telling the stories of the forgotten Edentonians, and the legacy that they established through their children, and children’s children. We call their legacy a “Root of Edenton.” |
Table of Descendants
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Root of Edenton: Van Don Williams (9-11 NYC Firefighter)
Thomas Butler Murdough
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Van Don Williams is a descendant of Margaret Murdough (b. 1848) and William B. Shepard's (b. 1844) son, Thomas Butler Murdough (b. 1872).
Thomas and his seven siblings were the first generation of Margaret's children to be born free after she and her father, David Murdough (b. 1820), were emancipated from slavery in Edenton. When Thomas Butler Murdough was born on February 10, 1872, in Edenton, North Carolina, his father, William, was 28 and his mother, Margaret, was 23. The 1880 census lists Thomas as mulatto. He married Isadora Sessoms on April 26, 1899, in his hometown. It is believed that Thomas worked as a butler and handyman in Edenton. His death is shrouded in mystery. In 1910, he was found badly injured and bleeding near the railroad in Edenton. The local hospital refused to treat his injuries, and he died on the way to the colored hospital in Elizabeth City. He died at the young age of 38. |
Thomas Butler Murdough (Son of Margaret Murdough & William B. Shepard)
We have not found a record of the coroner's report or his death certificate any where. He was survived by his wife, Isadora (Slaughter-Sessoms) Murdough, and three of their five children.
(We have an update on Thomas Butler Murdough that will be posted soon.) 7/17/23 |
Legacy of Thomas Butler Murdough: Van Don Williams |
MEMORIAL SERVICE for 9-11 Fire Fighters (CA)- Fireman Van Don Williams said a prayer at the memorial chair for his friend, Fire Fighter Leon Smith of Ladder Company 113. Leon died when the first World Trade Center building collapsed.
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NYC Firefighter Van Don Williams (Root of Edenton)
_______________________ Watch the Video: Van Don is telling his story of how he survived the collapse of World Trade Center Tower 1 on 9-11. He also states how he used his USAF CAP Chaplain training to help other firefighters heal during the aftermath. Biography of Van Don Williams |
Civil Air Patrol is an auxiliary of the United States Air Force. They have chapters in every state. It is a great organization where people can do volunteer work, support the youth, and their country.
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Van Don Williams is a native New Yorker, hailing from the borough of Brooklyn. He and his 10 other siblings made the pilgrimage to Edenton each summer to stay with their grandmother-Mary (Cherry) Murdough. His mother, Barbara Williams, wanted all of her children to know their roots, and experience the birthplace of her family and close-knit community. Van Don enjoyed exploring the inside of the old peanut factory with his older brother, Edward, not knowing the dangers, just the excitement of the unknown. Van Don's mother also stressed the importance of education, and expected her children to continue their education after high school.
Van Don's educational experience includes a BA degree in Sociology/Anthropology from Colgate University. He received a Master of Science degree in Fire Protection Management, and became FDNY's first active duty, African American fire fighter, to attain this degree. He also received a Master of Divinity degree, and is an Ordained Chaplain.
His 20 years experience as an Emergency First Responder and Battalion Firefighter to all types of disasters, has fostered his interest in Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM). The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 was the pivotal point that heightened his interest in CISM.
Below are excerpts from Van Don's story:
"More than a decade later, it is still vivid in my mind. As I watched the morning news of the planes hitting the towers, I realized my relief was late. The alarm went off for the battalion to respond to Manhattan. I took the run in with my chief. We were positioned to go through the Midtown Tunnel with a convoy of 20 units. Battalion 45 Chief Poppa requested the tunnel be cleared of all vehicles before proceeding. Rescue 4 and Squad 288 went through the traffic. I never saw them again."
"Traveling through the [Midtown] tunnel, the fire dispatcher never said Tower Two collapsed, we didn't know."
"Once we arrived on the scene, with gear on and clipboard in hand, Chief Keenan and I started walking toward Tower One, discussing how we were going to put this fire out. We were approaching Chambers and Vesey Streets when Tower One started to collapse."
"Sound of Darkness
There was no place to run. No place to hide. I turned my back to the oncoming plume of smoke. It looked like a scene straight out of the movies. The plume of gray-black smoke engulfed me. I panicked when I couldn't catch my breath. It was at that moment I heard a still small voice say, 'Don relax. Breathe through your mouth. Short sips.' For a few moments, not sure how long, you could hear nothing, complete silence. I called it the Sound of Darkness because there was no activity on any unit radios, no communication from other chiefs on tactical or command channels. The dust began to lift and we didn't know where we were at first. There was devastation everywhere."
"SEPT 12, 2001-THE STRUGGLE
Life as I knew it changed for me after that day. Days seemed to come together with no time off. We were going to funerals after funerals, then to the WTC to work, then back to the firehouse for our regular shifts. We were not ready for this type of traumatic event (FDNY). There wasn't a crisis intervention program readily available for our department to initiate. There were men who, before the tragedy, would talk and laugh and be the jokers in the firehouse. After 9-11, they were quiet and withdrawn. I spent many nights talking with Division and Battalion Chiefs about signs and symptoms of stress to look for in their officers and firefighters. This was all new to them."
"My training in CISM helped me to weather some of the effects of Post Traumatic Stress. It allowed me to help some of my brothers' get through this event, one day at a time. I continued my training in CISM for the rest of my career in FDNY."
Van Don retired from the FDNY Bureau of Operations’ Strategic Planning and Terrorism Task Force unit but continued his work with CISM training.
Currently, Van Don Williams is a chaplain in the United States Air Force Civil Air Patrol (USAF-CAP). He holds the dual title of Northeast Region Chaplain and Northeast Region Director of Critical Incident Stress Management for Civil Air Patrol. In his 31 years of continuous involvement with Civil Air Patrol, Van Don has advanced to the rank of LT Colonel and after the events of 9-11, has implemented a program for New York Wing that will fulfill its CISM requirement, including training, and formation of its first Wing CIS team. He is the former Wing Chaplain for New York State and is a CISM instructor to the Northeast Region Chaplain Service Staff College.
Van Don has also introduced and implemented the CISM concept and training to local clergy within his community, and his church’s denomination in New York City, helping to prepare them for future crisis situations.
Van Don is also a member of the International Critical Incident Stress foundation (ICISF) where he is a National Certified Instructor for several CISM courses: Pastoral Crisis Intervention (I & II), Individual Crisis Intervention and Peer Support, Group Crisis Intervention, and The changing Face of Crisis and Disaster Mental Health Intervention. Since his retirement from FDNY, Van Don has been conducting CISM training for CAP, and throughout the United States, and Canada.
Isn't it ironic, that Thomas Butler Murdough, who was denied life-saving assistance from emergency personnel, produced a Root of Edenton that became a life-saving, first responder?
Van Don's educational experience includes a BA degree in Sociology/Anthropology from Colgate University. He received a Master of Science degree in Fire Protection Management, and became FDNY's first active duty, African American fire fighter, to attain this degree. He also received a Master of Divinity degree, and is an Ordained Chaplain.
His 20 years experience as an Emergency First Responder and Battalion Firefighter to all types of disasters, has fostered his interest in Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM). The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 was the pivotal point that heightened his interest in CISM.
Below are excerpts from Van Don's story:
"More than a decade later, it is still vivid in my mind. As I watched the morning news of the planes hitting the towers, I realized my relief was late. The alarm went off for the battalion to respond to Manhattan. I took the run in with my chief. We were positioned to go through the Midtown Tunnel with a convoy of 20 units. Battalion 45 Chief Poppa requested the tunnel be cleared of all vehicles before proceeding. Rescue 4 and Squad 288 went through the traffic. I never saw them again."
"Traveling through the [Midtown] tunnel, the fire dispatcher never said Tower Two collapsed, we didn't know."
"Once we arrived on the scene, with gear on and clipboard in hand, Chief Keenan and I started walking toward Tower One, discussing how we were going to put this fire out. We were approaching Chambers and Vesey Streets when Tower One started to collapse."
"Sound of Darkness
There was no place to run. No place to hide. I turned my back to the oncoming plume of smoke. It looked like a scene straight out of the movies. The plume of gray-black smoke engulfed me. I panicked when I couldn't catch my breath. It was at that moment I heard a still small voice say, 'Don relax. Breathe through your mouth. Short sips.' For a few moments, not sure how long, you could hear nothing, complete silence. I called it the Sound of Darkness because there was no activity on any unit radios, no communication from other chiefs on tactical or command channels. The dust began to lift and we didn't know where we were at first. There was devastation everywhere."
"SEPT 12, 2001-THE STRUGGLE
Life as I knew it changed for me after that day. Days seemed to come together with no time off. We were going to funerals after funerals, then to the WTC to work, then back to the firehouse for our regular shifts. We were not ready for this type of traumatic event (FDNY). There wasn't a crisis intervention program readily available for our department to initiate. There were men who, before the tragedy, would talk and laugh and be the jokers in the firehouse. After 9-11, they were quiet and withdrawn. I spent many nights talking with Division and Battalion Chiefs about signs and symptoms of stress to look for in their officers and firefighters. This was all new to them."
"My training in CISM helped me to weather some of the effects of Post Traumatic Stress. It allowed me to help some of my brothers' get through this event, one day at a time. I continued my training in CISM for the rest of my career in FDNY."
Van Don retired from the FDNY Bureau of Operations’ Strategic Planning and Terrorism Task Force unit but continued his work with CISM training.
Currently, Van Don Williams is a chaplain in the United States Air Force Civil Air Patrol (USAF-CAP). He holds the dual title of Northeast Region Chaplain and Northeast Region Director of Critical Incident Stress Management for Civil Air Patrol. In his 31 years of continuous involvement with Civil Air Patrol, Van Don has advanced to the rank of LT Colonel and after the events of 9-11, has implemented a program for New York Wing that will fulfill its CISM requirement, including training, and formation of its first Wing CIS team. He is the former Wing Chaplain for New York State and is a CISM instructor to the Northeast Region Chaplain Service Staff College.
Van Don has also introduced and implemented the CISM concept and training to local clergy within his community, and his church’s denomination in New York City, helping to prepare them for future crisis situations.
Van Don is also a member of the International Critical Incident Stress foundation (ICISF) where he is a National Certified Instructor for several CISM courses: Pastoral Crisis Intervention (I & II), Individual Crisis Intervention and Peer Support, Group Crisis Intervention, and The changing Face of Crisis and Disaster Mental Health Intervention. Since his retirement from FDNY, Van Don has been conducting CISM training for CAP, and throughout the United States, and Canada.
Isn't it ironic, that Thomas Butler Murdough, who was denied life-saving assistance from emergency personnel, produced a Root of Edenton that became a life-saving, first responder?
(More Descendant Profiles will be posted below)