A new National Geographic collection of stories documenting journeys undertaken by individuals to reconnect with ancestral homelands includes a link to the Historic Triangle.
Journeys Home includes the tale of Joe Mozingo, a Los Angeles Times reporter and a white descendant of African slaves. He documents his trip to Angola to discover his roots and then to Port Comfort, Virginia, where his ancestors first arrived. After 27 years of servitude, a court in Jamestown freed his ancestor Edward Mozingo.
In his entry in the book, Joe Mozingo documents what he has learned of Edward Mozingo’s life. Following the court’s decision to grant him his freedom, Edward Mozingo married a white English woman and became a tobacco farmer on the Northern Neck.
Edward Mozingo was an indentured servant. During that time, he learned carpentry and how to play the fiddle. After the man who purchased him as an indentured servant died in 1668, Edward Mozingo sued for his freedom and emerged triumphant from the main courthouse in Jamestown.
Much of the entry documents Joe Mozingo’s journey into Angola, where he connected with locals and explored the landscape to learn about his past. He also visited Jamestown Island and wrote about his experience there.
Other stories in the book detail locales including Sicily, Russia, India, Peru, Cuba, Illinois and California.
The book, a hardcover, will be released Tuesday and is available for $26.
