The document describes the family histories of the author's father's and mother's sides. On her father's side, her grandfather Sonny Jitta left India as a child due to cultural wars and went to Trinidad and Tobago. Her grandmother Sylvia was from Trinidad as well. On her mother's side, her grandfather Lewis Scott was from Florida and her grandmother Annie Mae Scott's family originated from Georgia as freed slaves. Both families struggled after immigrating to the US but were able to establish themselves through hard work.
2. Dad’s Side
My father (Alec Jitta)
came from a long
distance, he was born in
San Fernando General
Hospital in the Republic of
Trinidad and Tobago.
His father (Sonny Abraham
Jitta) originated in
Kolkata, India and as far I
have been told both his
parents originated from
here as well.
His mother (Sylvia Jitta)
was born and raised from
Harmony Hall, Trinidad
and Tobago.
Mom’s Side
My mother, (Patricia
Jitta), is a born citizen of
this country in Miami,
Florida.
Her father (Lewis Scott)
originated from Miami,
Florida as far as she and
her siblings know.
Her mother (Annie Mae
Scott) is the fifth
generation of freed slaves
of Vidalia, Georgia.
5. Dad’s Side
Sonny Jitta, my father's dad,
left India at the age of seven. His
family left due to cultural wars
between the people. His family went to
Reform Village, Trinidad and Tobago to
escape the violence. Sylvia Jitta always
lived in Trinidad and Tobago. Her family
roots can be traced to Dutch. Both
families arranged for Sonny to marry
Sylvia at the age of 19 and 15 years
old. They married and then had
children. They had nine children in
total and wanted to make a better life
for them and they set forth plans to
move to America. Sylvia left Trinidad in
1969 and arrived in New York as a
maid. After making a living and
establishing the family the children
began to come over in small groups of
two or three or individually. After
everyone was here Sonny was the last
to make the trip in 1978.
Mom’s Side
Lewis Scott, my
mother’s dad, is a Florida
Native. He use to live up in
northern Florida but specific
parts is unknown. Annie Mae,
my mother’s mom, lived in
Vidalia, Georgia where she
worked on her family’s farm.
She left Georgia in 1956 after
having her first child. She
moved down with siblings to
make a better life in Miami.
6. Dad’s Side
My father’s ancestors cannot
be traced beyond my grandfather and
grandmother. My aunts and uncles tell
that he often said he left India and
everything there when he left and
remembering was not one thing he
wanted to do. 2013 present day, and
he is died. He died April 16, 1994
when I was only 3 and those
memories are lost forever. My
grandmother’s family originated from
Dutch and Trinidad and Tobago where
they owned land. They worked off
their own land selling the crop and
cattle for goods and money. She sold
her land to earn money in order to
move to America. She used this
money to file for residence card for
her and two of her children. She
came first and the children later
followed. My grandmother’s ancestors
set her up to move to America and
this influenced the drastic change
their lives made but it kept the drive
to be hard workers and dedicated still
in them as they moved on to have
their own families.
Mom’s Side
My mother’s ancestors cannot
be traced beyond my grandfather
because he died April 11, 1982 when my
mom was thirteen and they never met
any of his family members. None of his
children recall ever meeting his parents.
He was an only child and did not have
any half or step siblings. My
grandmother’s ancestors came from
Africa and were officially freed five
generation from grandmother. They were
as far as she knows always lived in
Vidalia and they worked off the land her
daddy had. This land was passed down
for six generation. After her daddy died
the land was left for his children but the
two he left the deed with became greed
and kept it for themselves. She did earn
some money and she used this to
continue living until leaving for Miami.
This help set her family up both in Miami
and Georgia. She has land in Georgia in
which she has given to my mother.
7. My father’s ancestors spoke English
and a Hindu language. The Hindu language
made until the move to America. The language
slowly died out and during the problems my
grandparents marriage faced the language
being spoken completely stopped.
My father’s family never had normal
tradition like holidays or special days. Their
tradition was to value family and gather
together when ever able. It might not be
unique or different but it is something the
children still try and do today. These island
people will party anytime, for any reason, at
any place. One thing I notice at every party
they love music and they party with pots and
pans and large spoons. It is a tradition to party
and party hard for them.
My mother’s ancestors as far as we
know spoke English.
My mother’s family is family people
too. Their traditions included family gathers,
reunions, and special dishes. One special dish
that every woman knows in her family is the
great Pumpkin Pie the McCloud Style. There is
also the infamous potato salad, jerk chicken,
cough salad, and red beans and rice. My
grandmother also introduced the family to the
teachings of Jehovah’s Witnesses. She was
baptized and raised her children with the same
teachings and values. Today, four of her
children practice the belief, one is married to
a sister, my mother is baptized and she has two
children, my brother and I, which are
baptized.
8.
9. My father’s name, Jitta, in their own hearts
means might and power. They told me that
their dad taught them that and if they are
Jitta they have the power to overcome
anything and achieve anything. When they
were in Trinidad the spelling was Jeeta. On
my dad’s birth certificate it does not have his
name but both his parents and it is spelled
this way. From what they have told I the
American government changed the spelling
when they filed their paperwork rather by
mistake or on purpose but they never cared
of the change.
10.
11. Birth Date: September 9, 1928
Birth Place: Kolkata, India
Mother: Rajkumer (Unobtainable)
Father: Sonny Jitta
Left India: 1935
Went to Reform Village, Trinidad and Tobago
Death Date: April 16, 1994
Death Place: Miami, Florida
Death Age: 65 years old
Cause of Death:
(Final Cause) Aortic Valve Stenosis
(Sequential Cause) Congestive Heart Filure
12. Left to right: Grandma Sylvia, my
mom, and Grandma Maggie
At my parents’ wedding reception
Left to right: my cousin, Karen, my dad, and Grandma Sylvia
13. Birth Date: June 17, 1935
Birth Place: Trinidad and Tobago
Mother: Unknown
Father: Unknown
Left Trinidad: 1969
Went to New York, New York, United States of
America
14. Married: November 26, 1948
Grandpa Sonny was 19 years and Grandma Sylvia
was 15 years old.
Children:
Eugene Jetta: (Uncle Hue)
Kenrick Jitta
Christabell Jitta-Jackson
Annabell Arthur
Arabella Jitta: (Aunt Sheba)
Isabell Jitta: (Aunt Sharon)
Alec Jitta
Rex Jitta
Jabie Jitta
15. The Jitta Family left their homeland to come to
America to have a better opportunity. A few hardships that
they faced were the simple fact that they looked
different. Finding work at first was hard but my
grandfather was good with his hands and was a dedicated
worker. This made him appealing to different work
industries such as Golden Strand Hotels here he did work
until he died. The children faced discrimination in school
and often were picked on. My father can recall getting
jumped and having to run home to make it safely. My
grandmother faced the hardship of having to start all over
with everything. She came first so she had to work hard to
make earnings to provide a life and home for her children.
She overcame this by coming over with a plan to work as a
maid in New York for a year and six months then went to
Miami to establish herself even farther. My grandfather
came last and faced the hardship of coming over and
jumping right into the head of the household role.
16. Daddy, Uncle Robert, Uncle Jabie,
and Auntie Sheba
Grandma Sylvia, Aunt Sharon, Uncle Hue,
Grandpa Sonny, Uncle Jabie,
Karen (Uncle Kenrick’s only child), daddy, and mommy
Grandpa Sonny and
his best friend, Jerry
Aunt Rosa, Uncle Kenrick, and daddy
Grandpa and
Aunt Sheba
Leo (an ex boyfriend), Grandma, Uncle Rex
17.
18. From Back to Front; Left to Right
Tiffany (my dad’s first child), Nicole (Aunt Sharon 1st), Angelica (Uncle Rex 1st),
Ashley (my dad’s 1st with my mom), Ebony (Aunt Sharon 2nd),
Amanda (my dad’s 2nd with my mom, Jessica (Aunt Sharon’s 3rd,
and Bradley (Uncle Rex 2nd)
21. My mother’s name was Scott and it never
changed or was altered at all. In a unity they
all joke and say their name means toilet
paper. My Aunt Lisa, my mom’s sister born
four years before her, told me that “Scott’s
Toilet Tissue is the only kind of toilet paper I
buy”. Other than the family joke there is no
other meaning know.
22.
23. Birth Date: February 3, 1908
Birth Place: Florida
Mother: (Unobtainable)
Father: (Unobtainable)
Death Date: April 11, 1982
Death Place: Miami, Florida
Death Age: 74 years old
Cause of Death:
Prostate Cancer
24. Uncle Son (her brother) and Grandma
My mother and grandma
Carl (grandma’s nephew), my sister (Ashley),
Aunt Zenobia (grandma sister), Grandma is
in the blue dress with me to her right, and Amanda
(my sister) is at the very bottom of the stairs.
25. Birth Date: April 16, 1931
Birth Place: Higgston, Georgia
Mother: Beulah Broomfield
Father: William McCloud
Left Georgia: 1956
Went to Miami, Florida, United States of America
Baptized: 1975
Picture of only police station
26. Married: 1975
Grandpa Lewis and Grandma Maggie was
together since 1957.
Children:
James McCloud: (son from a man in Georgia)
Baby girl died from Yellow Jaundice
Faye Scott
Lewis Scott Jr.
Micheal Scott
Leslie Scott
Patricia Jitta
27. My mother’s family was dealt a rough card from birth. My
grandmother is the fifth generation of freed blacks of the McCloud family
line. Her father’s family was given land with is still in the family. She
worked this land and faced the hardship of not being to go to school. She
dropped out in the third grade to help on the farm and cultivate the
land. She also was hated because she was a black middle class child in
the Deep South. She recalls very vividly being called a “nigger” at the
store and in other public places. She overcame this by leaving. My
grandfather’s life is not very clear because he was a much closed man to
his children and his wife and he died when my mother, the baby of the
six, was only thirteen years old. However, after marrying he opened his
own business called Lewis Dry Cleaning (as for as the family can
remember). The family lived in an apartment over the dry cleaning. One
night in 1971 the dry cleanings caught fire and destroyed the family’s
home. Nine years later in 1980, their fourth oldest child was killed in the
McDuffie Riot by police. In 1982 my grandfather died of Prostate Cancer.
My grandmother was left to be a rock for her family in such hardship that
came back to back. She also had to deal with the death after death of
her siblings. Today out of the original 12 McCloud children only she
remains. Her last living sibling just died September 5, 2013. She dealt
with her hardships by staying focused on the children that were still alive
because “they needed me and did not have anyone else but each other”.
28. Great Aunt Zenobia Rawls
Grandma Maggie’s sister
Great Aunt Gret
Grandma Maggie’s sister
Great Grandma Beulah
Grandma Maggie’s Mom
Great Uncle Neal
Grandma Maggie’s Brother
Aunt Lisa (mom’s sister),
Grandma, Aunt Gret
Great Uncle George
Grandma’s brother
29. Grandma, Aunt Gret, and
Aunt Faye(mom’s oldest sister)
Uncle Scotty (mom’s brother, Lewis Jr.)
Granma, Aunt Gret, Uncle Neal
Great Uncle Son (George)Great Uncle Buddy
Aunt Lisa and Uncle Michael
30.
31. Grandma holding Amanda, my 2nd oldest sister
Top to Bottom; Left to
Right
Aunt Zenobia,
Carl (Uncle James 1st),
Ashley (mom’s 1st),
Jamie (Uncle James 2nd)
Bernard (Uncle Scotty
3rd), Grandma, Me
(mom’s 3rd),
Marcus (Uncle Scotty’s
1st through marriage),
Matthew (Uncle Scotty’s
last), Brandon (Uncle
Scotty 2nd),
and Amanda (mom’s 2nd)
32. James McCloud: 4 (2 biological and 2 from marriage
Baby girl died from Yellow Jaundice
Faye Scott: 0
Lewis Scott Jr.: 7 (6 biological and 1 by marriage)
Michael Scott: 0
Leslie Scott: 0 (She says she has 5. My mother’s five)
Patricia Jitta: 6 (5 biological and 1 step)
Total: 17 grandchildren
34. 25 year Anniversary party
Daddy and brothers from the Kingdom Hall
Brother Ponton: my parents’ Bible
Teacher
Sister Ponton: my parents’ Bible
Teacher
Reception feeding each other cake
36. Jada (Ashley’s 1st)
Alicia (5th)
Alec (4th) and Girlfriend (Stephanie)
Jada and Ashley (1st)
Amanda’s Twins Desiree
and Freud Jr.
Ayanna, Freud Jr. Desi and Ayden
37. This exercise was very difficult for me. The reason being is that
my family does not remember rather by choice or time anything dealing
with the past. My mother’s father was the only child and did not talk
about his life at all. She describes him as an angry man that was very
cold towards them growing up. He did not reveal anything and died with
a lot of questions unanswered. My mother’s grandmother died when her
mother was only 18 months old, and now Grandma Maggie does not recall
anything and has very poor mental health. My father’s dad is dead and he
too did not reveal much about his life and parents. They died before my
dad was born and so did his mom’s parents. My Grandma Sylvia has such a
thick accent without my dad or uncle there I do not always understand
her. Honestly it is was an exercise that made me cry more because I
really do not have an idea of where I came from because all possibilities
are destroyed or lost! My father’s family almost seem like they did not
want to help me and they did not care to past their past to me. In many
different circumstances this exercise was difficult. One might be for
adopted or foster care children and they might not know where they
came from and the information might not be available to them because
of their age. Another circumstance might be one similar to mine. The
story of what happened after my mother and father met would explain
why my aunts and uncles would not help me (on my dad’s side) and this
made it harder for me to do the assignment. To modify this assignment I
would ask for them to trace their line as far back as the last generation
that is still alive or they knew growing up.