Ancestry
Ray Arnold Jr participated in ancestry research conducted by his daughter Antonia Arnold-McFarland. As a male, his DNA can be used for both his matriclan and patriclan.
The Rookard Family (Maternal Lineage)
The Rookard Lineage dates back to Bedney Rookard who lived during the American Revolution. He was the father of Jesse Rookard born in 1816. Jesse had 14-15 children documented, one of which was Furman Rookard (1857-1935). Bedney, Jesse and Furman were all enslaved. Furman was freed after 1865, as a child. He eventually purchased land during the depression so his siblings could vote. However, this did not come to fruition. Furman had 8 children from 3 marriages. Raymond’s mother Annie Maude was one of his daughters.
The Rookard Interstate Reunion takes place bi-annually, after first launching in Spartanburg, SC in 2012. Over 400 people attended that weekend.
The Arnold Family Lineage
Thomas and Francis Arnold, born in 1863 and 1862, respectively, had 7 children, one of which was Raymond Walter Arnold, Sr. He was born in 1896. He married Annie Maude Rookard after meeting her at Morris College, an HBCU in South Carolina. He was a college president of what is today called Seneca Junior College. At the time it was called the Seneca Institute. He died at the young age of 40 from an infectious disease. Raymond was 2 years old. He grew up knowing some of his first cousins on the Arnold side but not knowing his father’s family as well as the Rookards. His mother remarried during his teenage years. His daughter Antonia did reveal to him the number of siblings his father had and hoped to find their descendants before he passed. She will continue this journey.
