Sunny Hostin Learns About Her Grandmother's Missing Father

In the 1940 census for Columbia County, Georgia, we saw Mary listed as a 7-year-old girl, living with four siblings and her mother, Lillie Mae Greene, in the home of her mother's parents.

But one significant figure was notably absent.

Who was missing?

Lillie Mae was the mother of all those children.

- Right.

- Who's the father?

Oh, yeah... 'cause she's 25, - but living at home - Right.

with her parents, with all those kids.

With all those kids.

Very understanding parents.

Yeah.

I guess, unless they were all on a farm together somewhere.

Well, your grandmother Mary's father is not listed.

Do you know anything about him?

- No.

- Hmm, okay.

- not at all.

- Please turn the page.

Oh, boy.

I'm scared to turn the page, okay.

Mary's father was a man named Robert Cummings and by the time the 1940 census was recorded, Robert had left his family, never to return.

We believe that he and Lillie may have separated sometime after 1937 when their fifth child was born.

So how do you imagine their split affected your grandmother, Mary?

She was just a child.

She would've been between six and nine.

Well, I know she was very close to her mother, but she didn't talk to me, at least.

Maybe she spoke to my dad.

She didn't speak to me much about her father.

So that's pretty telling.

Yeah.

Have you heard anything about Robert's life, - No.

- after the split?

- No.

- No?

Please turn the page.

It feels like I'm about to learn something.

This is his draft card.

Would you please read the transcribed section?

Oh wow, "Robert Willie Cummings, age 37, address: Augusta-Richmond, Georgia.

Person who will always know your address: Estella Hadley.

Place of employment: Bell Aircraft Camp Gordon, Augusta-Richmond, Georgia."

You're looking at your great grandfather's World War II registration card.

Wow.

By the time this was recorded, Robert had moved to Augusta, and unfortunately, this is the last record we have of him, and we don't know what happened to him after 1942.

What have you heard from your grandmother?

What kind of relationship did she and her siblings have with Robert following their parents' split, not a word?

I don't recall her ever saying anything about it, no.

Well, even though we can't trace Robert forward, we can trace Robert backwards in time.

Okay.

Our search led us to what was known as Morrow Precinct, a tiny unincorporated hamlet in Columbia County, Georgia.

Here we found Robert as a young man and discovered that he too, grew up without a father.

"Cummings, Mandy, race, Black, age 55, single, place of birth, Georgia, occupation, farmer, general farm.

Robert W., son, race, Black, age 15, place of birth, Georgia."

There's your great-grandfather, Robert, at just 15 years old in the household of his mother, your great-great-grandmother, Mandy Cummings.

Have you ever heard of her?

Never, wow.

Mandy, her proper name was Amanda was born sometime between 1869 and 1871.

And as you can see, Amanda is listed as single - on that census.

- Yes.

Your great-grandfather, Robert's father, is not listed in the household.

- That's a pattern.

- Unfortunately, at this time, we are unable positively to identify Robert's father.

Amanda never appears to have been married.

That is a pattern, which is crazy, because I have such a great dad, and I think he wanted to make sure to break this cycle.

I think that was important to him.

This story was about to take a surprising turn.

Moving back one generation from Amanda, we came to her father, a man named Dean Harris.

Dean is Sunny's third great-grandfather.

He was likely born into slavery in Columbia County, Georgia around 1835, and sometime after emancipation, he adopted the surname Cummings, but that's not all he did.

"Personally appeared before me this 15th day of July, 1867, Dean Harris, who makes oath as follows, I Dean Harris do solemnly swear in the presence of Almighty God that I will faithfully support the Constitution," What?

"And obey the laws of the United States and will to the best of my ability, encourage others so too.

Signed Dean X. Harris, sworn to and subscribed before me register of the 25th Registration District."

Did he vote?

He registered to vote.

Wow.

That's cool.

Wow.

Now you got me crying.

That's amazing.

In 1867 to register to vote.

And he couldn't even write his name.

The X, he signed the document with an X.

He signed with an X. Yeah.

Wow.

that's amazing.