From the Cotton Field to the Computer Field
A Historical Record of the Finch Family
by
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It is somewhat egotistical for anyone to write an autobiography. The idea of me writing this one was prompted by; my late dear brother, James, in the 1980s, during one of our frequent telephone conversations. Not living around my immediate family, since I was about fifteen or sixteen, our conversations, more often than not, would be about family’s health, new arrivals, departures, marriages, divorces, and always revisiting our childhood.
Our family members are scattered from our roots in Oglethorpe, Georgia, to Athens, Winder, Hoschton, Atlanta, Bethlehem, Decatur, and Columbus, Georgia; as well as, places as far away as Columbus and Cleveland, Ohio; Chicago, Illinois; Indianapolis, Indiana; Los Angeles, California; and many more cities throughout the United States.
Sadly though, our participation together, as a family, happens mostly at funerals, and at annual reunions, where participation is localized. I have much to do, eking out a living like the rest of you, but I felt compelled to write this book. I felt, it was high time that some of the Finches’ history was captured on paper for our successors.
Knowing also that, after a few years go by, people tends to forget the past; especially if there isn’t some written record of the events, people and things. Or what everyone knew has become a strange and wonderful story told to the next generation. Frightening as it might seem, some of us do not know who our great grandparents, grandparents, or even uncles, aunts, and cousins are/were? Not remembering, nor understanding their present or past, and what effect it might have on decision making and the way we do things. Although we are individuals, our commonality runs deep.
This book, I hope, will be a beginning, not an end. It tells a few things, but not all, about our ancestry. If we hope this family will prosper as a people, we must know our heritage and apply it to our personal development scheme. Especially the parts filled with compassionate outreach.
I believe everything that happens in ones life is valuable, and should be preserved. I also believe it to be an essential part of the universe, which only God can completely comprehend.
It’s our individual parts, which make up our family universe, and need to be understood by those who are in it. It needs to be past on from generation to generation, with the hope that the positive aspects of prior generations will be emulated by its successors.
I have three reasons for writing this autobiography. The first is to praise God, for the many blessings He has bestowed upon me and this family. Without these, I would have stumbled, long ago, into an abyss of despair. The second is to provide an insightful view of my personal struggles, as I went From the Cotton Field to the Computer Field. The third is to set the foundation for the continued documentation of the Finches.
The history starts in Oglethorpe, Georgia, and begins with grandparents, Lewis and Pinkie Finch. This book encapsulate as much of each descendant’s personal history, available to me at the time of this writing.
In no way should this history be deemed to be all-inclusive, and without omissions. It is the author’s wish, and intent, that this history will be expounded upon as time goes by, correcting any errors and/or omissions and making relevant additions regarding the Finch family.
From our paternal grandparents, Lewis and Pinky Finch’s time, to now, too many ancestors have come and gone leaving only, in most cases, a two-three paragraph obituary, which says he/she was born, had parents, siblings, a wife, children, grandchildren, and died.
My paternal and maternal grandparents; were Lewis and Pinkie Finch, and Alexander and Minnie (Watkins) Slaton. From these sources came my father and mother; Charles Stephen and Fannie Lou Finch. From them came my six brothers and three sisters, and dad had another son and daughter prior this union.
There are many branches that have sprouted from the children of Lewis and Pinkie Finch. They took spouses from the Hull’s, Dye’s, Slaton’s and others. From these, came forth children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and great, great grandchildren who have attained occupational successes that they dared to dream about.
I learned plenty about family and myself, over the past year or so, as I drilled Lewis Hull and Leroy Finch about the Finch family. They were invaluable repositories, of family history. I cannot thank either, enough. Prior to writing this book I didn’t know my paternal grandparents first names.
The journey from the Cotton Field to the Computer Field was a long trip: requiring ingenuity, perseverance, genuine self-encouragement and support from family members and acquaintances. More than any of these, it required God’s guiding light...leading and directing my every step along the way. A friend, Huey Hong, during my tenures at an engineering firm and a county hospital in the seventies, reminded me recently this task was for me. Over lunch, in Chicago, he said: "John, I marveled at your ability of doing ‘thirty-nine steps compared to the twenty-one steps’ everyone else did. More than that you didn’t complain, you merely asked for the steps".
This book is written with as much candor as possible. However, if I happen to offend, anyone, it wasn’t my intention.
We all have good and bad in us, but as hard as we may try to eliminate the bad, it seems to hang around us until we leave this wicked system.
Thanks to all you, I am proud of being a Finch, and merely hope that I have live up to the high standards set by my predecessors. You are certainly a great and loving family, and from the deeds and love I’ve seen emanating from you, I’m sure it makes God happy.
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About the Book
From the Cotton Field to the Computer Field is an autobiographical narrative about the life of John Robert Finch. It chronicles his journey through the military, in the work force, and within family exchanges. It also examines the challenges he faced as a black man from the south and his involvement as a descendant of a former slave.
The narrative begins (prelude) with the author’s motivation for writing the narrative. He expounds upon the cathartic rewards of writing the work as well as the pride that has come from knowing his roots.
He writes about his family as cotton sharecroppers and its unending cycle of work for the landlord, "Regardless of the how hard we worked or how many bales of cotton we produced in a season, we never made enough money in the season to break even with the landlord. Thus, the landlord had us hooked for another cotton life cycle".
This book is fascinating--rich in history and cultural flavor. His work illustrate life as a constant process of ups and downs, obstacles and roadblocks, but proves eloquently that challenges are surmountable and that faith should be kept in that, among other things.
From the Cotton Field to the Computer Field is a joy to read – easy and colloquial.
About the Author
John Robert Finch believes that focused pursuit of dreams brings them to fruition, and risk-taking lead to a rewarding life.
Risk-taking was the impetus that propelled him from jobs as material handler, dishwasher, mail clerk, and bus driver to positions in the computer industry as programmer, analyst and owner of an information technology consulting firm. In From the Cotton Field to the Computer Field, he chronicles the challenges and obstacles he faced as an African American, having to do 39 steps compared to the 21 to be equal to his peers.
Most of John’s success is attributed to satisfying prerequisites, some real and others illusionary to deny opportunity to African Americans. His message is relevant to young African Americans who wish to succeed in a society that for the most part exclude them.