BALTIMORE COUNTY — How far are you willing to go to trace your family's lineage?
Niecy DeShields-Moulton, a genealogist and public historian, traced her family's lineage to what's now known as the Hampton National Historic Site.
For hundreds of years, the area served as a plantation where at its height, more than 800 people were enslaved there.
"When I found out my ancestors were enslaved on this plantation, I became involved," DeShields-Moulton said.
Her connection to the former plantation in Baltimore County? A man by the name of of George Batty.
"I descend from the Batty branch of descendants. My fourth great grandfather was George Batty," she said.
Some of Batty's descendants can be traced to York, Pennsylvania. Including former NFL player Will Beatty, an offensive tackle with two Super Bowl rings.
This led to an event that brought both sides of the family, the ones that stayed in Maryland and the others that went to York together.
On September 27, 2025, the event united descendants whose ancestors fled to freedom and relocated to York and those whose ancestors remained in Maryland.
"The event paid homage to the men, women and children of the Batty family who lived, labored and struggled on the plantation dating back to 1765," DeShields-Moulton explained.
Debbie Harner, a community engagement and college archivist at Goucher College, says even though this isn't her history, it's American history.
"It's very significant and important not just to have those in power and their stories told, but those who maybe produce the wealth of those who are wealthy," Harner said.
"We aren't where we are today because of what happened in the past. And we don't know where we're going if we don't know where we've been and I think both are critical. It's not that history quote unqote repeats itself, but human nature doesn't change. So I think the lessons of the past can help be a guiding presence for us moving forward," Harner explained.
