Running Head: OPENING MY EYES: REVELATIONS ALONG THE PATH
Opening My Eyes:
Revelations along the Path of My Anglo-American Cultural Heritage
Jack Yeatts
Liberty University
1
OPENING MY EYES: REVELATIONS ALONG THE PATH
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ABSTRACT
This paper is a compilation of personal experience, research, and readings on specifically, my
Yeatts/Beck background and generally on my Anglo-American cultural heritage. Along with
scholarly articles and textbooks, internet and media sources, I have incorporated findings from
several family interviews and genealogy study. I have sought to not only gather data
indiscriminately, but to also look for patterns of emerging thought about my family. The paper
seeks to present facts about culture while also giving voice to the redeeming power of Christ and
His preeminence over the defining of culture in determining the identity of his disciples.
OPENING MY EYES: REVELATIONS ALONG THE PATH
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I am an Anglo-American male of English ancestry on both my mother and father’s sides of
the family. Until I did the research and footwork for this paper, I did not see a connection as one
who shared the Anglo-American culture in the United States. This lack of Anglo-American
cultural identity was echoed in Hays & Erford (2010) when they wrote “Those of Anglo heritage
find it uncomfortable and confusing to discuss ethnicity because they consider themselves “plain,
regular Americans” “ (p. 339). I define myself as a rural, southern man with a profound religious
heritage in the Pentecostal Holiness Church. When I thought of my legacy, I looked to particular
family traits and connections and rarely gave my deeper English ancestry a thought. In the
course of gathering data from my relatives I have cherished the opportunity to connect or
reconnect with my family to gain an understanding of our shared family history. My first
observation is to my own lack of focus in the past in really “hearing” our family story. I
appreciate those who have diligently worked to connect the dots of extended family
relationships.
I realize that gaining understanding of my Anglo-American cultural heritage helps strengthen
my comprehension of who I am. I further realize that strengthening my knowledge of my
personal ancestry helps me better realize my place in the world and also better equips me for the
job I hope to attain through my studies. As a school counselor, I want to consider the cultural
needs of my students because I know it will aide me in providing services to them. With all of
this said, I must firmly stand on the knowledge that though my Anglo-American culture largely
defines me, it does not determine my future or even the whole way in which I view my past or
present. This is the jurisdiction of Jesus Christ whom is the author and finisher of my faith and
the one who brings me into new life.
Anglo-Americans are categorically typecast as resourceful, high achieving, and fiercely
individualistic. We are independent and respectful of other’s independence, ambitious, and selfreliant and responsible people who value hard work (Garzon with Mike Myers, 2010). We are
people who look to and prepare for the future, and we measure success in external factors such as
land and wealth. We are people who consider ourselves “Lords of the natural earth” which we
make submit to our will through hard work and insight (Hays & Erford, 2010; McGoldrick,
Giordano & Garcia-Preto, 2005). These traits have provided strength and determination to
prevail through many historical and personal hardships, and they have been passed to children to
ensure the greater success of each future generation. Yet, these same traits have led to much
OPENING MY EYES: REVELATIONS ALONG THE PATH
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emotional pain and isolation. Indeed, the devil is in the details. Self-reliance becomes pride.
Hard work becomes obsession. Success becomes an idol. Individualism, personal achievement,
and respect for other’s autonomy become emotional distancing (Elliot, 2010). The missing
external measures of success marginalize the “failures” and make them outcasts.
The “devil” details reveal themselves in personal experience. The first eleven years of my
life was spent as an only child. Even though I had neighborhood children for friends I always
felt very much a loner who was expected to make it on my own academically. I felt a personal
call to be self-reliant and resourceful. Though my parents had strong work ethics, high moral
and achievement standards, and an eye for a better future than they had experienced, they were
quite overprotective and this sent me a mixed message. I was expected to succeed, yet I had a
gnawing perception of myself that I was somehow deficient. I began to excel academically
because I worked really hard (hard work ethic) and did not really care what my peers thought
(autonomy and individualism). However, I suffered from feelings of extreme isolation and
loneliness.
Neither of my parents had a college education but my parents wanted me to do better than
themselves economically and professionally and so placed a huge value on getting a college
education. They typically looked to the future as brighter than today; though, as discussed in one
article, the belief that education is the key to better employment among Anglo-Americans is
affected by Affirmative Action quota systems (Jackson, 2000; Garzon with Mike Myers, 2010).
I really had to rely on myself to pave my own way to and in college because my parents could
not give me good counsel in this area having no point of reference. As pointed out in the
Romero study (1966) achieving success is highly connected to help received by “intermediaries
between the individual and his goal” (p. 3). In my case, I had to take the initiative to apply and
fill out all the paperwork, but I really felt the lack of help to steer me from a vocational
standpoint. I began to flounder as I felt very alone in my college years other than striving to
work hard. I choose to major in Christian ministries because I did feel a call to affect positive
change in Christian education in the Pentecostal Holiness denomination. Later when I pursued a
graduate degree in a liberal seminary, I felt the brunt of many of the destructive elements within
the Anglo-American culture discussed earlier. This led to an emotional breakdown. Yet, God
was faithful to redeem. After six months I returned to seminary for a short time to discover that I
wanted to leave academics to begin a job search. I later gravitated to an outside sales job that I
OPENING MY EYES: REVELATIONS ALONG THE PATH
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enjoyed and had some success in doing. I later met my wife and to this day marvel at God
working in my life as I see a pattern of love and acceptance from my marriage each day. I look
daily to my wife’s love and her encouragement in seeking to understand how and why I am the
man I am today.
I was brought up in the Emmanuel Pentecostal Holiness Church in Dry Fork Virginia where
my great uncle Dewey was pastor from 1933 to 1947. My parents joined this church soon after
they were married which many considered the Yeatts’ family church. From my earliest
recollection, I’ve known the Yeatts’ family as one permeated with preachers of the word. Dail
Yeatts, son of Pastor Dewey states, “A large number of them (Yates/Yeatts) yielded to the
tugging of the desire to minister either by serving the church as laymen or to lead churches as
pastors. Also from the Yates/Yeatts families, many entered into a teaching career that reached
from elementary through colleges and universities to satisfy the unexplainable urge to guide both
young and older people to a good and meaningful life” (Yeatts, 2005, p. 8). In fact, as early as
1636, Yeatts men were part of the church. Though the new world found difficulty in placing
clergymen in new world parishes (Smithsonian Institution), John the Immigrant came to
Jamestown with a desire to serve the Anglican Church. He received an appointment of church
warden/vestryman at Lynnhaven Parish in 1642. Further research indicates Robert,
Bartholomew, and William served as rectors of Bruton Parish Church in Williamsburg (Yeatts,
2005).
My parents, especially my father, highly esteemed the ministers who came our way in the Dry
Fork community. I fondly remember a rather flamboyant evangelist who would wear a fancy
vest, so I was dressed in a vest as a very young boy. We were in the church whenever the doors
were open- Sunday morning, Sunday evening Wednesday night prayer meeting, choir practice
and any special revival services. Each summer I would attend the youth camp where many
young people were saved. I was saved in an evangelistic revival service at my home church at
sixteen and later that year felt the call to Christian service at our denomination’s youth camp.
The genealogy studies and interviews completed for this assignment all reveal the place of
respect held for pastors and teachers, and many parallels to my career choices can be made
(Yeatts, 2005; Yeatts, 2008, D. Yeatts, personal communication, April 12, 2011; J. Yeatts and F.
Yeatts, personal communication, April 14, 2011; History, Arts, and Culture)
OPENING MY EYES: REVELATIONS ALONG THE PATH
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Both my mom and dad grew up on very small farms that helped provide their huge families
with food and the ability to barter for services that they could not afford. My great great
grandfather David Terry Yeatts was noted for his skills in farming and his determination to
succeed was acknowledged by their friends even under the cloud of the Civil War. His son
Coleman Bennett Yeatts who moved to the Dry Fork farm and raised all of his sons and their
wives had a similar farming background and settled in Dry Fork also. Every memory includes a
large personal garden at all the Yeatts’ homes. Regardless, of other areas of employment,
“growing something” was important and remains a hallmark of the Yeatts’ descendents today.
The Yeatts’ families were large for generations. My dad was the baby of a family of nine.
His dad, John Webster Yeatts, was one of ten children. My grandmother Rosa Davis had seven
sisters and one brother. John Webster’s father was from a family of nine (Yeatts, 2005).
Needless to say I have many Yeatts relatives in Pittsylvania County. Yet, I do not know many of
my relatives intimately which is characteristically Anglo-American (McGoldrick, Giordano &
Garcia-Preto, 2005). My cousins because they have settled all across the United States. None of
my cousins have large families today and though the overwhelming majority of my cousins still
live within fifty miles, Yeatts reunions are a thing of the past. This speaks to the AngloAmerican trait of autonomy coupled with the demands of our busy, career-driven society that
leaves little time or value for family relationships. .
The Yeatts’ men and women are famous for their opinionated, fiery temper coupled with a
sharp wit and highly developed sense of humor. Yeatts have no difficulty expressing their view
regardless of the opposition or consequence. This trait has served us well in the ministry, but has
led to family disagreements that remain unresolved. The southern Yeatts’ family can be quite
racist in their view and follow the observations in of the” Anglo-conformists” (Hepburn, 1993)
who believe that other cultures should assimilate into the American cultural scene with complete
allegiance. Outsiders are a threat and are viewed with suspicion.
This fiery communication style is uncharacteristic of Anglo-American culture as expressed in
several sources. McGoldrick, Giordano & Garcia-Preto (2005) refer to Anglo communication as
one in which “silence is emotional self-containment” epitomized by the “silent cowboy or
rugged frontiersman” (p. 524). Elliott, Adams & Adams (2010) refer to adult communication
among Anglo-Americans as “rational” and anyone “expressing himself in a passionate way may
OPENING MY EYES: REVELATIONS ALONG THE PATH
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suspected of irrationality” (p. 6). This perception has been particularly hard on my father, who is
easily angered, quick to voice his irritation, but just as quick to forget it and tell a joke.
The Becks are also believers in large families. My mom has eight siblings, all still alive, so at
Christmas we usually have a well represented family reunion. My first cousins alone on the
Beck side can make quite a group. Mom’s father, Robert Beck, had eight brothers and sisters.
Grandma Beck was the oldest of ten children. Occasionally they have a reunion in Beckley West
Virginia with many Ward (my maternal grandmother) relatives in attendance. It is ironic that of
my mother’s generation, only my oldest aunt Ida Mae had a large family. They needed many
hands as they sharecropped farming tobacco (I. M. Finney, personal communication, April 12,
2011.). The Becks have been successful in keeping family ties close and they truly enjoy being
in one another’s company. In fact, most any event is cause for a gathering which is accompanied
with great food and a showcase of family talent such as my Cousin Jeannette’s bluegrass band.
Each Christmas, the Beck reunions are still filled with love and a desire to create in music, drama
and most any creative outlet.
Family loyalty and clan mentality go hand-in-hand with the Becks. I recall my mom each
Sunday after church fixing lunch then making her weekly trip to her mother’s home to play
scrabble with her brothers and sisters. This catch up time was non-negotiable as they were very
close. In fact, this Beck family might have “outsider” friends, but none compare to the
relationships they have with brother and sister. I, too, would come with mom and play with all
my cousins. We basically had a Beck family reunion each Sunday. Grandmother Beck was the
center of the hub of activity. I do recall that the Becks never discussed any controversy of any
type, but family “goings on” was discussed instead. They were not interested in discussing the
politics of the day or any religious doctrine that would possibly alienate anyone. There is a love
that continues to tie the Becks together even as their children’s children leaves the Dry Fork nest.
This same love for all things Beck presents some challenges. Family loyalty can become
clannish when one of the members must choose their spouse over Beck interests. For example,
when my mother and father decided to marry, my mother’s sister offered her a new car and an
education if she would remain single. This act has been a “thorn in the flesh” for all of their
married life and has never been truly resolved. To this day there is a sense of “walking on
eggshells” when Dad attends Beck family events. My father’s quick temper is difficult for my
mother to deal with. For example, my Uncle Donnie practices an alternative lifestyle which the
OPENING MY EYES: REVELATIONS ALONG THE PATH
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Beck’s do not necessarily accept yet they would never vocalize anything but polite conversation.
My father, on the other hand, has strong feelings which he voices freely. He is passionate about
what he believes is sin and believes this cause supersedes being “nice.” My mother feels that
family comes first and dealing with sin comes after in priority. This source of conflict requires
much hard work of acceptance of each other’s personalities and backgrounds.
The Beck family came from roots that demanded they be resourceful and ambitious to
survive. They are a proud, high-achieving family. Five of my uncles and aunts on my Beck side
of the family retired as teachers. My mom was a cosmetology teacher in the local school
systems. My uncle Jeff was an accounting teacher at the local community college. Bobby Gene
Beck retired as a carpentry teacher in the local vocational high school. My youngest uncle,
Donald Beck, has served as an elementary school teacher in Chicago all his working life.
Donnie, Jeff, Emily all sought higher education because they had a drive to succeed. My Aunt
Dot who is the entrepreneur of the family actually owns a cosmetology school and continues
teaching well into her seventies. Many of my Beck cousins also made their career in teaching.
Even in their leisure time, the Becks are productive people with each one excelling in some
form of craftsmanship. In retirement, my uncle Jeff is a master gardener and builder of furniture.
Bobby Gene, a wood craftsman. My mother loves to garden and sew. All of the girls quilt,
crochet, knit, paint, or invent crafts. They are the epitome of the Anglo-American woman with a
fierce desire to be her own individual which is expressed in such undertakings (Hardin, 2001).
My Beck relatives have always been interested in creating and building anything with their hands
and using their creativity to restore old buildings, build new homes, create designs for furniture,
or recycle materials into lovely crafts for the home. I remember quite clearly, my dad
exclaiming about the Becks that they were only interested in “brick and mortar” meaning that
they were only interested in industry that created a beautiful home environment. This phrase was
directed at my mother who found joy in house and yard projects and was continually seeking
home improvements.
1908 - 1994
86
Eury
Dennis
Yeatts
84
John
Oliver
Yeatts
Pamela
Marie Yeatts
(Matherly)
44
Ethel
Yeatts
(Haymore)
Louise
Yeatts
75
89
Eliza Dorothy
Yeatts Yeatts
(Ricketts) (Johnson)
91
Jack
Keith
Yeatts
Linda Jean
Swanson
(Yeatts)
56
George
Reaves
Yeatts
76
55
Frank
Webster
Yeatts
Lee
Thomas
Yeatts
61
1954
65
1917 - 1982 1924 - 1985 1913 - 1989 1915 - 1990 1919 - 2010 1921
71
1910 - 1981
1955
John
Webster
Yeatts
Rosa White
Davis
(Yeatts)
54
1877 - 1945
Eliza
Anthony
Elliott (Davis)
68
1869 - 1937
68
1927
1966
64
Susan Jefferson
Edwards Wil iam
(Yeatts) Davis
77
1858 - 1935 1867 - 1931
1878 - 1932
Coleman
Bennett
Yeatts
59
1848 - 1907
72
75
80
1930
61
1949
53
1957
Robert
James
Beck
81
1929
1933
77
69
1941
58
1952
Edna Mae
Ward
(Beck)
72
78
Mary Etta
Waddell
(Ward)
1911 - 1983
Henry
French
Ward
74
1892 - 1966
1898 - 1977
Ida Delaware
Harvey
(Beck)
47
1870 - 1917
Frances Henry Robert Harvey Donald Ida Mae Dorothy Virginia Emily
Marie Beck Jefferson Eugene Waddell Ray Beck Sue Beck Carol Beck Faye
(Yeatts) Beck Beck Beck Beck (Finney) (Kidd) (McDowell) Beck (Hil )
1939
1936
Jefferson
Davis
Beck
83
1866 - 1949
OPENING MY EYES: REVELATIONS ALONG THE PATH
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My Genogram
OPENING MY EYES: REVELATIONS ALONG THE PATH
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The genogram reveals the large family on either side of my family tree. What is not exposed
are major cultural events, physical conditions, education, and religious patterns. From my father,
I learned the importance of voting. He has strong political feelings which he supports with his
right to vote and expects his children to do likewise. He enjoys sports on every level and even
drives a motorized wheelchair to view the local ballgames. Mom and dad both value attending
their grandchildren’s sporting events and though it is difficult to negotiate the wheelchair they
are present if at all possible. They likewise show great support for all music endeavors of my
sister, Pam, who is a music instructor at the local Christian school.
My mother and father both have serious physical handicaps. My mother has muscular
dystrophy which affects her ability to swallow, hold her eyes open, and speak clearly. For the
last fifteen years, she has used a feeding tube to gain her nutrition, yet she continues with
strength and determination to live life as fully as possible. My father has rheumatoid arthritis
and is confined to a wheelchair. He is in constant pain, yet he loves people and makes the effort
to keep driving for visits. In a broader sense, the Yeatts side of my family have a history of
arthritis and high blood pressure, both of which I am increasingly experiencing. The Becks have
a history of cancer. Though I know these maladies are in my DNA, I also understand my
family’s fierce determination to keep moving forward in life and I embrace that spirit.
Religious heritage has played an enormous part in my immediate family and in the family
history of the Yeatts and Becks. My mother and father began going to Emmanuel Pentecostal
Church shortly after they married. For our family, our entire social life revolved around church
activities, especially the choir where my father and I sang together. My mother and father’s
people were of the Baptist faith. We were the lone Pentecostals. Our demonstrative worship and
strict moral, and often legalistic code made it difficult to find a social place among my peers
especially as a teen. Not being able to participate in some of the major rites of passage for rural
youth such as the attending the county fair, going to movies, going swimming or attending prom.
We lived in the middle of tobacco country, and tobacco was taboo for all of the Pentecostal
Holiness faith. Forbidden to work in tobacco, a major source of income for all local teens, I was
often ostracized by my neighbors. Still, God used these experiences to forge a strong faith in
me.
Everyone’s cultural heritage has implications for all aspects of his or her life. As one
preparing to be a school counselor, I believe that fully embracing my cultural heritage with its
OPENING MY EYES: REVELATIONS ALONG THE PATH
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strengths and weaknesses will help me better relate to my clients. I believe that a project such as
this is quite beneficial in exposing the blind spots of understanding that could potentially hinder
my best efforts. As an Anglo-American, I see both the motivations and the pitfalls of cultural
characteristics. Resourcefulness, ambition to succeed, responsibility and other traits can be used
to motivate others to reach their potential. These same traits can also be used to demoralize
students if unrealistic expectations are placed upon them or if I make them feel as if their value is
found in their productivity.
My struggles with Anglo-American cultural traits as well as those of my family-alienation,
obsession with achievement to please others, loneliness-will most surely be found in some
students. My experiences will provide the sensitivity to recognize this pain in others and offer
them the RESPECTFUL model of counseling as outlined in Hayes & Erford (2010). This model
is comprehensive as it moves through the word as an acronym-R for religious identity, E for
economic class background and so on (p. 357).
Understanding the Anglo-American cultural heritage is akin to the Ephesians 4:15 Biblical
injunction of “speaking the truth in love”. To listen to history and to observe the present
working expression of Anglo-American cultural traits with honesty is crucial to understanding
who I am as an Anglo-American male. In addition, it is important to understand the personal
elements of my cultural background as experienced in my mother and father’s families. It is a
huge mistake to refuse to see when the facts are glaringly before me. It is counterproductive to
be defensive about certain truths about Anglo culture. For example, the literature reveals a
culture that places personal success over relationships, personal responsibility over getting vital
help from others, and personal respect for the autonomy of others over involvement in their lives.
The beginning of finding strength in my cultural heritage is the acceptance of the truth of these
findings. But understanding one’s culture is not the end goal.
Cultural heritage must give way to regeneration in Christ. I remember the night when I bent
my knee to the Lordship of Christ in my life some thirty-nine years ago. My parents and my
church laid the groundwork of who I am today. God continues to take the negatives with which I
was born and all the consequential emotional baggage and has used my cultural heritage to cause
me to be able to stand fast in the trials and tribulations of life. I stand on my parents’ shoulders
to see with better vision than was given them. I see my weaknesses more clearly and ask the
God of the Yeatts and Beck culture to grow me up into a mature faith that will be able to
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withstand the assaults of the evil one and the malevolence that is present in society today. I pray
that my weaknesses will be developed into positives as I rely on the faith of my fathers. I could
have easily died from viral pneumonia a year ago but I was raised from a hospital bed with the
strong prayers of my wife to see a good future for me. I can do all things through Christ who is
strengthening me today both physically mentally and spiritually. I may not be there yet but I do
believe that there is continued healing in my life and that I will be a blessing to those whom I am
asked to serve professionally in the days ahead.
In summary, I have learned much about my Anglo-American cultural history through the
scholarly readings, interviews with family members, and the hard work of researching my
ancestry. All has been eye-opening to who I am as the sum total of my cultural components.
Anglo-Americans are according to the literature and as I have honestly looked at my culture
through the analysis I have read, a complex people with many strengths and weaknesses. Often
the strengths and weaknesses are two sides of the same coin. Respect for the right to decide for
oneself is afforded easily, yet it so quickly becomes a lack of involvement in the lives of those
who really need our love and support. Responsibility for one’s welfare and actions can result in
false guilt for those things we have no control over, or a refusal to ask for help when we
seriously need assistance. Even more illuminating have been the personal interviews with
family. I had not realized how little I knew about my family background until working on this
project. I am humbled by the newfound knowledge and prayerfully ask God to help me continue
to process the information as I see new implications revealed in my life.
OPENING MY EYES: REVELATIONS ALONG THE PATH
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