Marion Ransell Dobbins was born and raised in Merrifield. From a young age, she was drawn to history. As a child, she sat at her grandmother's knee and listened to the stories of her ancestors and the communities they built. However, from the 1960s to the 1980s, Marion became disheartened by the changing landscape of these Black communities and the growing disregard for their historical significance. Over the past four decades, she has dedicated herself to researching, collecting and speaking out about these lost spaces in Merrifield, the Pines and Williamstown and the people who built them.