Research At The National Archives And Beyond!

  Dionne's search for her family history began at age 12, when she asked a simple question: Grandpa, are you white?  Her grandfather’s answer sent her on a lifelong journey to piece together a family story and reveal a not uncommon but often untold part of American history.  His  grandparents were a slave named Tempy Burton and her master, Col. W. R. Stuart. Three decades after she first learned of this interracial, Civil War-era duo, she found another one of their descendants. Dionne's family’s history includes masters and slaves, Confederates and Senators, preachers and entertainers.   Dionne Ford is a freelance writer and M.F.A. candidate at New York University. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, More, Ebony and other publications. Her essay for MORE on her family’s history won two magazine awards. She lives in New Jersey with her husband and two daughters and blogs about her family's history at FindingJosephine.com.  

Who Owned Solomon? A Case study of 19th Century African American Research– Many African American researchers struggle to break through the brick wall of slavery.  This discussion will look at the strategies used by Janice Lovelace to identify her ancestors’ slave-owners through the use of military, land, probate and court records. Janice Lovelace, Ph.D. a genealogist who primarily lectures and writes on health, genetics, research methodology and her ethnic minority heritage, lives and lectures primarily in the West. A licensed psychologist (with an undergraduate degree in Biology), she recently retired from 30 years of tenured college teaching in the social sciences, including women’s studies and American Cultural studies. Janice is a member of APG, GSG, AAGHS and several local societies.    

Prior to the Civil War, Alexandria, Virginia had a large freed African American and slave population who contributed a lot to the community and to the United States.  Each one of these groups helped build Alexandria, Virginia through their skilled labor, involvement in politics, teachers, churches, businessmen and etc. The history of Alexandria, Virginia cannot be told without including these African Americans. Char is posting blogs every two weeks on African American people in the 19th century that made a difference in the History of Alexandria, Virginia at http://theotheralexandria.com. Char McCargo Bah is the CEO/Owner of FindingThingsforU, LLC.  She has been a genealogist since 1981; appeared on numerous television interviews with CBS, FOX-5, Comcast, Public Broadcasting Services just to name a few and documentaries. She has also received numerous awards in 2014, 2013, 2010, and in 2009 for her work in genealogy. Char became a 2014 Living Legend in Alexandria, VA.  She was the City of Alexandria’s genea

Prior to the Civil War, Alexandria, Virginia had a large freed African American and slave population who contributed a lot to the community and to the United States.  Each one of these groups helped build Alexandria, Virginia through their skilled labor, involvement in politics, teachers, churches, businessmen and etc. The history of Alexandria, Virginia cannot be told without including these African Americans. Char is posting blogs every two weeks on African American people in the 19th century that made a difference in the History of Alexandria, Virginia at http://theotheralexandria.com. Char McCargo Bah is the CEO/Owner of FindingThingsforU, LLC.  She has been a genealogist since 1981; appeared on numerous television interviews with CBS, FOX-5, Comcast, Public Broadcasting Services just to name a few and documentaries. She has also received numerous awards in 2014, 2013, 2010, and in 2009 for her work in genealogy. Char became a 2014 Living Legend in Alexandria, VA.  She was the City of Alexandria’s genea

Did you know that the majority of Freedmen's Bureau records are now digitized and available online for free, as well as the records of other institutions that served newly-freed African Americans during Reconstruction? Angela Walton-Raji and Toni Carrier have built a new website called "Mapping the Freedmen's Bureau - An Interactive Research Guide" (www.mappingthefreedmensbureau.com) to assist researchers in locating and accessing records of the Freedmen's Bureau, Freedmen's hospitals, contraband camps and Freedman's Bank branches. Researchers can use the website's interactive map to learn which of these services were located near their area of research interest. If the records are online, the map provides a link to the records that tell the stories of newly-freed former slaves in the American south. The goal of this mapping project is to provide researchers, from the professional to the novice, a useful tool to more effectively tell the family story, the local history and the greater story of the nation duri

Have you had your DNA tested and don't know what to do or say to your newly discovered relatives? Corresponding and conversing with unknown relatives found via DNA testing can present family members and genealogists with as many challenges as opportunities. Learn how to initiate a fruitful dialogue, double response rates, and clear a path to genealogical discovery with these tried-and-true communication techniques. Join Shannon  Christmas to discuss what you may need to say and do to take your DNA results to the next level.  Communications is key to getting the answers to many of your DNA questions.        

  IT's COMING - October 1st: A Place Called Desire Kickstarter Campaign Join Producer Leonard Smith of LS3Studios.com for a discussion about a unique project to chronicle the story of an African American community located in the Upper Ninth Ward of New Orleans, Louisiana called Desire.  Leonard Smith has worked tirelessly to interview residents of this community to capture the essence of what it meant for African American families to become homeowners after World War II in one of the first communities designated for returning Veterans.  In addition, this self contained community of schools, grocery stores, a theatre and religious institutions provided the opportunity for the residents to develop a strong bond with their humble beginnings.  A Place Called DESIRE documentary will show how the effects of two powerful, catastrophic disasters, took aim on this once tight-knit community. These disasters are only intensified by the lack of movement from the local, state and federal governments. The goal is to

  Join Genealogist Jim W. Petty for a discussion of his research on Black Slavery Emancipation Research in the Northern States and learn about the four categories of records that provide genealogical data on enslaved people in Northern states before the Civil War. Beginning in 2010, Jim became interested in African American Genealogy Studies upon following client genealogy into the Slave culture of Rhode Island.  Upon learning about the concept of Slavery in all States in America, and the eventual “gradual emancipation” of Black Slaves in each of the Northern States, he realized that a product of the emancipation movement was the creation of Slave birth records from as early as 1777, and continuing until national emancipation in 1865.  These records led to the keeping of other records relating to African Americans in the Northern States, which will hopefully become a resource for researchers throughout the United States.   Currently Jim has been collecting and abstracting Slave Birth Records for the State

Based on the genealogy blog Reclaiming Kin, this new publication includes over 200 pages of some of the best posts from the blog arranged in the following chapters: (1) Records and Resources, (2) Evidence Analysis, (3) Slave Research, (4) Research Tips and (5) Robyn’s Family Research. There is something of value here for all genealogists, whether you consider yourself a beginner or an intermediate/advanced level research, no matter the geographical location or time period and no matter your race or ethnicity. Robyn N. Smith Robyn has been researching her family and others for 18 years. An engineer by day, Robyn applies those research and problem-solving skills to the field of genealogy. She specializes in Maryland research, African-American and slavery research and court records. Robyn has a strong interest in promoting the documentation of communities and emphasizing the use of proper genealogical standards. Robyn teaches an Advanced African-American Genealogy class part-time at Howard Community College in

Join my special guest Phyllistene Lawson for a discussion of her book Quilt of Souls. Quilt of Souls is a memoir that represents the author's childhood, her loving grandmother, and an old, tattered quilt that tells the untold stories that have long since been hushed. A quilt sewn with the used clothing of her grandmother's loved ones. Each piece of fabric woven into the quilt tells stories of how that person lived and died. Tragic stories of pain and suffering threaded back together with each healing stitch of perseverance and courage.  Grandma Lula Horn (1883-1986) was like many other grandmothers of her era, a pioneer, and a symbol of hope who found alternative ways to soften the horrors of racism and bigotry.  Ms. Lawson completed her military career in 2013.  Prior to her completing 20 years of military service, she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.  Ms. Lawson is married with two sons and five Granddaughter’s and currently reside in Florida.

Leslie Anderson will discuss how to apply the classic strategy of information gathering to your research so that you can write a robust family history. She will explain how customized timelines, resource guides, and locality guides can help you with your writing. Leslie's research began with one question: "Where was my great -grandfather born"? The answer (and the analysis) culminated in an article that won the 2013 National Genealogyical Society Family History Writitng Contest. The four-generaton narrative "Tabitha (Bugg) George Smith (1838-ca 1890) of Mecklenburg County, Virginia" was published in the National Genealogical Society Quarterly (March 2015). "It was over 20 pages with more than 10,000 words and 200 citations."      

  Leslie Anderson will discuss how to apply the classic strategy of information-gathering to your research so that you can write a robust family history. She will explain how customized timelines, resource guides, and locality guides can help you with your writing. Leslie's research began with one question: "Where was my great-grandfather born?" The answer (and the analysis) culminated in an article that won the 2013 National Genealogical Society Family History Writing Contest. The four-generation narrative "Tabitha (Bugg) George Smith (1838 - ca 1890) of Mecklenburg County, Virginia" was published in the National Genealogical Society Quarterly (March 2015). "It was over 20 pages with more than 10,000 words and 200 citations."    

Doreen's Jazz New Orleans is a group whose primary interest lies in spreading the culture and traditional music of New Orleans all over the world, through performances and education. Doreen Ketchens, the leader of the group, has been called "Queen Clarinet", "The female Louis Armstrong", and “Lady Louie” by critics who have heard her perform. She has performed with Ellis Marsalis, Jon Faddis, Trombone Shorty, Al Hirt, Dorothy Donagan, The Black Crows and Jennifer Warrens, to name a few. She has opened for such names as Macy Grey and Dr. John. Doreen’s Jazz New Orleans has represented New Orleans and the United States around the world, performing in Africa, Asia, Canada, Europe, South America, Central Asia and the United States. They have performed for four United States presidents, including Bill Clinton, George Bush Sr., Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter. The band also boasts 23 volumes of CD’s and 3 DVD’s. In addition to being superb performers, Doreen and Lawrence are outstanding educators. They regularly p

Join the Officers of the Annie Malone Historical Society for a discussion about the legacy that has been the driving force in our Black hair and beauty culture today. The purpose of the Annie Malone Historical Society is to give proper recognition to a pillar of history.  To share the story of extraordinary vision, dedication, commitment and success that was the life of Annie M.Turnbo Pope Malone.  To place the accomplishments of this African American icon in one body of evidence that is easily accessible to the public.   Linda M.Nance is the President of the Annie Malone Historical Society and earned a Bachelor Degree in Psychology and a Bachelor Degree in Sociology from Maryville University in St. Louis, Missouri. She holds an Associate in Applied Science Degree (emphases in Human Services/Corrections) from St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley also in St. Louis, Missouri.  A 2009 graduate of the FOCUS St. Louis Leadership program, Linda has also completed the Community Arts Training and the TI

 Property Rights and Wrongs: African-Americans at the Courthouse with The Legal Genealogist From being treated as property to having their property stolen by those who used the law against the freedmen, African Americans' experience at the courthouse had only one bright spot: it created records for the genealogist-descendants. A Certified Genealogist with a law degree, The Legal Genealogist Judy G. Russell examines the interplay between genealogy and the law. She is a lecturer, educator and writer who enjoys helping others understand a variety of issues, ranging from using DNA in family history to the effect the law had on our ancestors’ lives and the records they left behind. A graduate of George Washington University and Rutgers School of Law-Newark, Judy is a Colorado native with roots deep in the American south on her mother’s side and entirely in Germany on her father’s side. She's a member of the National Genealogical Society, the Association of Professional Genealogists, and, among others, the state

Many Americans of African descent have thought that connecting with their African kin was next to impossible, yet Carol Hector-Harris has done just that. Not only did she visit Ghana but she also met relatives. She is the fifth great-granddaughter of Africa-born Quock Martrick, who served in the Revolutionary War with George Washington in New York. She found Martrick's family, HER FAMILY, in Big Ada, Ghana. She also met members of her ethnic group, the Ga-Adangbe (the African lineage she discovered through DNA testing), which includes Sangmorkie Tetteh, who is with Carol in the photo. Carol Hector-Harris earned a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and a Master of Arts in Political Science from The Ohio State University. Currently she is working toward a Ph.D. at Ohio University’s Scripps College of Communication. An eleventh generation Bostonian, she lives in Columbus, Ohio with her husband, two sons, and eight grandchildren. Ms. Hector-Harris serves as the librarian for a Columbus Chapter of the Daughters of th

Join author, Daniel J. Sharfstein for a discussion of his book and research - The Invisible Line - Three American Families and the Secret Journey from Black to White. Defining their identities first as people of color and later as whites, these families provide a lens for understanding how people thought about and experienced race and how these ideas and experiences evolved—how the very meaning of black and white changed—over time. Cutting through centuries of myth, amnesia, and poisonous racial politics, The Invisible Line will change the way we talk about race, racism, and civil rights.

Join Antoinette Harrell for a discussion on Modern Day Plantations. Most people tour plantations to learn about life in early times. Antoinette Harrell has conducted research on peonage and involuntary servitude for the past twelve years and has visited several plantations throughout the Mississippi Delta where people have lived for generations without leaving. In addition, she has interviewed several people who still live on those plantations. What is life like on these plantations today?  Why haven't they left the plantations?  Where are these plantations located?  

Have you had your autosomal DNA tested and now you are confused?  Allow Diahan Southard to explain how you can organize, analyze and understand your results. In the year 2000 Diahan Southard found herself in the right place at the right time.  As an undergraduate in Microbiology, the laboratory she had been volunteering in was headed to Egypt to collect more samples for genetic study from an abandoned cemetery just outside of Cairo. While that trip never materialized, that research study became the foundation of the Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation (SMGF), for whom she would work for the next 10 years. Her duties at SMGF and her sister companies were varied, from laboratory work to marketing to customer service. All of her knowledge and experience have culminated into her current position as Your DNA Guide. She writes for Family Tree Magazine, and is the Genetic Gem at Lisa Louise Cooke’s Genealogy Gems, blogging and podcasting about DNA and genealogy. Diahan's lectures are always fun, upbeat, and f

Nicka Smith is a professional photographer, speaker, and documentarian with more than 16 years of experience as a genealogist. She has extensive experience in African ancestored genealogy, reverse genealogy, and family reunion planning and execution. She is also an expert in genealogical research in the Northeastern Louisiana area, sharing genealogy with youth, documenting the ancestral journey, and employing the use of new technology in genealogy and family history research.