Research At The National Archives And Beyond!

Orville Vernon Burton is Creativity Professor of Humanities, Professor of History, Pan-African Studies, Sociology, and Computer Science at Clemson University, and the Director of the Clemson CyberInstitute.  Burton is a prolific author and scholar (twenty authored or edited books and more than two hundred articles); and author or director of numerous digital humanities projects.  The Age of Lincoln (2007) won the Chicago Tribune Heartland Literary Award for Nonfiction and was selected for Book of the Month Club, History Book Club, and Military Book Club.  One reviewer proclaimed, “If the Civil War era was America's ‘Iliad,’ then historian Orville Vernon Burton is our latest Homer.”  The book was featured at sessions of the annual meetings of African American History and Life Association, the Social Science History Association, the Southern Intellectual History Circle, and the latter was the basis for a forum published in The Journal of the Historical Society. His In My Father’s House Are Many Mansions: Famil

Bernice Bennett welcomes James Louis Bacon for a moving discussion about his genealogical journey to document his family history. James Louis Bacon has entertained a lifelong passion for writing and African American History.  He began his  family research 35 years ago, and published his book in 2016. He is a veteran of the United States Navy where he  proudly served from 1970-1974. The Ties That Bind is a written tribute to his family which documents both the hardships, strength and  fortitude of those who were enslaved. It is the story of the Van Arsdale, Jackson and Bowie Family, and their struggle to live as free Black Men and Women. It  traces their triumph as they emerged out of the uncertainty and unforgiving nature of bondage into a strange new world of Freedom. It is also the story of the Industrial Savings Bank founded in 1913 by John Whitelaw Lewis &  William Augus Bowie who was the grandson of a slave and their important historical contributions to Black Washington DC.

Mark Charles Roudané was born in New Orleans and currently resides in St. Paul, Minnesota.  An educator, author, and public speaker, Mr. Roudané’s recent release, The New Orleans Tribune, An Introduction to America’s First Black Daily Newspaper, has sold over 800 copies.  His articles have appeared in numerous journals including the Atlantic magazine South Atlantic Review and the Journal of the Louisiana Creole Research Association.  Mr. Roudané was featured as the keynote speaker at the 150th Anniversary of the Tribune at Dillard University and recently presented lectures on Tribune history at Savannah State University, the Louisiana Public History Forum at Southern University of New Orleans, and the Louisiana Creole Research Association.            

Rebroadcast: Join Wilhelmena Rhodes Kelly with host Bernice Bennett for an exciting discussion of the African Americans presence in Brooklyn, and their long residence in Bedford Township (today's Bedford-Stuyvesant) and the Dutch community of Flatbush - founded in the 1650. Wilhelmena Rhodes Kelly is a third generation Brooklyn native with roots in both Bedford-Stuyvesant and Crown Heights. An avid genealogist who discovered the hidden foundations of Brooklyn history, and the vanishing roots of central Brooklyn in particular. This moved her to write a pictorial history titled, “Bedford-Stuyvesant” in 2007, and a second book titled, “Crown Heights & Weeksville” in 2010. Wilhelmena is an honorary Regent of the Manhattan Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, and  organized a DAR chapter in Queens. She sits on the boards of the African Atlantic Genealogy Society, Manhattan’s Solders’ and Sailors’ Memorial Association, and the Erasmus Hall High School Alumni Association.  

Zann Nelson will discuss the occurrence of selling literally 100s of thousands of enslaved people South to the cotton and sugar fields with Virginia being the largest exporter and how challenging it is to reunite these ancestors with their place of birth and in many cases with family members who remained behind.  Searching for the sixteen slaves sold South is supported by the Montpelier Foundation to learn more about the 16 enslaved Virginians sold by James Madison in 1834 to William Taylor who relocated them to Pointe Coupee Parish, LA.   The ultimate goal is to find at least one living descendant. It is an ambitious endeavour but one well worth the effort. Zann Nelson is a historian and freelance writer specializing in historical investigations with a focus on African American history. She currently serves as the Director of African American Descendants’ Project for James Madison’s Montpelier Foundation. The project’s two primary goals are to 1) build a mutually beneficial alliance between the African A

The Civil War Pension File of Philip McQuerter of Woodville, Wilkinson County, Mississippi provides revealing information about his family. Alvin Blakes is a lifelong organizer and community worker who has been researching African history since he was a teenager, and has travelled to Africa, Europe, the Caribbean and all over the United States to pursue his studies. He has researched his family’s history from Woodville, Mississippi back to the late 1700s in the Eastern US. He is a member of the Dallas Genealogical Society’s African American Genealogy Interest Group. He graduated with a Bachelors and Masters of Mechanical Engineering degree from Howard University’s School of Engineering.  Currently, he is the Manager of the Dallas Area Rapid Transit Agency’s Bus Fleet Engineering Group.  

Join  Andi Cumbo-Floyd is a writer, historian, and editor who lives at the edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains with her husband, 4 cats, 4 dogs, 6 goats, and 28 chickens. Her books include The Slaves Have Names, Steele Secrets, and Charlotte and the Twelve.  A teen with a secret. A decades-old murder. Their past could change her future… Mary Steele never saw the ghosts coming. When the spunky, brilliant teen finds 13 ghosts in an abandoned school, she didn’t expect them to start a conversation with her. It turns out, the baker’s dozen consists of a schoolteacher and 12 students who were killed in the 1950s. And Mary may be the only one who can set them free… Charged with caring for their stories, Mary must face her fears to piece together what happened to these 13 souls. As she encounters resistance and prejudice, the teen learns that it sometimes takes more than a little courage to change the world. Can Mary save the school and its ghostly inhabitants? Charlotte and the Twelve is historical fiction for adul

            Dr. Eva Semien Baham is as an assistant professor of history at Dillard University, in New Orleans, Louisiana.  Prior to coming to Dillard, she taught for twenty-one years at Southern University, Baton Rouge. Her specialties include American, African-American and Intellectual history.             She received her undergraduate degree in journalism from Southern University in Baton Rouge and her Masters of Arts and her Ph.D. in American Studies/History from Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana.  Currently, her work involves genealogy, biographical studies and the history of African Americans in Louisiana. Her most recent project is the book, African Americans in Covington.  (Published June, 2015.)  This follows a two-year study and presentation of the history of African-Americans in Covington in observance of the city’s Bi-Centennial in 2013.             She is the founder of the research organization, université sans murs, l.l.c., translated as University Without Walls, under which she co

  Their lives have changed since learning about their families involvement in the 1838 sale of 272 enslave men, women and children by the priests of Georgetown University. Karran's husband is a descendant of Nace and Bibby Butler and, Patrick and Letty Hawkins, two of the largest families among the GU272. Sandra Green Thomas is a descendant of Sam and Betsy Harris. Recently, Sandra has learned through DNA that she and Karran’s husband are cousins.   Karran Harper Royal is the Executive Director of the Georgetown University 272 Descendants Association (GU272) and married to Kenneth Royal.  Kenneth’s father Leonard Royal grew up in Maringouin, Louisiana.  Sandra Green Thomas has a wealth of family history that has been passed down to her by family members and has been with the organizing group of the GU272 Descendants Association since it's beginning.  

Bernice Bennett welcomes Angela Walton-Raji for a discussion on the Challenges and Opportunities  in  African American Genealogy.   Angela Walton-Raji is known nationally for her research and work on Oklahoma Native American records.  Her book Black Indian Genealogy Research, African Ancestors Among the Five Civilized Tribes, is the only book of its kind focusing on the unique record sets pertaining to the Oklahoma Freedmen.  A founding member of the well known AfriGeneas.com, webite, Ms. Walton-Raji is also a genealogist specializing in information for beginners, via daily and weekly online genealogy chats on AfriGeneas.com. She also serves as the host of a weekly genealogy podcast, The African Roots Podcast a number of instructional videos and has been used in recent years as a genealogical consultant on several video documentaries. Ms. Walton-Raji combines her skills as a genealogist with a warm on camera personality that brings comfort to her viewers through and her video channels on YouTube, while pro

Join author, genealogist, community activist, television and blogtalkradio show host Antoinette Harrell for a discussion of her dedication to family, preservation of records, genealogical research and social justice. Ms. Harrell brings over 20 years of genealogical experiences that has resulted in the Antoinette Harrell Collections located at the Armistad Research Center in New Orleans and the South Eastern Louisiana State University.  She is also the host of her own blogtalkradio show Nurturing Our Roots and a TV show - African Roots.  She is the founder and editor of the Tangipahoa African -American News. Ms. Harrell is a leader in community activism and does not just talk about what should be done, she does it!  Her most recent advocacy work has resulted in assisting the Black Boy's of the Dozier Reform School to tell their story.

Dana P. Saxon, JD, MSc, is the Executive Director of Ancestors unKnown, an education nonprofit that’s providing schools with genealogy research and history curriculum. After spending nearly 10 years in the education nonprofit sector in the U.S., Dana moved from NYC to the Netherlands in 2011. It’s there that she earned a Master’s in Sociology at the University of Amsterdam, focusing her studies on the significance of family history research among people who descend from survivors of slavery. Since then, she’s traveled between the U.S., the Netherlands and Suriname to introduce new audiences to some of the world’s untold histories and the power of genealogy research. Ancestors unKnown officially launched in 2014 and currently serves primary and secondary schools in the U.S. and the Netherlands. Dana currently resides in The Hague and blogs about her life as a U.S. expat at http://blackgirlgone.com. Dana will share the journey that took her from amateur genealogy research to launching a business that introduce

Rebroadcast Pension Files of African Americans in the War of 1812 We are natives of this country; we ask only to be treated as well as foreigners. Not a few of our fathers suffered and bled to purchase its independence; we ask only to be treated as well as those who fought against it. We have toiled to cultivate it, and to raise it to its present prosperous condition; we ask only to share equal privileges with those who come from distant lands to enjoy the fruits of our labor.  Rev. Peter Williams, Jr. African American Episcopal Priest 1786 - 1840 Genealogist Sharon Batiste Gillins will share the following information concerning African Americans in the War of 1812 files:

Witness To Change - From Jim Crow to Political Empowerment Sybil Haydel Morial is an activist and community leader in New Orleans.  She spent her career in the education field, first, as a public school teacher and later as an administrator at Xavier University. Sybil’s memoir reveals a woman whose intelligence overrides the clichés of racial division. In its pages, we catch rare glimpses of black professionals in an earlier New Orleans, when races, though socially isolated, lived side by side; when social connections helped to circumvent Jim Crow; when African-American culture forged New Orleans—and American—identity. Through loving eyes, Sybil traces the rise of her sons and daughters: After Dutch’s death, Marc Morial served two terms as New Orleans mayor. Sybil’s other children—a physician, a public policy strategist, a community development director, and a judge—lead and serve their communities before, and after, Hurricane Katrina’s devastation.    

The New Orleans Tribune: An Introduction to America's First Black Daily Newspaper Mark Charles Roudané was born in New Orleans and currently resides in St. Paul, Minnesota.  An educator, author, and public speaker, Mr. Roudané’s recent release, The New Orleans Tribune, An Introduction to America’s First Black Daily Newspaper, has sold over 800 copies.  His articles have appeared in numerous journals including the Atlantic magazine South Atlantic Review and the Journal of the Louisiana Creole Research Association.  Mr. Roudané was featured as the keynote speaker at the 150th Anniversary of the Tribune at Dillard University and recently presented lectures on Tribune history at Savannah State University, the Louisiana Public History Forum at Southern University of New Orleans, and the Louisiana Creole Research Association. Mark's roots are in Africa, France, Haiti, and Louisiana.  His 4th great paternal and maternal grandmothers were enslaved in Saint-Domingue (now Haiti).  Both had children with French coloni

  Join Producer and Host Bernice Alexander Bennett to Celebrate 5 years of broadcasting on Blogtalkradio.  Former guest will share their insights on genealogical research. I got my start as a broadcaster under the tutelage of Antoinette Harrell – Producer and Host of Nurturing Our Roots Blogtalkradio. I spent two months  broadcasting  on the Nurturing Our Roots show and my first guest was Melvin J. Collier, author of Mississippi to Africa and 150 Years Later Broken Ties Mended. Research at the National Archives and Beyond! Blogtalkradio first aired on November 4, 2011 with guest Lieutenant Commander Michael N. Henderson, U.S. Navy Retired. The show opened with the theme song Sweet Mello Spice by AK Alexander Productions. Valencia King Nelson and B.J. Smothers of Afrigeneas.com provided the first sponsorship for the broadcast.  With no additional sponsors, my commitment to genealogy and history was then self - supported. With 265 episodes, Research at the National Archives and Beyond! Blogtalkradio offere

Amy Johnson Crow is a Certified Genealogist with a Masters degree in Library and Information Science. She  regularly speaks at the industry’s top events throughout the year, including the Federation of Genealogical Societies and RootsTech, as well as state and regional events. She previously served as series editor for the National Genealogical Society Guides, published by Rutledge Hill Press and have served on several national and state boards.

Rebroadcast The Black Russian with Valdimir Alexandrov, Ph.D. The Black Russian tells the story of Frederick Bruce Thomas, who was born in 1872 to former slaves and spent his youth on his family’s farm in Mississippi.  After leaving the South and working as a waiter and valet in Chicago and Brooklyn, he went to London in 1894, then traveled throughout Europe, and decided to go to Russia in 1899, all of which was highly unusual for a black American at the time.  He chose Moscow as his home, and during the next nineteen years renamed himself “Fyodor Fyodorovich Tomas,” married twice, acquired a mistress, took Russian citizenship, and by dint of his talents, hard work, charm, and guile became one of the city’s richest and most famous owners of variety theaters and restaurants.  The Bolshevik Revolution ruined him and he barely escaped with his life and family to Turkey in 1919.  Starting with just a handful of dollars out of the millions he had lost, Thomas made a second fortune in Constantinople by opening a

Have you just had your DNA tested with one of the DNA companies and you are unsure what to do with your results? Named an “essential blog for genetic genealogy education” by the Board of Certification for Genealogists, Through The Trees is a blog for genealogy enthusiasts seeking to locate and leverage new tools and emerging technologies to break through genealogical brick walls. Shannon Christmas, is an experienced genealogist specializing in genetic, colonial American, and African-American genealogy in Virginia and the Carolinas. He serves as a 23andMe Ancestry Ambassador, administrator of The Captain Thomas Graves of Jamestown Autosomal DNA Project, and as a co-administrator of The Hemings-Jefferson-Wayles-Eppes Autosomal DNA Project.    Shannon was invited to participate in the American Society of Human Genetics’ Roundtable on Genetic Ancestry Inference and investigated the genetic lineage of Governor Lawrence Douglas Wilder of Virginia. He presented his findings at The 2015 Afro-American Genealogical

MARY M. TEDESCO is a professional genealogist, speaker, and author. She is a Host / Genealogist on the PBS TV series “Genealogy Roadshow” (season 2 & season 3) as well as the Founder of ORIGINS ITALY. Mary speaks fluent Italian and travels often to Italy to conduct client genealogical research and visit family. Mary is the co-author of “Tracing Your Italian Ancestors” an 84-page Italian research guide published by Moorshead Magazines. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from Boston University and a Certificate in Genealogical Research from Boston University’s Center for Professional Education. In addition to her Italian ancestry (Calabria, Trentino-Alto Adige, and Tuscany) on her father’s side, she also has deep American roots (German, Irish, Danish & English) on her mother’s side and is a proud member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Mary is a member of a number of local and national genealogical societies.  She holds a BA, Mathematics from Boston University and a Certificate in