You’ve traced your African American ancestry back to the 1870 U.S. Census, only to hit what genealogists often call the "1870 brick wall." You’ve read books and articles about slavery in America and now face the question: How do I research my family’s history beyond emancipation? How do I identify and document my enslaved ancestors? …
Continue reading Breaking Down that Ugly 1870 Brick Wall: Tracing Your Enslaved Ancestors
I’ve had this poem saved on my computer since 2001. It highlights the vital role of oral history and the importance of interviewing our family elders. Their memories and stories are priceless. Since then, many of my own elders have passed away, but I’m deeply grateful that they shared so much of my family’s history …
Someone recently asked if Ancestry.com’s Pro Tools is worth the investment. I wanted to share a quick example based on my experience. (Note: I’m not affiliated with Ancestry.com.) For me, it became worthwhile when they introduced the Enhanced Shared Matches feature. This tool shows how much DNA a match shares with your shared matches—those who …
An incredible discovery surfaced when I found another genetic group (or genetic network) among my mother's sister's DNA matches. They were discovered when I saw that Cousin A below shares 21 cM over 2 segments with my aunt on her maternal side, per AncestryDNA. Among the shared DNA matches were four others who also had a Lomax …
Continue reading “They Were Born in Africa”: Was This Correct?
Genetic groups are very instrumental in discovering family connections that had been either unknown or is a genetic verification to family already found from genealogy research. All my genetic genealogy cases on this blog involve finding or confirming a family member after uncovering genetic groups (i.e. genetic networks) among my parents’ DNA matches. A genetic …
Celebrating Black History Month should be done continuously with intensity; nothing or no one can take our history, even while national forces aim to hide the accomplishments of Black people, women, and other marginalized groups. Let's continue to highlight the sacrifices, diligence, bravery, and unyielding resiliency of our ancestors. All of that is in our …
Continue reading Drawing Strength from the Ancestors’ Stories 2
Happy Black History Month! Lately, I have been thinking a lot about how our ancestors survived and persevered through centuries of inhumane, ungodly mindsets, some of which we still face. The operative verb here is "survived." Like my mother’s paternal grandfather, William "Bill" Reed of Tate County, Mississippi, only three generations away from me. In …
Continue reading Drawing Strength from the Ancestors’ Stories
DNA continues to be a strong sledgehammer to pre-Civil War brick walls. This case underscores at least 23 research tips. They are in the conclusion below. Since 1993, I have researched the roots of my mother’s paternal grandfather, William “Bill” Reed (1846-1937) of Tate County, Mississippi. He migrated to northern Mississippi shortly after slavery from …
Continue reading There’s History in a Name: Connecting Dots to the 18th Century
Lauren Lake is a lawyer who was the presiding judge over the television show Lauren Lake’s Paternity Court, where people enter the courtroom to verify the paternity of someone or themselves. It ran for 8 seasons until it was cancelled in 2021, but episodes can still be seen on Amazon Prime. When Lake reads the …
Continue reading My “Lauren Lake Moments” with Genetic Genealogy
In 2015, several research buddies and I journeyed to Richmond, Virginia to research at the Library of Virginia. As I often recommend, I devised a research plan of names and records to explore. My focus was the records of Rev. William Parrott and his family. He was the last enslaver of my great-great-grandmother, Jane Parrott …
Continue reading One of my Most Heartbreaking Genealogical Discoveries
Roots Revealed 