Veterans Day Tribute: Honoring My Look-Alike and Others’ Service in World War I

When I first posted this picture of my great-uncles, John Wesley Davis and Jessie Franklin Davis of Panola County, Mississippi, a number of people, including family members, remarked that I bear a strong resemblance to Uncle John Wesley. I see some resemblance, but I wasn’t surprised by their observation. I am known to bear a …

Continue reading Veterans Day Tribute: Honoring My Look-Alike and Others’ Service in World War I

Books and Webinars

Books I’m overjoyed to share that From Fragments to Foundation is officially available! This project comes straight from my heart, mind, and soul. It’s a seven-generation odyssey that brings history to life through the lens of genealogy, resilience, and discovery. More than just my family’s story, it’s a teachable journey—revealing how to uncover hidden roots, trace …

Continue reading Books and Webinars

Got Roots in Madagascar?

How sure are you that your family's alleged Native American ancestry was really Native American? Several years ago, I read a post on the AfriGeneas African-Native American Genealogy Forum board of someone seeking information on the “Matagascan / Malagascan / Matogascan Creek Indians” because family lore claimed that her great-great-grandmother was from this “Indian” tribe. …

Continue reading Got Roots in Madagascar?

Slave Ancestral Research: Unearthing Your Family’s Past Before the 1870 Census

The Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA) published this in their newsletter, BCALA News, Summer 2015, Volume 42 Issue 3, pp 41-46. I am reposting it here on my blog with some modifications. You have thoroughly researched your African American roots all the way back to the 1870 U.S. census. You have even …

Continue reading Slave Ancestral Research: Unearthing Your Family’s Past Before the 1870 Census

African American Genealogy: Unearthing Your Family’s Past, From the Present to the Civil War

The Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA) published my article in their newsletter, BCALA News, Spring 2015, Volume 42 Issue 2, pp 56-60. I am re-posting it here on my blog. This article answers the question, "How Do I Get Started?" The late Dr. John Henrik Clarke so eloquently stated, “History is not everything, but …

Continue reading African American Genealogy: Unearthing Your Family’s Past, From the Present to the Civil War