I am incredibly honored, grateful, and humbled for this wonderful book review of From Fragments to Foundation by lecturer, genealogist and blogger, Robyn Smith. She graciously titled it "A Master Class in Genealogy." Robyn shared, “I finished the book in two days, which was a testament to how superb it was: I rarely finish any …
Continue reading Interview & Book Review: A Master Class in Genealogy
I’m overjoyed to share that my new book, 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 …
Continue reading NOW AVAILABLE: From Fragments to Foundation
GREAT NEWS: This book is now available. Click HERE to order. I have exciting news! I am happy to announce that my new book, From Fragments to Foundation: Uncovering a Buried History of Tragedy and Triumph, will be released in late October. Ordering will be available soon. Stay tuned! Please see book details below for a …
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 …
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
Recently, Ancestry.com released a new feature with Pro Tools that shows how much DNA your DNA matches share with each other and the estimated relationship between them. Like many, this caused me to immediately get the Pro Tools. Seeing how much DNA is shared between a DNA match and the shared DNA matches will assist …
Continue reading Leveraging Ancestry’s Pro Tools for More Genetic Intel
Roots Revealed 