Federal census records are often deemed as the most important resource in genealogy research. Many new and seasoned researchers rely heavily on them. But other resources should be sought to get a fuller picture of ancestors’ lives and experiences. Federal census records cover every tenth year since 1790 (i.e. 1860, 1870, 1880, etc.), but what …
Continue reading Filling in the Timeline Gaps of your Research
In February, FamilySearch dropped a big bomb. They released an experimental full-text search feature for some of its scanned records that use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to transcribe the handwriting in these records. It’s being called a “game changer,” and I agree 100%. This tool is also instrumental in finding people who don’t often appear in …
Continue reading A Huge Discovery with FamilySearch’s Full-Text Experiment
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
When researching enslaved ancestors, unfortunately there will be some enslaved ancestors and family members we won’t be able to identify by name. DNA indicates to us that they existed. But due to America’s inhumane laws regarding chattel slavery, their names, their marriages, and many aspects of their lives were not recorded. For me, even after …
Continue reading Gone Before 1870; Chromosome Mapping Helped to Uncover Her Existence
In the targeted area above, I posit that my enslaved maternal 3X-great-grandmother, named Lucy, was likely taken away from this area during the Second Middle Passage. This area is in the northern part of Pittsylvania County, Virginia. DNA was the “North Star” that led me to this Virginia county. The Deep South experienced a great …
Continue reading From Mississippi to the Upper South: DNA was the “North Star”
“Brick wall” is a metaphor used in genealogical and historical research when one reaches a point in their research where he/she is unable to progress further or “dig deeper.” All researchers encounter it. For those tracing African American ancestors, this proverbial brick wall is commonly encountered at the 1870 U.S. Federal Census, a vitally important census …
When we research our enslaved ancestors, we must consider several different scenarios concerning family relationships. Our ancestors were considered “property,” and many enslaved men were forced to procreate with other women to increase an enslaver’s wealth. Breeding occurred on many farms and plantations. Also, many enslaved women were required to bear as many children as …
Very often, especially with enslaved ancestral research, direct evidence cannot be found to answer a common question, “Who were his parents?” Direct evidence is documentation that clearly states the relationship between two people. However, indirect evidence, combined with other findings, can shine a light on the answer or the likely answer. This was the situation …
Continue reading Finding Lucy: When Pieces of Indirect Evidence Add Up
The reasons why formerly enslaved people selected their surnames varied. Some took the last enslaver’s surname. Some didn’t. Some took a surname not associated with any slave-owner. Some took the surname of a previous enslaver who had enslaved one or both of their parents. There are other reasons. So, what surname did Squire take? Let’s …
After I knock down that infamous 1870 brick wall with a formerly enslaved ancestor, my search is not over. I am always looking for additional documentation to add to the body of knowledge about an ancestor. The more documentation I find, the fuller the picture in ascertaining their lives and experiences. I documented my paternal …
Continue reading Exploring Guardianship Records with Enslaved Ancestral Research
Roots Revealed 