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
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
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
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
2024 Ealy Family Reunion, Nash County, North Carolina, July 20, 2024Photography by James Warren, TGR1.618 Photography, LLC We decided to take our 50th Year Anniversary Reunion to Raleigh, North Carolina. This reunion included a Birthplace Tour to Nash County, where we visited the Nash County Courthouse in Nashville, Bass Crossroads that's very near the birthplace …
Now that you’ve read the title, here’s what I mean. Many of our ancestors have been trapped in a prison for the forgotten. Genealogy is the key that released them. Their names are unearthed and called. Their stories are being told to whoever wants to listen. Genealogy has not only freed our souls held back …
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
Roots Revealed 