There’s History in a Name: Connecting Dots to the 18th Century

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 …

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My “Lauren Lake Moments” with Genetic Genealogy

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 …

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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 …

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