Tracing the enslaved in U. S. records is challenging and time-consuming. Because enslaved people typically only had first names until emancipation, we hope to find identifying information, such as age and possible family groups, in records like the 1850 and 1860 slave schedules. We also look for records post-emancipation, such as the 1867 Voter Registration and the 1870 census. Tracing people forward in time presents its own challenges because the formerly enslaved may have chosen...
In this episode of “Research Like a Pro,” guests Elaine Martzen and Emmaline MacBeath join hosts Diana and Nicole to discuss various WikiTree projects. Projects on WikiTree are groups organized around topics or activities to facilitate collaboration among members. They include top-level projects with unique tags and badges, sub-projects using higher-level project badges, project teams, and informal free-space projects. Types of projects include geographical (e.g., Australia, Mexico, South Africa), themed (e.g., Mayflower, Holocaust, Native Americans),...
Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is an interview with Deborah Keyes, a member of our recent Research Like a Pro with DNA study group. Debbie shares her research project from the study group, which focused on proving a relationship between a Slagle man of European descent and a Carrington woman of African descent who lived in Virginia in the late 1800s. Genetic networks showed that there were many DNA matches between the descendants...
Have you heard about the latest Ethnicity Estimate tool called SideView™? AncestryDNA launched this new feature on 13 April 2022, and it has features that I think you will really like! SideView™ uses your DNA matches to help assign ethnicity estimates to two profiles representing your father and your mother. This is exciting news! This new feature, found in the “Ethnicity Estimates” section of AncestryDNA, shows you the ethnicities you inherited from each side of...
Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is an interview with Suzanne Campbell Lowe. In 2005, Suzanne learned from a white cousin about her Campbell family’s connection — through slavery — to a black man named James Meredith. Over the course of the next several years, Suzanne’s white and black families have built their relationships and explored their descendancy from their common ancestor: a prominent white leader of the Confederacy named J.A.P. Campbell. Join us...
February is Black History Month and for genealogists, a chance to reflect on how we can help researchers with African American heritage discover their ancestors. As a southern researcher, I come in contact with many records naming enslaved individuals and have wondered how best to share those with others. I’ve written previously about the Slave Name Roll Project and the Beyond Kin Project. In this guest post by genealogist, Connie Davis, we learn about another...
Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about books that Diana has been reading to help her with African American Research. She discusses general reference books as well as locality specific references.There are an abundance of materials available to guide our research these days, and some of those materials are only available in printed books. It’s great to take advantage of the writings of fellow genealogists and historians to help us along the way. ...
When working on an African American research project, what resources can help you? Genealogy research in the 21st century certainly has its perks and one of those is an abundance of material to guide us. Although online resources abound, sometimes, a book that can be digested in small chunks provides the best learning experience. Here are titles from my bookshelf. General Reference Books Finding A Place Called Home: A Guide to African-American Genealogy and Historical...
Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about the Record Linking Lab (RLL) at Brigham Young University. Professor Joseph P. Price talks with us about how his background in economics and interest in his personal family history led to the creation of the RLL. By using machine learning and making connections across data, the RLL hopes to provide better family history experiences for others whether they are using FamilySearch’s Family Tree or visiting a...
In Part 1 of this series, we learned how two volunteers are making a difference for anyone researching their African American ancestors in Liberty County, Georgia. Together they have documented almost 30,000 names of enslaved people using all available records. By transcribing the Southern Claims Commission Case (SCC) files, additional connections are coming to light. In part 2 of this series, Stacy Cole shares her methodology for researching the SCC records and provides examples for...
