Category Archives: Uncategorized

The most recent federal census available to the public is the 1940 census. The long-awaited census was released this past April, and it was a cause for celebration by amateur as well as professional genealogists. According to the National Archives, … Continue reading →

U.S. Census records can be invaluable. In addition to providing names, family relationships, ages, occupations, and other particulars, they place people geographically, but census records contain errors—for various reasons which I’ll go into at another time. More reliable sources are … Continue reading →

How did I get here? For obvious reasons, searching African American roots is challenging. I’ve devoured genealogical collections at the public library, attended genealogical workshops and meetings, searched online, and delved into mounds of microfilm at the National Archives. On … Continue reading →

Early on, I spent an inordinate amount of time reading about how others traced their roots, but it was time well spent. In October 1994, I attended a talk and book-signing in Atlanta. The speaker and author was Del Alexa … Continue reading →

Alex Haley’s Roots was riveting, and I know it lit a fire under a lot of budding genealogists. One writer who says she was inspired by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author was Dorothy Spruill Redford, author of Somerset Homecoming. In fact, Haley wrote the introduction for her book, published … Continue reading →

I have not always been a history buff. Oh, I got A’s and B’s in history in school, but my heart just wasn’t in it. The groundbreaking television series, “Roots,” was riveting. It opened my eyes and piqued my interest in my roots, but my search … Continue reading →