AAHGS News Blog

On This Day (September 27, 1861)

September 27, 2014 at 5:02 am (African American history, history)
Tags: Freedmen's Bureau, Massachusetts history

From the Mass Moments website:

On this day in 1867, a Worcester newspaper announced that “in accordance with the desire of a number of citizens,” a freedmens’ office would be established to make it easy for white employers to hire African Americans, newly arrived from the South. As a result of contact with soldiers and teachers from Worcester County, escaping and later emancipated slaves gravitated to central Massachusetts. The city’s black population doubled in the 1860s, and the Civil War-era migration continued into the late nineteenth century. With help from the northerners who had befriended them, the local African American community, and the area’s abolitionists, the refugees began to build families and institutions. The cultural traditions these southern migrants brought with them made Worcester’s small black community a vibrant one.

Read the rest of the story here.

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AAHGS National Conference Registration Now Online

September 27, 2014 at 4:52 am (African American history, Events)
Tags: AAHGS conference

The AAHGS website has information on the 35th national genealogy conference that will be held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The announcement and theme are below. Click the link to be brought to the registration page.

35th NATIONAL GENEALOGY CONFERENCE
October 9-12, 2014
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania –Double Tree by Hilton Hotel

Weaving Our Past, Present and Future: Slavery, Abolition, Freedom and All That Jazz

For more information, click here.

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DNA Testing Links Descendant of Enslaved Grandmother County Founders

July 26, 2012 at 5:26 pm (African American history, DNA Testing, Slavery)
Tags: African American genealogy, Chapel Hill, DNA testing, genealogy, Hogan family

An attempt by the local historical society to preserve an antebellum house in a Chapel Hill neighborhood revealed more than expected. Deardra Greene-Campbell tread in the footsteps of her enslaved third great-grandmother when she entered the basement of the house in the Rogers Road neighborhood. Read the full story here.

This is a great story of serendipity in genealogy.

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Photo of Dwight Wilson, African American Archivist Sought

February 3, 2011 at 1:11 pm (African American history, Education, Events, history)
Tags: archivist, Dwight Wilson, Howard University, Kitrell College, Morris Brown, Shaw University

The Society of American Archivists Anniversary Committee is making archivist trading cards in celebration of their 75th year.

The Committee has not been able to locate an image of Dwight Wilson, Fisk University archivist and the first African-American to chair a SAA Committee. Fisk University does not have an image.

Can anyone help? Wilson was a professor at Morris Brown in 1935-1936, but the yearbook for that year has not been located. Has a copy slipped in to your collection?

Mr. Wilson attended Kitrell College, Shaw University and Howard University and a member of the Allied Forces Records Administration during WWII. His obituary from the American Archivist can be found here http://archivists.metapress.com/content/a0v2744223598546/fulltext.pdf

Anyone with any information on the location of the yearbook for 35-36 or who may have a photo of Mr. Wilson, please comment on the blog so that we can forward the information to the SAA Committee.

Thanks!

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Boston’s Museum of African American History Program September 9th

August 21, 2010 at 7:44 am (African American history, Education, Events)

This just in from the New England Chapter of AAHGS regarding a program on September 9th at the Museum of African American History on Joy Street:

In Search of Your African American Roots – An introduction to research methods and sources for African American and Cape Verdean family research. Topics include Collecting Family Traditions and Records, Researching Pre-Civil War Records for Enslaved and Free Persons of Color. Participants will learn about websites, databases and digital collections for researching African American families. Our speaker will be genealogist Mary Blauss Edwards of the New England Historic Genealogical Society. Ms. Edwards has degrees from Brown University and Northeastern University. Her interests include New England genealogy, African American genealogy, Boston Irish, and gravestones and cemeteries. This program is in collaboration with the New England Historic Genealogical Society.

RSVP: 617-725-0022 ext. 14 or rsvp@maah.org

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Footnote.com and Lowcountry Africana Publish Slave Records

August 12, 2010 at 12:32 pm (Uncategorized)
Tags: South Carolina slavery

South Carolina estate and bills of sale from 1732 -1872 are coming online. So far, only three percent are actually available online for free at Footnote.com.

You can read the entire story here at FamilyTreeMagazine:
#mce_temp_url#

In addition to the article are some informative links for help with researching your African American ancestors.

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Negro Baseball League Has a Stamp

July 19, 2010 at 6:18 am (Events)
Tags: negro baseball leagues; kansas city; genealogy

The U.S. Postal Service issued two stamps commemorating the players of the Negro Baseball Leagues on Thursday of last week. The pair of stamps will be dedicated at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri. See this link for more information.

If you are going to be in the Kansas City area at the end of this month, check out the Family History Expo being held July 30-31 at the KCI Expo Center. The exhibit hall is free and open to the public. At $65 for the weekend — this is the best value in genealogy!

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Family History Expos comes to Kansas City!

July 12, 2010 at 8:00 am (Events)
Tags: education, genealogy, Kansas City

Family History Expos Debut in Kansas City

Family History Expos is making its debut in the U.S. Midwest right in Kansas City, Missouri! We knew this would be important news to you so we’re spreading the word in hopes you will too.

KCI Expo Center Hosts First Midwest Expo

The exciting Midwest Family History Expo will take Missouri by storm with a special feature tour on Thursday, July 29 and two full days of sharing and learning July 30-31 at the KCI Expo Center [http://www.kciexpo.com/], 11730 N. Ambassador Drive, Kansas City, Missouri.

Yes, it’s really happening! Learn all about the Midwest Family History Expo and get full details including an agenda, program and syllabus at www.fhexpos.com/expos.

Join Our Feature Tour

We are particularly excited about this event because it will be preceded by the LDS Historic Sites Tour, Thursday, July 29, 8:30 a.m.—4:30 p.m.

This eight-hour tour will take you back in time to experience history at historically significant sites like these:

Mormon Church in Independence, Missouri’s newly remodeled center honoring the past and the present, with exhibits depicting experiences of Mormon settlers in Missouri between 1831 and 1839
Community of Christ Temple
Liberty Jail
Far West
Haun’s Mill
Adam-ondi-Ahman

The cost of the tour, $65, is in addition to registration for the Expo. Please register separately for the tour at our website above.

Spread the Word!

Your family history and genealogy network will thank you for sharing this important information with them. Please feel free to forward this invitation to society members, friends, business associates and anyone interested in family history research—beginners to sage professionals!

Register Right Now

No, it’s not too late to register! Register online right now (www.fhexpos.com/expos). Register by phone (call 801-829-3295) before 6 p.m. Thursday, July 29, and save $10 off the price of at-the-door registration.

This is the best educational opportunity you will find at bargain prices:

Pre-registration (by Thursday, July 29, 6 p.m.): $65.00
At the door: $75
One day: $40
Single class: $12
Opening session and exhibits are FREE to the public
LDS Historic Sites Tour, Thursday, July 29: $65 (in addition to the general cost of registration)

Plan Your Family History Experience

Please plan to join us for the LDS Historic Sites Tour on Thursday, July 29, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

On Friday, July 30, a.m. enjoy a keynote address, Finding Your Family: Turning the Spotlight on Resources from the National Archives at Kansas City, by Lori Cox-Paul, Director National Archives at Kansas City, to be held in the exhibit hall classroom.

You’ll Love our Midwest Family History Expo Syllabus

A free CD copy of the syllabus is included with each full or single day registration. You can also get a printed syllabus in book format for $25 but order early, supplies are limited.

We look forward to seeing you at the Midwest Family History Expo. Please extend this invitation to your members/patrons. This Expo is suitable for all levels of genealogy experience and promises to be FUN and educational for all.

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African Ancestry Seminar at African American Cultural Forum in Hampton, VA

May 7, 2010 at 9:46 am (Events)
Tags: African American, African Ancestry, Virginia genealogy

The following announcement was written by African Ancestry:

May 5, 2010 — On Saturday, June 26, the African American Cultural Forum, a brand new event taking place in downtown Hampton coinciding with the Afrikan American Festival, will welcome African Ancestry. The genetic genealogy company, based in Washington, DC, is known for using DNA to create “a vehicle to enable people of African descent to trace their ancestry back to their present-day African country of origin.” Afrikan Ancestry will conduct free genealogy and family tree seminars at the Crowne Plaza Hampton Marina Hotel.

“We are very excited to welcome Gina Paige and Dr. Rick Kittles, co-founders of African Ancestry, to Hampton,” said African American Cultural Forum Committee member Pam Croom. “The duo is renowned for their work in DNA and genealogy. Our attendees are in for a very special treat.”

African Ancestry has been featured on several television programs, including Good Morning America, African American Lives on PBS, and VH1 Soul, as well as print publications like USA Today, Essence, and Black Enterprise. In addition, the company has also traced DNA for many African American celebrities, including Oprah Winfrey, Forrest Whitaker, Spike Lee, and Isaiah Washington.

The cost to attend the African Ancestry seminars is free. Those wishing to have their ancestry traced via DNA or have family trees researched can do so for an additional fee.

During the African American Cultural Forum, African Ancestry will unveil the DNA tests of esteemed Hampton resident Dr. Mary T. Christian. Dr. Christian, who began her academic career at Hampton Institute (now Hampton University), later returned to the university as Director of the School of Education, rising to Dean of the School of Liberal Arts and Education, before retiring as professor emeritus. In 1985, Dr. Christian was the first African American and first female from Hampton to be elected to the state legislature, post Reconstruction. She served nine consecutive terms representing Virginia’s 92nd House District. The results of the Dr. Christian’s DNA test will be unveiled at 10:45 a.m. and 2:45 p.m. on Saturday, June 26 (during both African Ancestry sessions at the African American Cultural Forum).

The African American Cultural Forum takes place at the Crowne Plaza Hampton Marina Hotel 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 26. Seminar topics include restoration of rights, gang awareness, family trees, and genealogy. Noted poet, author, and literary consultant Nathan Richardson is also scheduled to be in attendance, conducting seminars and workshops. All seminars and workshops are free. The event coincides with Afrikan American Festival, a Hampton 400th Anniversary Signature Event, happening that same weekend in nearby Mill Point Park.

For more information of African Ancestry, check outwww.africanancestry.com. For further information on the African American Cultural Forum, contact Pam Croom at 757/728-5173 or pcroom(at)hampton(dot)gov.

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