My Biggest Family Research Blunder
My biggest reserach blunder happened when I first published my family research on the Internet ten years ago. I wrote that my great-great-aunt Hannah Cobb Davis shot-gunned to death her first husband, Eliza Davis, while he was beating her (she was supposedly pregnant). The story goes that he died from his wounds, but not before telling the authorities that Hannah shot him in self-defense. She never stood trial for his death. This story came from a great-aunt who spoke with authority and knew Hannah's family, and because of that I assumed it was factually correct.
South county resident explores the many branches of her family tree
Elinor Thompson decided about 10 years ago to begin researching her family history. That isn't uncommon. By some accounts, genealogy is the fastest growing hobby, surpassing stamp collecting, quilting and even gardening. But for Elinor Thompson, who is African American, researching her family's history posed some difficult challenges. Read More
Hardaway Family Tree
From the bits and pieces of information available, we have been able to ascertain that there were two brothers, COLEMAN HARDAWAY and STRETFORD HARDAWAY, both ex-slaves. COLEMAN was married to ELLEN "BELLA" and they were the parents of about 13 children. STRETFORD was married to JANE and they were the parents of about 8 children.
An Index to African-American History becoming a reality in Saratoga County (NY)
During my visit with Jane Meader Nye, volunteer in the Saratoga County Historian’s Office, I was able to see her current project--an Index to African-American History. “It all started with the abolitionists, many of whom have not been identified before”, she said. Read More
Lincoln Legacy Town Hall: Our Histories, Our Stories
Renowned author and scholar Henry Louis “Skip” Gates, Jr. will join Chicago writer and interviewer Rick Kogan for a unique and interactive discussion about how the stories we tell shape history and how history shapes our stories. A book signing with Professor Gates, author of Lincoln on Race and Slavery and In Search of Our Roots: How 19 Extraordinary African Americans Reclaimed Their Past, will immediately follow the event.
Native and African Americans chronicle history together for first time in Louisiana
In Natchitoches, Louisiana history was made today. The Native American and African American communities were separate communities in the South by design of white oppression. Now, for the first time, they are sharing their histories. Read More
