African American history buried in unusual places

Katie Brown Bennett was whirling through reel after reel of microfilm when she found her great-great-grandfather Squire Cheshier. It was not a birth certificate that genealogists love to get their hands on. It was an 1843 bill of … [Continue reading...]

Passion drives effort to preserve history, search for roots

Candice McKnight all but moves mountains to help people find their roots. But it was on an imposing rock set down in a stranger’s yard in Missouri that she looked her own family’s past in the face. The president of the African-American … [Continue reading...]

When Family Trees Are Gnarled by Race

ftree

My paternal grandfather, Marshall Staples (1898-1969), was one of the millions of black Southerners who moved north in the Great Migration. Those of us in the family who were born Yankees in the years just after World War II were given an earful … [Continue reading...]

Researchers to reveal lost African-American historical record

henderson

The experiences of African-Americans in the Las Vegas area during its segregationist past have generally been portrayed in depictions of iconic showroom entertainers such as Sammy Davis Jr., Nat King Cole and Dorothy Dandridge. A more … [Continue reading...]

Relatives come from across nation to pay respects at black cemetery

In a once-forgotten cemetery, surrounded by family, both living and dead, 91-year-old Leon Lewis spoke of his heritage. “This is the starting place of my ancestors,” he said. “This is where they came out of slavery. It’s important for the … [Continue reading...]

Library makes available ‘African American Newspapers, 1827-1998′

The University of Delaware Library announces the online access to a much acclaimed new database, African American Newspapers, 1827-1998, which will provide online access to approximately 270 U.S. newspapers chronicling a century and a half of the … [Continue reading...]

Sketching The Family Tree, Discovering His Family’s History

jackson-larry

Lawrence Jackson went through most of his life not knowing much about his family history. He didn't even know the names of his great-grandparents. That didn't bother him until he had kids and wanted to share with them stories about their … [Continue reading...]

Atlanta Man Plans Memorial Day Reunion With African Kin

atlantaman

It may sound strange, but for William Holland, 43, of Atlanta, incorporating the long-lost African members of his family into this year’s family reunion is a reality. From the first DNA test he took in 2004 to his upcoming reunion this Memorial … [Continue reading...]

African-American’s roots revised

roots

If you're an African-American, tracing your roots back to the ancestral continent is hard enough — but tracing them back to the ancestral family? That requires genetic testing, plus family-history scholarship, plus trips to Africa, plus a little … [Continue reading...]

UNL profs digitize slave filings

petition

Slave owner John Little wrote in June 1862 that his young slave Lucy "is perfectly sound and healthy, good tempered, honest, willing and industrious, a good house servant and her children are very promising." He described her as "a bright mulatto … [Continue reading...]

«Previous Page
Next Page»