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...
Read moreAtlanta Man Plans Memorial Day Reunion With African Kin
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...
Read moreAfrican-American’s roots revised
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...
Read moreUNL profs digitize slave filings
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...
Read moreProject helps African-Americans identify with ancestors
Ever wondered where you get some of your habits, traits or cultural practices from? For instance, what made the girl serving your $5 extra-hot latte place what appear...
Read moreMayor Hits Genealogy Lottery
Cory Booker, the Mayor of Newark, today calls New Jersey home. But in the first episode of the new PBS series, “Finding Your Roots,” Mr. Booker explores...
Read moreFamily Tree’s Startling Roots
Thirty-nine lashes “well laid” on her bare back and an extension of her indentured servitude was Elizabeth Banks’s punishment for “fornication & Bastardy with a...
Read moreMary Walker’s Descendants Realize Their Rich Family History
Mary Walker was a former slave who escaped her owner, fled north, and came to owna Cambridge landmark. Recent celebrations at the Blacksmith House have brought...
Read moreSouth Jersey history is all in the family
Sisters Marion Buck and Elizabeth Johnston are determined to make sure their family’s historic legacy is preserved. The nonagenarian members of the Still family —...
Read moreAfrican-Americans unearth family histories via new technology
Like so many others, Patricia Watts longed to find out more about her family history. For several years, she searched databases and made numerous trips to local...
Read moreBlair Underwood’s journey to his family roots
Actor Blair Underwood will take a journey to the past when he traces his family roots as part of TV show. The former Petersburg resident is starring on the next...
Read moreInitiative aims to find lost grave sites of slaves
For decades, the stretch of grassy land in an elbow of the Mississippi River held no trace of the people buried underneath. No signs, markers or tombstones pointed to...
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