*** I’m talking about the FAN principle used by genealogists to list Friends, Associates, and Neighbors of your ancestors.  Your FAN club can be a great research technique that can help break down brick walls and help you learn more about your ancestors lives and their communities. Click HERE to read more about my FAN club. ***

This is my Granny with one of her best friends, Mrs. Iona Jones Oates. I remember them being teachers together, in social organizations together, and them just being together at each other houses throughout the years. So, I knew they were friends, but it wasn’t until I started this journey that I learned that they went to Dunbar High School together in Little Rock as teenagers. They also attended Philander Smith College together. They were truly lifelong friends.

I used the FAN Club principles without even knowing that’s what I was doing when I learned that Mrs. Oates and her husband’s family records, photos, education, and other documents had been archived at the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies in 2016. It was there that I found photos of my grandmother at Dunbar in the 1930s, their commencement program, photos of them at Philander Smith College, and other photos of them in Newport throughout the years. Researching my Granny’s friend allowed me to find more information about my Granny’s life as a teenager and young adult.

Click HERE to read more about my FAN Club