52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2025 – Week 18: Institutions

NOTE: I accepted the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge headed by fellow genealogy blogger Amy Johnson Crow. The idea behind this challenge is that you will receive email prompts, a word or phrase, every week, and you find something about your research or family history to write about.  Click HERE to read my first 52 Ancestors blog post in 2019.

Growing up my family attended St. Paul AME Church in my hometown of Newport, Arkansas. I was there on Sundays for Sunday School and 11Am church service. I recited all of my Easter speeches at that church. I went to vacation Bible school every summer. I was there for every Black History Month program. I have so many memories from being a member of that church. But growing up all I knew was this was my family church. I didn’t realize what an institution it was in my family going back generations until I started my research journey.

One of the things I learned early on in my research was the FAN Club principles; Friends, Associates, and Neighbors. St. Paul AME Church in Newport, Arkansas checks off all three of these principles. I have written about and talked about how St Paul AME Church is just as much a part of my family and my research as my actual family members. During this research I learned that this was my Granny’s church growing up with her parents and grandparents during the late 1910s. This was the only church she was ever a member of. That makes five generations of my family that have been members.

I now have church anniversary programs, Black History Month programs, church photos, newspaper articles, and church member lists that all have some my ancestors’ names listed. The AME church is a legacy within my family. This legacy is more than just historical or religious. It’s personal and is a constant reminder that faith, tradition, and community have long been the threads that bind my family and our community together.