Today Ancestry announced the unveiling of a new record collection, the Freedmen's Bureau records. Congress established the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands in 1865 to assist in the reconstruction of the South and to aid formerly enslaved individuals transition to freedom and citizenship. The Freedmen’s Bureau assisted with land and property, relief programs,... Continue Reading →
How Do You Celebrate Your Birthday?
My birthday has always been a special day for me. Growing up we always celebrated birthdays on our actual birthday, no matter what day of the week it was. I always got to pick out what we had for dinner that night, and the evening always ended with cake and ice cream. My birthday is... Continue Reading →
Wordless Wednesday – Finding Family History in a Local Museum
My husband and his father standing by a photo of his great grandfather, the first Black physician in Conway, Arkansas.
Wordless Wednesday – My Uncle With His Favorite Nephew
My brother with our Uncle
Honoring Juneteenth
On June 19, 1865 Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. As a reminder the President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation ending slavery in the confederacy two and half years earlier on January 1, 1863. In... Continue Reading →
Wordless Wednesday – Students of Cotton Plant Academy
Early 1900s in Cotton Plant, Arkansas Photo courtesy of Darryl Arbor
Wordless Wednesday – The United Harmonizers
My grandfather (second from the right) and his singing group in the 1940s - Photo courtesy of the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies
Wordless Wednesday – Class of 1952 Philander Smith College
My Granny's (third row, second from the left) college graduation
Wordless Wednesday – Branch High School, Newport Arkansas
Photo courtesy of Jackson County Historical Society
Genealogy Tuesdays
In an effort to make time for my research, which is something I haven't done consistently in the past 18 months, I'm going to set aside time every Tuesday after work for my research. I'm calling it 'Genealogy Tuesdays'. A few years ago my son had tutoring on Tuesdays at the library after school. While... Continue Reading →
Do You Use Ancestry Card Catalog?
I have always been a creature of habit. I usually drive the same route to wherever I'm going, I park in the same areas at stores, and I fold clothes in the same order every time. The same can be said for my research style. I sit down at my laptop, open up Ancestry, and... Continue Reading →
Wordless Wednesday – Sister and Brother
My Aunt and Uncle (my father's siblings)
Journey Through the Generations 