As I continue sorting through more than 80 years of memories collected inside our family home, I keep discovering treasures that tell not only my family’s story, but the story of our community as well. One of those treasures is a large 1963 class photograph from W.F. Branch High School, the historic Black school that... Continue Reading →
Continuing My Family Digital Archive – Video
Recently, I spent time at the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies Memory Lab digitizing family scrapbooks, baby books, and fragile photographs using their overhead scanner. Many of these items are decades old and too delicate for a traditional scanner, so this process allowed me to carefully preserve these family treasures while creating digital copies for... Continue Reading →
Continuing My Family Digital Archive
Last weekend, I visited the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies in their DIY Memory Lab working on the next phase of my family digital archive project. I had a two-hour appointment for their scanner station. I used their overhead Snap Scanner to digitize a collection of family scrapbooks and baby books from the 1960s and... Continue Reading →
Our Interview with GenFriends Genealogy Chat
This week, my husband and I had the wonderful opportunity to be featured guests on Carolina Girl Genealogy podcast. It was such an enjoyable with conversation with Cheri Hudson Passey and her panel of GenFriends. During the interview, we talked about the passion behind our podcast, the importance of preserving family stories, and how genealogy... Continue Reading →
Wordless Wednesday – He Mastered It
Leslie Mays receiving his Master's degree in Education at Arkansas State University, 1979
Our Family Home: Over 80 Years of Memories
There was always something special about my Granny's house. Her door was always open to anyone who needed a place to stay, a hot cooked meal, advice, or a listening ear. For me Granny's house was where I went after school, where my family gathered for Sunday dinners, and where holidays and summer days were... Continue Reading →
My Interview with Black Ancestries Owner, Andre Kearns
One of the things I love most about RootsTech is the opportunity to connect in person with other genealogists I’ve come to know through social media. There’s something special about finally meeting, having real conversations, and sharing space with people whose work has inspired you from a distance. While attending the conference, I had the... Continue Reading →
RootsTech 2026 – Day 3 Recap
I didn't have any sessions planned for this morning. So I slept in and arrived at the Salt Palace around 930am. I hung out in the expo hall this morning, walking around and talking with vendors. I also ate early today to miss the long lines. My first session wasn't until 130 today, so I... Continue Reading →
RootsTech 2026 – Day 2 Recap
I had an 8am session again today, so I was up and out early this morning. When I walked out of the hotel, I saw it was snowing. It was cloudy, windy, and cold with light fluffy snow falling. It has snowed at least one day every year we have been to Salt Lake City... Continue Reading →