Happy Birthday, Alex Haley

I read Alex Haley’s Roots when I was 12 years old with my Granny during summer break. I remember not wanting to go outside and play, so she told me I had to read a book if I was going to stay inside. My Granny had been a teacher/high school guidance counselor for over 50…

I Am Featured in the July/August 2022 Issue of Family Tree Magazine

I started this journey over 10 years ago alone in the library looking through census records on microfilm. I wrote out my family tree by hand from the one funeral program I had of my Granny’s and the newspaper obituaries of my other three grandparents and my great grandmother. I hadn’t read any genealogy reference…

12 Days of My Family 2021 – Gus Hatchett

My maternal grandfather, Gus Hatchett, was born on May 25, 1905 in Newport, Arkansas. He was the husband of Ernestine Wright Hatchett. He was also the father of six children. He worked for the Southern Oil Mill as a seed cleaner in Newport. He was a deacon of Morning Star Baptist Church and also a…

Education and My Family – Philander Smith College

One of my favorite TV shows is The Cosby Show. If you have ever watched the show, then you remember that Cliff and Claire attended Hillman College. So did their daughter, Denise, and Cliff’s father, Russell Huxtable. Hillman held many memories for their family and was the subject of the show’s spin-off, A Different World….