Journey Through the Generations
Uncover Your Roots: Exploring Ancestry & Family History
I went to a genealogy conference in Washington DC last September. The International Black Genealogy Summit was my first conference outside of Arkansas and this conference is one of the premier genealogical conferences for family historians searching for people of African ancestry. This conference was planned, organized and the majority of the attendees were... Continue Reading →
Have you ever had a connection with someone you have never met? I have a very strong connection with my grandfather, Booker Mays. He is my only grandparent that died before I was born. So I never got to know him as a person, have a relationship with him, or make memories with him. But... Continue Reading →
I turned 40 years old last week. To celebrate this milestone birthday, I decided that I would spend some time that day doing what I love, researching my family history. I chose to spend my birthday morning at the University of Arkansas library reading some books that have been on my list for a while... Continue Reading →
I know the most genealogical information on my mother’s paternal side. That side of the family has been having family reunions since the 1970s. Because of these reunions the family has been able to compile 10 generations of Hatchett descendants dating back to 1796. This information includes the name of the family that owned our... Continue Reading →
Researching newspapers was one of my first genealogy experiences even before I knew just how essential newspapers could be. All I knew at the time was that my grandparent’s obituaries were published in our local newspaper, the Newport Daily Independent. Growing up I remember we got a newspaper everyday both our local newspaper and... Continue Reading →
When I started this journey, I never thought I would be still researching seven years later. And I never thought I would have found so much information about my family. My focus has been trying to find any and all information I can about my relatives and ancestors. I have spent many hours in libraries... Continue Reading →
I have always loved history particularly American history and Black history. I read Alex Haley’s Roots with my grandmother for the first time when I was 12. I read the Autobiography of Malcolm X when I was in junior high school. I started reading slave narratives in high school. I have always read books and... Continue Reading →
After about two years of researching only online and at my local library, I decided that it was time that go to the Arkansas State Archives and do some research. Each state has an archive located in the capital city. This is what I like to call a one stop research spot for a particular... Continue Reading →
The first time I went to my hometown of Newport, Arkansas with the specific purpose of doing some genealogy research was in the spring of 2010. Newport is where most of my memories had been made. My father and his brother still lived there, so I went to Newport all the time. But this was the first time... Continue Reading →
I have been researching my family’s ancestry for almost 5 years now. I have spent long hours in front of my laptop searching on the internet. I have also spent many hours in libraries and archives researching through books, newspapers, and historical society’s newsletters. I have looked through census reports, land papers, and tax records. ... Continue Reading →
I must admit that when I first considered researching my family's ancestry past my grandparents, I was a little intimidated for various reasons. I am three generations removed from slavery. Up until that point in our nation's history, African-Americans were not considered humans. We were considered property, so I knew finding records of my ancestors would be difficult. And because... Continue Reading →
I've wanted to start a blog for a while now, but I didn’t know where to start. I’ve been researching my family’s ancestry for over five years now. My research took a turn about two years ago. It was at that point when my research became more serious and less of a hobby. It was then I decided that... Continue Reading →
Journey Through the Generations 