My brother, Russell Mays, two years old in Newport, Arkansas 1975
Wordless Wednesday – Black History Within My Family
My mother, Patricia Hatchett Mays, was the first African American Editor for our hometown newspaper, the Newport Daily Independent - Photo courtesy of the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies
Relative Race Season 13 Premiers Sunday, March 17, 2024 on BYUTV
If you have been following my blog or podcast for anytime at all, then you know how much I love the TV show Relative Race. Relative Race is a genetic DNA reality show. It consists of four teams that are racing across America in search for their relatives that they have never met before. They... Continue Reading →
Happy New Year π
We are truly grateful for your support in 2023. We wish you a year filled with discovery, heritage, and new family stories to tell. Happy New Year!!!
Merry Christmas ππ π½
We hope your holidays are filled with family stories, heritage treasures, and joyous connections! Wishing you a Merry Christmas! Phillip & Trisha
12 Days of Gift Ideas – Day 4
This year, Trisha and I decided to do our annual "12 days of...." posts sharing items that would make great gift ideas for the family researcher in your life. Or maybe even for yourself. DNA Test Kits are a popular gift for someone who might be interested in learning more about their ethnicity but also... Continue Reading →
RootsTech Celebrates Juneteenth, June 19, 2023
I will be traveling this year on and around Juneteenth. So, I had been trying to figure out how I'm going to celebrate Juneteenth away from home. Then I saw the announcement from RootsTech that they are celebrating Juneteenth with free online classes focused on African American genealogy that will be taught by nationally known... Continue Reading →
Wordless Wednesday – Newport High School Class of 1995
My high school graduating class. I'm on row seven on the end of the right side.
RootsTech DNA Day – April 25, 2023
National DNA Day commemorates the successful completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003 and the discovery of DNA's double helix in 1953. DNA Day is celebrated annually on April 25th after the 108th Congress passed concurrent resolutions designating it as DNA Day in 2003. If you have ever wanted to learn more about DNA... Continue Reading →
Celebrating Black History Month 2023
Although I celebrate Black History 365 days a year, Black History Month has always been special to me. Growing up I attended many Black History Month programs at my church and in my community of Newport, Arkansas. When I left Newport to attend college in northwest Arkansas, the Black History Month programs were just a... Continue Reading →
RootsTech 2023 Keynote Speaker and Class Schedule
It's hard to believe that January is almost over. And that means that we are getting closer to RootsTech 2023. If you have followed my blog for anytime, then you know that this will be my 5th year attending RootsTech (2 in person and 2 virtual). This year's conference theme is Uniting: uniting families, communities,... Continue Reading →
I’m a RootsTech Connect 2022 Influencer
I'm excited to announce that I have been chosen as a RootsTech 2022 Influencer (formally known as Ambassador). This will be my third year as an Influencer and my fourth RootsTech conference. RootsTech is undoubtedly the largest genealogy conference in the world. It is usually held in Salt Lake City, Utah the last week of... Continue Reading →