Be sure to watch webisode 35 Tuesday, June 20th: People of color communities thrive on social and community interaction. Learn about the history of religious, fraternal, and benevolent groups and how they can add to you already existing genealogy and family history research.
Fellow genealogist and BlackProGen LIVE member Nicka Smith gives us three reasons why your oral history might not match your DNA results.
My grandmother is pictured third from the left, I first saw this picture in October when I went on my research trip to Alabama. While I was visiting I went to my grandmother’s church and attended a Sunday church service. I noticed in the hallway a few pictures and lo and behold I see this one. This picture was probably taken in the the 1960s, I am not sure if this was the choir picture or just some of the female members of the church, either way, I was happy to see it. I just think if I wouldn’t have visited and attended the church service I might have never seen this picture. I encourage everyone to visit your ancestral communities, you never know what you might discover or uncover.
Here’s a little genealogy humor to start off a great week!
Last month I visited Youngstown, OH to do some research on my grandmother, great grandmother and great great grandmother, I didn’t find quite what I wanted. I did ask the archivist at the Tyler Mahoning Valley History Center where to look for school records and she suggested contacting the one of the local high school’s in the area lived in. The archivist told me to write a letter instead of calling or emailing, she thought I would have a better chance in getting a response if I wrote a letter. Two weeks after I got back home and after speaking to cousin Melvina who is exploring school records for some of our relatives, I decided to write a letter. I honestly didn’t think I would get a response but about week after I mailed the letter I received and email from a lovely lady named Ms. G who said she would look for anything she could find.
I got a little excited someone responded to my letter but I didn’t want to get my hopes up. Two days after the first email she sends me the record below, this is the annual pupil card they keep on all students who attended Campbell City School and they had one for my grandmother. Ms. G even said she’ll look for more records for me over the summer. Ms. G told me her grandparents actually lived at 17 Madison while my grandmother lived at 18 Madison, I did a little research and I don’t think our families were there at the same time but this is still cool to know either way. If looking for school records, just like the archivist suggested to me, try writing a letter first instead of sending an email to the local schools in your ancestor’s area or even to the board of education to inquire about records. Thank you Ms. G for my first school record.
Missed the BlackProGen LIVE Episode 32? We’ll check it out below
I recently got back from my research trip to Youngstown, OH. I went to Tyler Mahoning Valley History Center located in the downtown district of Youngstown. I must say they have a beautiful new facility, the building houses the archival library in the basement. This is where I found my great great grandmother Minnie Belle Stacks in the 1924 city directory and I got to take pictures of old street maps in the of East Youngstown. The archivist was able to show we where Minnie Belle, and Georgiana (great grandmother) lived on the map which I thought was pretty cool. I looked at a few old high school years but I didn’t see my grandmother in any of them (she moved back to Alabama during her 11th-grade year she graduated).
I didn’t get quite what I wanted but I got cool some stuff and got some tips on what my next move should be. All in all I had a good trip, so I encourage you to take that research trip you’ve been talking about for years this summer. Even if you don’t go on your research trip, visit your local archival library, courthouse, cemetery, interview family members or just spend time with you family sharing and creating memories. You never know who or what you might find when you step from behind the computer.
Check out Eventbrite’s online registration software to find and plan local events in your area this summer
Did your family migrate to New York like mine or New Jersey? Watch this webisode of BlackProGen LIVE as the panel discuss resources and more for people researching the northeast!
Episode 30 of BlackProGen LIVE tonight!
The broadcast will take place:
9pm Eastern (New York)
8pm Central (Chicago)
7pm Mountain (Denver, Salt Lake City)
6pm Pacific (Los Angeles)
UTC-7 hours
I couldn’t sleep the other night so like most genealogist would do I logged onto ancestry.com and did some research. I decided to look through Birmingham, AL city directories to see if I could locate my Great Great Grandmother Minnie Whiteside and her son Charlie Beck who’ve I lost track of after the 1910 U.S. Federal Census. After looking at several directories I found a Minnie Whiteside and a Charles Beck living in the same place in both 1912 and in 1913. I immediately did a happy dance while laying in my bed (don’t ask me how but I did). I am planning on taking another research trip to Youngstown, OH to see what new discoveries I can find on Minnie (she moved there from Birmingham around 1917 with my grandma and great grandma) and her daughter, my Great Grandmother Georgianna. I’ll be sure to post any pictures I take.
1913 Birmingham City Directory
Minnie Whiteside: 1913 Birmingham City Directory
Charles Beck: 1913 Birmingham City Directory
