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Category: African-American Genealogy

This category applies to research especially relevant to African-American genealogy researchers.

Black Newspapers Break a Brick Wall!

May 16, 2011Written by Robyn

Recently, I solved a genealogical mystery that I’d had for many, many years. The solution utilized many tools. However, black newspapers and the ease now of searching of them deserves the biggest praise for solving the puzzle. My friend Tim Pinnick has been preaching and teaching about black newspapers for years (you can watch one of his […]

African-American Genealogy, African-American History, Book and Movie Recommendations, Census Records, Evaluating Evidence, General Research, Newspapers, Online Research

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Runaway Slaves

September 30, 2009Written by Robyn

I have been studying runaway slaves recently. One of my Prather ancestors ran away and was caught in DC in 1858. “Runaway Slaves: Rebels on the Plantation” by John Hope Franklin and Loren Schweninger, is probably one of the most complete published studies. This book provides genealogists with important background history. Recently I purchased “Blacks Who Stole […]

African-American Genealogy, African-American History, Slave Research

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Professional portrait created with Chat GPT using original photographs of the author

I am an engineer by day, but my true passion lies in genealogy. I have been a researcher, writer, and lecturer for over twenty-five years.

Reclaiming Kin teaches the skills, tools, and resources behind sound family history research, including the complexities of researching American slavery, for genealogists at every level.

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(Media Note: If you quote a post, please credit me by name, Robyn N. Smith.)

Join my free mailing list below to learn about upcoming webinars.

Fruit of the Earth: Using Deed Records to Uncover Your Ancestors
20 June 2026, 1-3:30 PM, EST
Join me as I present one of my most popular webinars! Deed records are one of genealogy’s most trusted and voluminous record sets. But the legal jargon can be confusing, and besides, what if your ancestor didn’t own land? Come and learn how to use deed records in new and exciting ways and unlock brick walls about your family and the communities in which they lived. This lecture also includes content about researching potential slaveholders in deeds and African-Americans after emancipation.

The first hour will be an introduction to using deeds. After a short break, in the second hour Robyn will demonstrate how to use FamilySearch to find and research deeds. Attendees will also receive a link to re-watch this webinar for three months in about a week. This event is $10. Zoom only utilizes Paypal,which will let you use a credit card). If you want to pay by Zelle or check, please email me at msualumni33 at gmail dot com, with "REGISTRATION" in caps in the subject line.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER AND SAVE YOUR SEAT!

[PAST] Workshop: Using AI to Write Your Family Story,
July 11th, July 18th, July 25th, 6 p.m. EST
Do you want to preserve all the research you’ve done for future generations, but aren’t sure how to begin writing? If so, this workshop is for you. I will show you a way to get past all that by using the power of AI to give us a starting point. This workshop will require hands-on, real-time engagement from you. At the conclusion of this workshop, you will have an article about your family. Please read carefully the requirements for this workshop before registering. The workshop is $75. Zoom only uses Paypal registration and it will also let you use a credit card. If you want to pay by Zelle or check, please email me at msualumni33 at gmail dot com, with "REGISTRATION" in caps in the subject line.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER AND RESERVE YOUR SEAT!

[PAST] Proving Identity, Not Matching Names, 7 September 2024, 2-3:45 pm EST: Genealogical sources are full of people living in the same place with the same name as our ancestor. How can we distinguish our ancestor among others of the same name? We can’t rely on just names; we’ve got to prove identity. Join me as I discuss strategies and present guidelines for ensuring that we've got the right person.

As always, attendees will receive a link to re-watch this webinar for three months; it takes me about a week to get that link out. This event is $15. Zoom only utilizes Paypal and will let you use a credit card, or you can Cash App me at $msualumni33, but please email me with CASH APP in the Subject line so I can know who to add. Please register early; several people couldn't get in when trying to register on the day of the webinar.
CLICK HERE TO SAVE YOUR SEAT!

[PAST] Beyond the Search Box: Finding Family Relationships, 3 August 2024, 2-3:45 pm EST: While online databases have been a boon to genealogists over the past decades, they can obscure the analysis all researchers must do. In this session, Robyn illustrates how turning our focus away from the computer and focusing on the sources and evidence we have can lead to uncovering family relationships.

Attendees will receive a link to re-watch this webinar for three months in about a week. This event is $15. Zoom only utilizes Paypal, but if you would like to send me a check please email me using the contact form below. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER AND SAVE YOUR SEAT!

I make extensive use of tables for organization, analysis and citation in my research, and they have proven very popular with genealogists. These require Microsoft Word and a Windows platform. The Genealogy Source Table Collection includes 10 blank, editable source tables for death certificates, city directories, obituaries and funeral programs. See more details in the flier here and they are available for purchase for $10 .

I also have a Slavery and Freedom Collection available for $20. There are 15 tables, blank and editable for you to populate, as well as samples of using each. For more details, see the flier here, and you can purchase them here.

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"While African-American genealogical research in many ways is like all genealogical research, the era of slavery makes the task especially challenging. The difficulties include using records that provide no surnames, the constant sale and breakup of families, and the lack of identification of fathers.

For descendants, I would add the substantial emotional impact of seeing an ancestor's name attached to a dollar value, or being valued in a list with silverware and cattle. Slavery's reach is still with us, and part of the gift of doing African-American genealogy is recovering the stories of those caught in its grasp who could not in their own time leave their own witness."

-Robyn

Maryland Genealogical Society Holiday Luncheon, December 2017-2

"The past is not dead. In fact, it's not even past."
-William Faulkner

"Call it a clan, call it a network, all it a tribe, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one"
- Jane Howard

"Friends are God's apologies for relations."
-Hugh Kingsmill

"No matter what you've done for yourself or for humanity, if you can't look back on having given love and attention to your own family, what have you really accomplished?"
-Elbert Hubbard

"Families are like fudge; mostly sweet with a few nuts."
-Unknown

"If you can't get rid of the skeleton in your closet, you might as well make it dance!"
-Unknown

"Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city;)"
-George Burns

"Where does the family start? It starts with a young man falling in love with a girl. No superior alternative has yet been found."
-Winston Churchill

"The great gift of family life is to be intimately acquainted with people you might never ever introduce yourself to had life not done it for you."
-Kendall Hailey

"If you look deeply into the palm of your hand, you will see your parents and all the generations of your ancestors. All of them are alive in this moment. Each is present in your body. You are the continuation of each of these people."
-Thich Nhat Hanh