Melvin Collier’s powerful new book, From Fragments to Foundation: Uncovering a Buried History of Tragedy and Triumph, is officially out. When I received my book, I asked my son to answer the door for trick-or-treaters, grabbed a hot tea, and curled up with the good read I knew it would be. Melvin does not disappoint […]
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Category: Book and Movie Recommendations
Using Ledgers and Account Books
Recently, I got re-acquainted with the joys of a little utilized genealogical source: the store ledger. A wonderful local historian in Somerset County, Maryland shared ledger pages of a store in the community where my Eastern Shore ancestors lived for over 150 years. Here is a ledger page showing the 1859 purchases of “John Waters […]
Two New Books Worth Your Time
Genealogists and historians Noreen J. Goodson and Donna Tyler Hollie have recently published “Through the Tax Assessor’s Eyes: Enslaved People, Free Blacks and Slaveholders in Early Nineteenth Century Baltimore.” This book is a welcome addition to the historiography of early Baltimore history and takes its rightful place aside works by Ralph Clayton, Barbara Jeanne Fields […]
Slavery Studies
As I have researched more and more enslaved ancestors, I have become more immersed in researching the history of slavery. I have learned so much. Most genealogists are not professional historians. But we can benefit from being familiar with some of the evolution in slavery studies. I encourage anyone researching enslaved people to read at […]
Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings
I read an article recently that every genealogist should read. It is in a special issue of the National Genealogical Society Quarterly from September 2001 (Volume 89, No.3). This issue was completely devoted to discussion of the Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings relationship. If you are a member of NGS you can download this article […]
Slave Housing
I’ve been pondering lately how we need to reconsider how our enslaved ancestors lived. We need to think more about the physical dimensions of that space. Not long ago I posted a recommendation for a book called “Back of the Big House.” This book tells the stories of these homes well and encouraged me to […]
HOT Genealogy Recommendations
I thought I’d share a few genealogy-related recommendations which I haven’t done in awhile. If you don’t have my friend Michael’s “Online State Resources for Genealogy” yet, then get it now. It is a great addition to any genealogist’s collection—all the links are arranged by state and are free. The guide is $15 and well […]
Black Newspapers Break a Brick Wall!
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 […]
Write Up Your Family History!
We love genealogy. We spend years and years researching in every direction. We sit in conferences and lectures, read books, and develop a network of genealogy buddies to discuss every tidbit of information. We collect marriage licenses and deeds, wills and inventories, pictures and other data. Why We Need to Write So the question is—when […]
Slavery By Any Other Name
One of the best books I’ve read this year is “Slavery By Any Other Name: The Re-Enslavement of Blacks in America from the Civil War through World War II” by Douglas Blackmon. This book should be required reading for all Americans, full stop. The book focuses on the convict labor system that developed in the South, […]