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Category: General Research

Researching Soldiers in World War I

November 30, 2016Written by Robyn

My great-grandfather Lawson Holt served in the Army during World War I. Like most, his were among the records destroyed during the infamous 1973 fire at the National Personnel Records Center. This post shows how it is possible to still find out more information about your ancestor’s military service, even though those files are gone. […]

African-American History, General Research, My Family Research, Online Research, Posts 2014-2019

Verify Your Oral History

September 21, 2016Written by Robyn

One of the first things we’re instructed when we begin our genealogy journey is to interview our elders. This is by far one of the most important things for us do. Our family members can provide information we may never find in documents. It has always been ironic to me that the time when most […]

Evaluating Evidence, General Research, My Family Research, Posts 2014-2019, Tips and Training

Genealogy Resource Recommendations

June 24, 2015Written by Robyn

I’ve talked before on this blog about the importance of reading genealogical books in order to learn about how to use various record sets. I want to highlight two of the best resources for genealogical research that some of you may be unaware of. The book “The Source” has been a mainstay of genealogists since […]

General Research, Online Research, Posts 2014-2019, Tips and Training

Pauline Waters: Documenting A Life

April 14, 2015Written by Robyn

Yesterday would have been the 100th birthday of my grandmother Pauline Celeste Waters. She was born April 13th, 1915 in the sleepy town of Stillpond, Maryland on the Eastern Shore. Her death in 1997 is the event that started my journey into family history research. Biography Like many beloved grandmothers, she had a tremendous impact […]

General Research, My Family Research

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Are You Using Your Genealogical and Hist...

March 6, 2015Written by Robyn

Your local Genealogical and Historical (G&S) Society could be holding the key to important pieces of your research. Although the web has certainly enabled us to find things we may have found otherwise, the truth remains that the bulk of genealogical records are not online and likely never will be. This example illustrates how the […]

General Research, My Family Research, Posts 2014-2019, Records, Resources and Tools

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Remembering Jim Crow

January 16, 2015Written by Robyn

I just finished reading the book Remembering Jim Crow, published in 2001. For those researching African-Americans, we spend a lot of time dealing with the complexity of slave research. I think we all need to pay more attention to the era of segregation. Most of us remember this era or have parents alive who do. […]

African-American Genealogy, African-American History, General Research, My Family Research, Posts 2014-2019, Reconstruction Era Research

Sorting Same-Named People

December 24, 2014Written by Robyn

I had an enslaved ancestor named Rezin Prather. I thought, “What an odd name. I’ll easily be able to find him in the records.” Guess what? It was a very popular name in Montgomery County, Maryland during the 19th century. There were numerous African-American “Rezin Prathers” floating around the county and in nearby Washington, D.C. […]

Census Records, Evaluating Evidence, General Research, My Family Research, Posts 2014-2019, Vital Records

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Lemos Slaves Reunited

June 11, 2014Written by Robyn

I had to share this heartwarming episode. I found this 1882 article about collateral ancestors of mine: RobynI am an engineer by day, but my true passion lies in genealogy. I have been a researcher, writer, and teacher for over twenty years. This blog is where I share family history strategies, resources, tips and advice […]

General Research, Newspapers, Reconstruction Era Research, Slave Research

Formulating Research Questions

January 24, 2014Written by Robyn

Following a repeatable process to guide our genealogy research can make all the difference in how successful our we are. The always-waiting alternative is burial among all the papers and files that accumulate over the years.Nobody wants that. There are so many things I wish I could whisper to my 1997 self when I first set out on this […]

Evaluating Evidence, General Research, My Family Research, Tips and Training

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7 Ways to Jumpstart Your Research

November 18, 2013Written by Robyn

No, you’re not going crazy. This list started out as 5 Ways but has now grown to 7 Ways;) I’ve been looking for an excuse to post this picture of myself with my older brother, so this is as good a time as any. It puts me in the Christmas spirit. We’re headed into the holiday […]

General Research, Tips and Training

4 Comments

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.

Join my mailing list below to receive my posts and get a free PDF with some of my favorite tips!

(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