After decades of research, I finally know how Giles Holt acquired my ancestor Malinda. This is thanks to the transformative power of FamilySearch’s Full-Text Search. I hope you are using it. Using FamilySearch Full-Text Search There’s no doubt that most genealogists have heard about this new tool, but I know that not everyone has tried […]
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Category: Slave Research
And Her Increase
Nothing hits me harder than these three words. Some version of this phrase is often found in the wills of enslavers, designed to give away children who were not even yet conceived. Enslaved women’s wombs enriched generations of enslavers, both giving life and bringing death in so many ways. It’s a concept that still haunts […]
Enslaved Ancestor Found Using 1914 Ad
It was while recently writing about Mike Fendricks’ family that I made one of the biggest discoveries in 25 years. I recovered the identity of my 2nd great-grandmother, an enslaved woman named Salina Sherrod. It was my favorite gift this year! This discovery illustrated two concepts I often recommend. First, everyone should write up their […]
Finding That Maiden Name
Finding the maiden names of wives is a problem all researchers will face sooner or later. When marriage records are missing there are several strategies we can use to uncover these names. Death Certificates We can use the records of a couple’s children to uncover information about that couple. I have used this in every […]
Don’t Go Looking for Slave Records
If a beginning researcher walks into a library or archives and asks to see the slave records for a community, the archivist will likely be confused. Most of the records used to study enslaved persons aren’t called that. They are Probate Records. Land Records. Court Records. Tax Records. Even Vital Records. If they were simply […]
A Valuable Strategy for Civil War Pensio...
Cluster research works. You will find more information about your ancestors if you study the lives of those in the community where they lived. I swear by this and I’ve discussed it here over and over again. One source that illustrates this clearly is Civil War Pension Records. Don’t just check research your ancestors and […]
Slave Surnames “To Save Their Lives”
Recently I came across a poignant quote relating to slave surnames I just had to share. Slave surnames are a topic I have discussed here at Reclaiming Kin several times and one that has no easy or simple formula that applies to every situation. Because of this, I save original sources where the formerly enslaved […]
Free Blacks and Re-Enslavement
Free blacks, those freed before 1865 in the United States, lived under great suspicion and often under onerous state restrictions. Especially in the places where their numbers were relatively large (i.e., Upper South states of Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, and North Carolina), slaveholders properly viewed them as a threat to the ideology of white supremacy. A […]
Do You Know How to Use Indirect Evidence...
Much of the hype of genealogical research often surrounds the different kinds of sources. Yes, new sources are always exciting. However, I believe that it is developing and growing research skills that will take your research to higher heights. A Field With Standards That’s one reason I recommend that everyone researching their roots have the […]
Understanding the Slave Community
Before my post, I want to acknowledge the passing of my dear and treasured friend, Andrea Ramsey on October 8, 2019. Its been a very sad summer for me, with her illness. She was an outstanding genealogist, specializing in Caribbean research, and a proud member of the Jean Sampson Scott AAHGS chapter in New York […]