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. […]
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Collateral Research: Research All Siblin...
In our research, we’ve got to include all the siblings in each generation. This is called collateral research. Your collateral ancestors are those who descend from siblings of your ancestors; people who are not your direct ancestors. I promise you that researching them alongside your direct ancestors will uncover new information about your family. This […]
Slave Research: Search the Slaveowner’s
Slave and slaveowner research is not for the faint of heart, that’s for sure. You need to have intermediate/advanced genealogy skills to do it well. Additionally, there’s the emotional impact of even looking at the documents. After all these years of research, my heart still bleeds every time I see: a will that includes “negro […]
Biblically Speaking
(Update, 2019: The standards in genealogy have been updated and have been modified from what was written below. Please consult the newest standards, the book is referenced below.) I have had some wonderful discoveries in bibles over the past year. I want to share them with you along with some thoughts on evaluation. Definitions and […]