Research at the National Archives&Beyond

Join Gwendolyn Olson as she describes the process of identifying and documenting the slaves on the Lipscomb Plantation in Durham, NC.   Gwendolyn Olson is a Registered Nurse at Stanford Hospital in the California Bay Area. Her family roots have fascinated her as long as she can remember. Her father was an only child, and the youngest grandchild of a proud Spokane, Washington family. His mother, who belonged to an old respected Spokane African American family, died when he was very young. Raised by his widowed father, he was told stories about his family’s Durham, North Carolina roots by his doting maternal aunts and cousins, and he shared these stories with his daughter.   Gwendolyn’s research has led her to document the Slaves on the Lipscomb Plantation in Durham, NC and to meet many slave descendants of these families. She is also actively looking for more photographs of the former slaves, and their first generation descendants. She has complied a short history, of the slave history of the Lipscomb Plantation, which is made available to the guests of the Inn, and has turned out to be a very popular read.   Music - Sweet Mello Spice by Alvin K. Alexander

   The ACPL Genealogy Center is a unique and valuable resource with one of the largest research collections available, incorporating records from around the world.     Curt B. Witcher is the Senior Manager for Special Collections at the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana,  where he manages The Genealogy Center, serves as general curator for that institution’s Rare and Fine Book Collection and the institutional archives, and is the Supervisor for the newly acquired Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection.  Curt is the project lead on the library’s digitization initiatives that include partnerships with the Internet Archive, ProQuest, Footnote/fold3, and WeRelate as well as growing a site of free, searchable data files. He is a former president of  both the Federation of Genealogical Societies and the National Genealogical Society, and the founding president of the Indiana Genealogical Society.  He currently serves as vice-president of development for FGS.   Curt was distinguished in 1995 as a fellow of the Utah Genealogical Association (FUGA) and received the Federation of Genealogical Societies' Rabbi Malcolm H. Stern Humanitarian Award, in 1997. Curt was recognized in 2006 by being named the first fellow of the Indiana Genealogical Society.  He was honored in May of 2007 with the National Genealogical Society’s P. William Filby award for outstanding, life-time contributions to genealogical librarianship.        Theme music - Sweet Mello Spice by composer / producer Alvin K. Alexander. (Pianist Ayako Higuchi).

 Charles Brown, Jr.,  provides a moving account of his quest to find truth concerning his family in Missouri.     Charles Brown is the President of St. Louis African American History & Genealogy Society. He was born and raised in the Carondelet Neighborhood of South St. Louis City and  attended North East Missouri State University.  His strong religious foundation was rooted in the Quinn Chapel AME Church. After retiring as a coach and educator, Charles  helped organize a family reunion on his paternal side. This genealogical journey had a lot of secrets, hidden agendas, and valuable history.  He discovered that his immediate ancestors were involved in a racial cleansing and a hanging which occurred in Pierce City Missouri in 1901.  The events of this travesty were never discussed by any of his family.  After the incident was uncovered, a documentary was produced explaining this incident as one of three such incidents in the United States in the early 1900s.  Charles is a participant in the film Banished that received national attention.    Theme music - Sweet Mello Spice by composer / producer Alvin K. Alexander. (Pianist Ayako Higuchi).

  Join Art Thomas as he describes why and how he started on his family history and genealogical journey and the advances and changes he has noticed in the past 20-25 years.   Art Thomas has been involved in genealogy for 25 years. Art is a member of several Local, County and State genealogical societies. He is a founding member of the African American Genealogy Group of the Miami Valley (AAGGMV), located in the Miami River Valley of Ohio.  Art is also a member of the Ohio Genealogy Society “First Families” and the “Ohio Civil War Family” lineage societies having proven and documented his descent from Free Persons of Color residing in Ohio prior to Statehood in 1803 and to men who fought and served as USCT’s in the Civil War. Art’s main focus in genealogy and family history has been the activities in religion, the underground railroad, education, occupations and politics of his ancestors and the communities in which they resided from their first days of freedom in the early 19 century. Art’s earliest documented American ancestor of African origin was born in the Henrico/Goochland Co. area of Virginia circa 1730-35.   Art manages three websites ….  The Tribal Pages website “Art’s Families & Other Folk, a personal database with genealogical information, photos, documents and stories on over 23,000 individuals and his Adams family site “Descendant Families of Lewis & Susan Adams” along with the AAGGMV member website on MyFamily.com.   Theme music - Sweet Mello Spice by composer / producer Alvin K. Alexander. (Pianist Ayako Higuchi).

  Conducting Slave Era Research Part II is a continuation of the discussion on strategic approaches to finding your enslaved ancestors. A majority of the show will respond to questions from the listening audience.      Aaron Dorsey, has been doing genealogical research for over 10 years.  His undergraduate degree in U.S. History and graduate degree in Education Policy is from Stanford University. He began researching his family history after reading Jubilee by Margaret Walker-Alexander for a Survey of African American Literature at the College of Alameda. He has documented the history of his family in Alabama, California, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. However, the focus of his research has been concentrated in Texas where he has traced his ancestors to 1839. His Texas research has been featured in the ARK-LA-TEX Genealogical Association, Inc.’s The Genie.  Aaron is currently working on two books one focusing on slave era research and the other pertaining to the 1868 voter registration in Leon County, Texas.   Theme music - Sweet Mello Spice by composer / producer Alvin K. Alexander. (Pianist Ayako Higuchi).

From the Slums of Soweto to the Success in America Join my special guest Doctor Arthur Mcunu, Jr. for a moving story of his life and new book. (http://www.zuluchestcutter.com)   Doctor Arthur N.S. Mcunu was born in Soweto, South Africa in 1963, the year the urban settlement was officially named (Soweto is an abbreviation for Southwest Townships). He was raised in a tiny, two-bedroom structure, which he shared with eighteen relatives, spanning four generations. Arthur, or Sibusiso (his Zulu name, which means blessing), grew up during the height of black South Africa's rebellion against Apartheid, witnessing much of the movement's history firsthand. He participated in the Soweto Uprising of 1976 and was present for the massacre at the University of Zululand in 1983.The latter of these tragedies prompted Arthur to immigrate to the United States to further his education and pursue a career in medicine. Dr. Mcunu serves as Assistant Professor of Surgery and Director of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the Howard University College of Medicine and Hospital.   Theme music - Sweet Mello Spice by composer / producer Alvin K. Alexander. (Pianist Ayako Higuchi).

Join Tonya A. Browder - Director of the Tompkins Memorial Library to learn about the rich history and historical documents and genealogical information available in Edgefield County, South Carolina.    Since becoming Director, Tonya A. Browder  has played an important role in the organization of the library's materials and has published a number of resource books on Edgefield County genealogy.   She received a BA cum laude in History from the University of South Carolina at Aiken in 1992.  Starting in 1991, Tonya worked for seven years as Community Historian for the Savannah River Archaeological Research Program, a division of the South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology.  Her work involved conducting an oral history project on the former towns and hamlets of the Savannah River Site and from this research, she co-authored two books, Memories of Home: Dunbarton and Meyers Mill Remembered and, Memories of Home: Reminiscences of Ellenton.     Theme music - Sweet Mello Spice by composer / producer Alvin K. Alexander. (Pianist Ayako Higuchi).

  Conducting Slave Era Research will help the learner understand basic genealogical strategies to finding enslaved ancestors.   Aaron Dorsey, a native of Oakland, California has been doing genealogical research for over 10 years.  His undergraduate degree in U.S. History and graduate degree in Education Policy is from Stanford University. He began researching his family history after reading Jubilee by Margaret Walker-Alexander for a Survey of African American Literature at the College of Alameda. He has documented the history of his family in Alabama, California, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. However, the focus of his research has been concentrated in Texas where he has traced his ancestors to 1839. His Texas research has been featured in the ARK-LA-TEX Genealogical Association, Inc.’s The Genie.  Aaron is currently working on two books one focusing on slave era research and the other pertaining to the 1868 voter registration in Leon County, Texas.   Theme music - Sweet Mello Spice by composer / producer Alvin K. Alexander. (Pianist Ayako Higuchi).

  Have you discovered that your ancestors are from Virginia and have no idea where to begin? Please join Natonne Elaine Kemp- family historian, researcher and writer for a journey through Virginia Genealogical Resources.  This lively and passionate discussion will focus on the variety of records uncovered in her own research that may help others as they go back in time to uncover the mystery and excitement of researching in the State of Virginia. Other Researchers are encouraged to call in and share information on resources they have also used in Virginia.   Theme music - Sweet Mello Spice by composer / producer Alvin K. Alexander. (Pianist Ayako Higuchi).

Join Mark Engler and Blake Bell to explore the rich history of the Homestead Act of 1862 and the impact it has had on land acquisitions throughout the United States.  Mark Engler is the Superintendent for the Homestead National Monument of America, Beatrice, Nebraska.  Mark has been at Homestead since the summer of 1997.   Following a seven-year assignment at Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, or commonly known as the Gateway Arch, Mark returned to Beatrice, Nebraska. During Mark’s career with the National Park Service he has been involved in numerous special programs, detail assignments and has worked in a variety of different disciplines. Mark attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where he obtained a Bachelors of Science in Education focusing on both Political Science and History.   Blake Bell is the Historian at Homestead National Monument of America.  He is interested in how the Homestead Act of 1862 and subsequent land laws fit into a broader historical context of U.S. Western development.  His background is in transnational history and he is interested in understanding the global implications of Western development. He enjoys historiography with a special emphasis on the methodology employed by historians. His research interests are 19 century legislative history, U.S. immigration and post-reconstruction migration patterns.   Theme music - Sweet Mello Spice by composer / producer Alvin  K. Alexander. (Pianist Ayako Higuchi).

The Story of Walter H. Williams: A Man Who Made a Difference. Guest- Beverly B. Woods.   Beverly Babin Woods is a genealogist, writer and lecturer with her ancestral roots based in Louisiana.    "In her life time, she has traveled and lived among cultures in Okinawa, Japan and in the Pacific Islands. Her research at National Archives into the Freedmen’s Bureau Educational Records has been well documented on education of African Americans during reconstruction in Lafayette, Louisiana. Beverly is also featured in the National Archives’ Signature film Democracy Starts Here, describing the mission of the National Archives.  The film is shown daily at the National Archives and was produced by the Discovery Channel.   As a member of the Afro American Historical and Genealogical Society, she is engaged in promoting genealogy in the African American communities as well the broader society. She published an article entitled Genealogy: Getting in Touch with Youth in Everton’s Genealogy Magazine.  Her poetry was also published in poetry books by the National Book Foundation, New York Summer Writing Program.   Beverly is past President of the Afro American Historical and Genealogical Society.  She is also a presenter at many Genealogy conferences, local schools, and private organizations on poetry, writing and genealogy.         Theme music - Sweet Mello Spice by composer / producer Alvin K. Alexander. (Pianist Ayako Higuchi).

The Story of Agnes Mathieu, a slave who gained her freedom in 1779 through a year-long court battle with the help of Mathieu Devaux, a French National who served in the American Revolutionary War under theSpanish Governor General Bernardo de Galvez.   Lieutenant Commander Michael N. Henderson, U.S. Navy Retired, began his genealogy journey almost 30 years ago. His success as a genealogist is attributed to an early curiosity about his family’s history, as well as the keen research skills he honed in the Navy. One of the family’s elders shared a story with Henderson of an ancestor who had once said, “they wouldn’t allow us to use daddy’s last name.” From the moment he heard the story, Henderson was haunted by and wanted to know the mystery behind it.  He uncovered his fourth generation great-grandmother, Agnes Mathieu, a slave whose great grandparents were listed on an inventory document in 1738. Devaux and Agnes maintained a long relationship that produced seven children, who were all born free prior to the Louisiana Purchase.  He is the first in his family to pursue membership in the NSSAR, and  the process was truly a labor of love and he says that " it’s an honor to have his family tied to an American Revolutionary War patriot. He serves as Vice-President of the Button Gwinnett Chapter, Georgia Society Sons of the American Revolution.