BLOG

Of all my finds thus far, finding my grandfather, Emory Wallace Vance, Sr. among the Richland County, SC grantor deeds has been the greatest to date. The thought that I could find out what happened with him came into my mind in 1985. I had heard my grandparents talk of their life in South Carolina, and I had heard reminisces from their children over the years. The answers I needed were not forthcoming.

African American Genealogy: Morris Brown AME Church and the Lemon Family

Remember in Tracing the Lemon’s from Columbia to Greenville to Charleston Using City Directories I found Rev. R. I. Lemon and his wife, Virginia Vance Lemon, who is my great aunt. I was able to see that they lived in Columbia and moved to Greenville and Charleston. Virginia is someone whom I am definitely interested in learning more about; she is my grandfather’s sister. A study of her life will help reveal more about myself.

Tracing the Lemon’s from Columbia to Greenville to Charleston Using City Directories

Hopefully, you have seen how much city directories have helped in finding family especially when they moved from place to place. I first shared with you how I use city directories in African American Genealogy: Comparing City Directory Resources. Now, I would like to...

African Americans in Antebellum Church Records: Bethel United Methodist Church, 1804-1880

Beyond the Basics, Blog, Family History Research, Let's Talk Records

Antebellum church records can be an important resource for African American genealogy as the records often predate public records founds that document births, marriages and deaths. Last week, I shared three resources at the room for South Carolina History at the Charleston County Library, Register of St. Philip’s Parish, 1720-1758, Register of St. Philip’s Parish, 1754-1810, and Register of St. Philip’s Church, 1810-1822. This week I would like to also share another resource which can help identify enslaved ancestors and free persons of color who attended Bethel United Methodist Church from at least 1804 until 1880.

African American Genealogy: Researching From a Bill of Sale for Enslaved Ancestors

We had a lively discussion on last Tuesday's episode of BlackProGen LIVE! "Biology of a Document: From Analysis to Plan," about getting the most from the documents we have gathered in our African American genealogy research. The episode focused on analyzing each...

Did You Know That St. Philip’s Parish in Charleston, SC Registered African Americans Before 1823?

Beginning Genealogy, Blog, Family History Research, Let's Talk Records

I visited the room for South Carolina History at the Charleston County Library in Charleston, South Carolina because I wanted to show you that you should not neglect to check Charleston church records back in 1720-1822 for African American genealogy. That’s right!...

“Old Abbeville:” Scenes of the Past That Are Not Forgotten

Beyond the Basics, Blog, Family History Research, Let's Talk Records

This is how African American genealogy moves forward: slowly, methodically. When I moved to Columbia, South Carolina in 2005, I came across Lowry Ware’s name among the library book shelves at Richland Library. I looked for what I could find there on Beverly Vance (1832-1899), and I found the person who was his half brother and former slave owner. I found several books written by Lowry Ware and others. I learned early on that researching Beverly would be very hard on me emotionally. It involved reading books by Lowry Ware and others that were well spoken of except the formerly enslaved like Beverly.

What is a “fi fa,” and Why is it Important for African American Genealogy?

Historic newspapers are an important resource for African American genealogy. Runaway slave ads, jailor's notices of captured runaway freedom seekers, notices of estate sales, private sales and sheriff's sales that include the names of enslaved ancestors are all...

Voters in the Town of Abbeville, SC in 1885 and 1893

Beyond the Basics, Blog, Family History Research, Let's Talk Records

Last month I accessed a book online entitled “Census of Abbeville Village and Abbeville Voter List May 1885,” compiled by Lowry Ware held by Larry A. Jackson Library at Lander University. I really had found another way to identify African Americans in 1885 and in...

African American Genealogy: When the Pieces Come Together – Guyton Family Bible, Oakley Plantation, Berkeley, SC

One of the biggest challenges in African American genealogy is the sometimes sparse body of documents we have to work in. We’ve been working for years to digitize documents in the Lowcountry, first as Lowcountry Africana, and now as the IAAM Center for Family History. Along the way, many archives, organizations and individuals have worked at our side to scan, digitize and index records that are significant for African American genealogy. Today, we experienced some of the fruits of our friends’ and colleague’s efforts when some pieces of a puzzle fell into place.

African American Genealogy: Will John Drayton of Charleston, SC Please Step Forward?

Blog, Family History Research, Research Problem Solving

Have you ever found yourself researching a person with a common name? One time I was helping someone research her family history at the South Caroliniana Library in Columbia, South Carolina. We located her ancestor’s will, and she was browsing through. When she got to where the enslaved that her family owned was listed, she called me over to take a look at what shocked her. The page was full of names of the enslaved, any every one of them had the same name. African Americans have a hard time when it comes to research.

How Lower Richland Heritage and Genealogy Society (LRHGS) of Hopkins, SC Brings History Forward

We attended this month’s Lower Richland Heritage and Genealogy Society LRHGS’ Kindred Connection: Sharing Our Stories. The funding for this project came from Richland County Conservation Commission. This meeting was hosted by Dedra Harvin at Jerusalem Baptist Church in Hopkins, South Carolina. As I sat the back, I noticed the place was packed. Everyone was listening intently to the recorded interviews being shown upfront.

An African American Experience: Honoring Susie King Taylor and Her Journey of Escape

Family History Research, Let's Talk Records

I read Susie King Taylor’s (1848-1912) autobiography where she told of her enslaved experiences with grandmother, Dolly, escaping to freedom, working as an army nurse and teacher, returning to Georgia to marry Russell Taylor, and moving to Boston. Over a week ago, I learned on Facebook that Hermina Glass-Hill has put together a commemoration to honor her life, and of course, I had to go. August 6 was her birthday. The celebration literally changed my life. We in South Carolina give some attention to Susie and the fact that she served with the 33rd US Colored Troops, but going to the place where she went to church and going to the site where she escaped from enslavement definitely had a huge impact on me.

African American Newspapers: The Palmetto Leader Links to Greenwood

After you find an obituary about an ancestor, what else are historic newspapers good for? Newspapers can tell you a great deal about what went on in your ancestor’s time period. African American newspapers bring to light burials, education, masonic lodges, ministers, political activities and so much more. They reveal much more about the everyday lives of our ancestors.

African American Newspapers: The Palmetto Leader Links to Charleston

The Palmetto Leader covered articles from all over the country, but it also told about the news in Charleston, South Carolina. This African American newspaper revealed stories about churches, universities, and schools. It kept up with the social scene, reported...

African American Newspaper Online: The Palmetto Leader, News Reported from South Carolina and Other States

Recently, I was going through the official site of Richland Library in Columbia when I noticed there is an online version of The Palmetto Leader. It has been added as part of the newspaper collection digitized by University of South Carolina. To have this African...

African American Genealogy: Rev. Ulysses S. Rice, University, Minister, Principal, The Dial, Mason

If we as African Americans were to just take ministers from one area and research the area and research the other counties and states that they serve, we would learn more about their families, people in the new areas, and churches in the new areas. We could find out...

Fairview Cemetery Restoration: Reverend L. S. Burnett, The Dial, Mason, Minister

In the last two posts, we have been reviewing The Dial, an African American newspaper that existed in 1914. The editor was Rev. Conley Lincoln Henderson, and Rev. Robert F. Fox was the associate editor. Let’s now go back to our first scheduled cleaning as a community...

African American Genealogy: He Worked for the Dial But Was a Minister and Traveled

Now we will share with you even more findings from researching the board members of The Dial, an African American newspaper, that we told you we found while restoring Fairview Cemetery. The first person researched was Conley Lincoln Henderson. He was the newspaper’s...

African American Genealogy: The Dial: Promoting the Religious and Educational Interests of the Race

Over two years ago, I was involved in the restoration of Fairview Cemetery in Greenwood, South Carolina. The motive was to find the burial spot for Beverly Vance (1832-1899), my great great grandfather. I still have not found his burial spot, but I have been true to...

Wah Murders Wife: You Have to Take the Good with the Bad

In family history, we cannot take bad things that our ancestors had happen to them to heart. We might need to walk away from our research for a time and come back to it when we are able to handle it. I have had to walk away many times until I felt I could handle what I had discovered.

What Does Joe Wah, Chinese American, Have to Do with My Family?

Beyond the Basics, Blog, Family History Research

The first surprising bit of information which I came across was that Joe S. Wah was Chinese American, and that he married African American, Janie Arnold Wah June 15th. If you will remember from last week’s post, African American: Are You Working the Cemetery for the Pre-1870 Clues?, Park Arnold, buried at Save All Cemetery, is father to Charlie Arnold. Janie Arnold Wah is his daughter. It became obvious early on that the people interred in Fairview are friends and neighbors and even relatives.

African American Genealogy: Are You Working the Cemetery for Pre-1870 Clues?

Greenwood, South Carolina has African American cemeteries that are properly cared for, but unfortunately there are several that have people born before 1870 buried in them. They are at risk of becoming illegible. Researching these internments has brought great joy to me. In many cases, I have started with the gravestone, the first evidence that the person existed.

Chronicling America Has Newspapers from Abbeville and Yorkville 1880-1887 Which Document My Great-Great Grandfather

Beyond the Basics, Blog, Family History Research, Found on FamilySearch, Let's Talk Records

Chronicling America has historical newspapers. It is an internet-based, searchable database of U.S. newspapers with descriptive information and select digitization of historic pages. In the basic search you can choose to search the entire archive or choose a state or...

Has FamilySearch Digitized the Records You Need? Here’s How to Check

FamilySearch recently announced that they had added the 2 billionth record to their free online databases of digitized historical documents. The records giant currently adds over 300 million new images a year to their online holdings. A world of free resources for...

Look for Tax Records to Help You Identify More About Your South Carolina Ancestor

Beyond the Basics, Blog, Family History Research, Let's Talk Records

Tax records help us reveal more about an ancestor, especially in between census years. When you cannot find an ancestor in the census or when records are scarce, try tax records to prove residence or if an ancestor was over 21. To find tax records for South Carolina...

Use Tax Records to Document Your Ancestor or the Enslaver in South Carolina

If you have never searched tax records when looking for an ancestor, it is a great place to start when trying to fill in details about your ancestor. The census tracks a person every ten years from 1790 to 1940 with the exception of the 1890 US Census which was almost...

Probate Records Can Help You Determine Ancestors

Beyond the Basics, Blog, Family History Research

We have been identifying the family of Cora Lee Chappelle Vance (1894-1986) who was married to Andrew Lykes Vance (1890-1966). Jan Mitchell-McDermott has once again found the documentation that takes us further back in time. We now have records that reveal her father...

African American Genealogy: Look Carefully for Clues on the Census That Will Help You Trace Back

We have been looking for George Chappelle ( -1925) in pre-1870 documentation. If you read last week’s post "Can Historical Newspapers Help Me Determine My Freedman Ancestors?" you will remember how Jan Mitchell-McDermott has been helping me find records for the...

Can Historical Newspapers Help Me Determine My Freedman Ancestors?

This blog will show you three things: You must do the necessary research to reach back to the pre-1870’s. You must research each person you find to get to know them and find the link back. You must look at whatever types of records exist for each person. In this...

Finding Ancestors and Enslavers in SC Agricultural Non-Population Schedules

You can search the US, Selected Federal Non-Population Schedules 1850-1880 at Ancestry.com to locate your ancestor or the people who enslaved your family. It is a good idea to first search them out on the 1880 and 1870 Censuses to get an idea who would be listed on...

Finding Ancestors on the 1869 State Census for South Carolina

The 1869 South Carolina State Population Census is available on FamilySearch.org. It was the first census taken that lists African Americans. This index lists the number of children from 6 to 16 by race and gender, number of males over 21 by race, and number of...

African American Genealogy: Was Your Male Ancestor Listed in the South Carolina 1869 Militia Enrollments?

South Carolina has 1869 Militia Enrollments for males 30 to 45. You can see if your ancestor was listed among the other males who were in the militia. The series is arranged alphabetically, by township, by age group, and alphabetically by first letter of the last...

African American Genealogy: Have You Located Your Freedman’s Grave?

Blog, Family History Research, Family Stories: United States Colored Troops, Let's Talk Records

Have You Researched the Freedmen’s Cemetery? Calvin Vance (1879-1940), son of Beverly Vance (1832-1899), was living at home at the time of Beverly’s death. He had died the year before the 1900 Census in 1899: Beverly’s place of burial has become a lifelong...

Did Your Ancestor Serve in the United States Colored Troops (USCT)? Here’s How to Find Out

More than 178,000 free blacks and freedmen served in the United States Colored Troops (USCT) during the Civil War, comprising one-tenth of all Union troops by the war's end. Their service contributed greatly to the Union's war efforts and marked a turning...

Find Millions of Free FamilySearch Records for Your Area of Research Interest

FamilySearch has digitized hundreds of record collections that are freely available online. Some digitized collections are indexed and searchable, while others are not. Indexed collections can be searched, while unindexed collections (labeled "Browse...

Reconstruction Era Voting Records: Search for Your Ancestors in Senate Testimonies

US Senate Testimonies: Beverly Vance (1832-1899) Testified Before Robert Smalls, and Others More Ways to Document Your Ancestors in Voting Records After publishing "Look for Your Ancestor in South Carolina Voting Records", we were notified that Kershaw County has...

Look for Your Ancestor in South Carolina Voting Records

For the next few blog posts, we will focus on how you might be able to identify your ancestors in resources generated between 1865 to 1876. If you remember, last week we found research avenues in “Identifying Research Avenues for Rev. Lafayette Franklin Vance,...

Identifying Research Avenues for Rev. Lafayette Franklin Vance, (1861-1952)

Rev. Lafayette Franklin Vance (1861-1952), born to Beverly and Matilda Dunlap Vance in Abbeville County, South Carolina, is my great grandfather. I have been trying to document him. I did not realize I would finding an article still mentioning him in 1979: ...

First Baptist Church and a Vertical File Provide Further Documentation of Clarence Adam Chick (1896-1966) and His Wife

My husband and I went to Watch Night like we had planned after I found out about First Baptist hosting one, when I posted "Documenting the Newspaper Obituary of Dr. Clarence Adam Chick (1896-1966)" I also checked the vertical file in the Cumberland County Library...

Documenting the Newspaper Obituary, Dr. Clarence Adam Chick (1896-1966)

When I sat down at the microfilm reader at Cumberland County Library Local & State History where I would look for the obituary of Clarence Adam Chick (1896-1966), I had no idea what I would find. I imagined I would find a brief recollection that he existed, not...

African American Genealogy: Comparing City Directory Resources

My great uncle, Clarence Adam Chick was born in Union County, South Carolina in 1896. I first discovered him on the 1900 US Census with his father and mother and siblings. He was younger brother to my great grandmother, Daisy B. Chick (Tucker). The family moved to...

African American Genealogy: Finding Clarence and Helen Chick

In “Our Fathers’ Fields – A Southern Story Tells Part of the Story,” we showed how Elizabeth had my 2nd great grandfather, Anderson Chick, and a appeared on the 1870 US Census in Goshen Hill, Union County, South Carolina as 11 years old. By 1900, he was 40 years old,...

AncestryDNA Ethnicity and DNA Relatives

I had submitted a DNA sample to 23andMe years ago, and I again in August 2017 wanted to submit my DNA to be tested by AncestryDNA. With the DNA cousin matches on Ancestry.com, I can answer some of the questions about missing ancestors. I know that with all the family...

Finding Ancestors in Bible Records

Not too long ago it was very common for families to keep Bibles where they recorded basic information about family members such as births, marriages, deaths, and religious ceremonies such as christenings and baptisms. It is good to know about this tradition of...

Our Fathers’ Fields – A Southern Story Tells Part of the Story

Our Father’ Fields: A Southern Story by James Everett Kibler, University of Georgia English professor, came to life in Newberry County, South Carolina. An antique pen came out from where it was stuck behind the mantel during a storm, and led eventually to the telling...

Revisiting GenealogyBank

Blog, Family History Research, Let's Talk Records, Research Problem Solving

It has been several years since I tried finding ancestors on GenealogyBank.com, but I just recently was surprised to come across My Folder as well as a couple of articles I had never seen before. It prompted me to start a new subscription, and do some searching. My...

More Substitutes for Birth Records in South Carolina

Because we know identifying an ancestor's birth can be a challenge, we are sharing more records that you can use as substitute to vital records. See Substitute Records for Births in South Carolina to catch up with the resources we have already shared. Cemeteries...

African American Genealogy: Substitute Records for Births in South Carolina

Blog, Family History Research, Let's Talk Records, Research Problem Solving

In Documenting a SC Birth, we discussed how to find your ancestor using birth certificates. Not everyone was recorded on a birth certificate, and birth records are the hardest to find. Fortunately, you can use substitute records to find clues to the date and place where you ancestor was born. Use the record types discussed below where you may discover more about your ancestor’s birth.

Documenting a South Carolina Birth

Beginning Genealogy, Blog, Family History Research, Let's Talk Records

Birth records are usually the documentation that you seek after you have found the existing death and marriage record for your ancestor. Birth certificates are the hardest to find. Here, we will help you learn how to access birth records in SC and suggest substitute records to use in case your ancestor did not have a birth certificate.

Documenting Your Ancestor After 1940

Blog, Family History Research, Research Problem Solving

It is so important to document your ancestor using the most recent records first because you can learn so much about them enabling you to locate them on earlier records. For most researchers, the latest historical record where they have found their ancestor is the 1940 Census. Perhaps you have yet to discover records that were generated later than 1940. It is highly likely that ancestors born before 1900 appear on these records.

African American Genealogy: How to Find the Maiden Name

One of the most frustrating parts about genealogy research is not knowing an ancestor’s maiden name. It puts you at a standstill when trying to determine who her parents are. We have some suggestions for you to try if you are stuck without any idea what your ancestor’s maiden name is.

How to Locate a Marriage Record

After successfully documenting your ancestor’s death using various resources such as an obituary, death certificate, and existing headstone, the next major event that you will want to document is a marriage record. Marriage records are a little more difficult to access because often only the index is available online. This post will discuss how to locate a marriage, and suggest substitute records that you can use to show a marriage took place in case you cannot locate an original record.

African American Genealogy: More Ways to Document a Death

In How to Document a Death, we shared a few of the most common resources for learning more about your ancestor’s death. The death event generated many different ways to learn more about a person. Even if a person is not present in a record where they were mentioned consecutively in the past, that can become a clue to the possible date of death. You will learn the most by making it a point of including a few more record types in your search.

African American Genealogy: How to Document a Death

One of the most common events that beginning researchers attempt to document is an ancestor’s death. Most become familiar right away with death certificates, but when there are challenges finding or accessing a death certificate, it is helpful to know about additional records. It is a good practice to search these additional records in case there are errors or incomplete information on the death certificate.

African American Genealogy: Three Important Elements of a Family Tree

This is the final post in the series about mistakes family historians sometimes make. Most of us use a family tree to keep track of the names and events in the lives of our ancestors. How many of us have considered what makes up the foundation of a well constructed tree? Three important elements set certain trees apart from the rest.

Sample the Low Hanging Fruit First

In Mistakes Made, Lessons Learned and Relying on One Source Type, we discussed the pitfalls that family historians can unknowingly fall into. Another very common mistake is rushing back too quickly in an imagined race to find direct ancestors. This more often that not creates research challenges. Below we share better principles to follow in discovering ancestors.

African American Genealogy: Relying on One Source Type

This is a continuation of the last post where we began sharing common mistakes family historians make getting started and throughout researching their family history. Advice not to rely on one source type will help you discover more about your ancestor and extended...

Family History Research: Mistakes Made, Lessons Learned

Family history research is one of the most rewarding adventures that you can experience. What makes it most rewarding is how it brings family members and communities closer as discoveries are made. There are many ways to have success in the process of finding, recording, and sharing what you learn, but there are also common mistakes that researchers share. Whether you have just begun or if you have been on your genealogy journey for a while, follow the wisdom below to avoid pitfalls along the way.

African American Genealogy Records at Home: Births, Marriages and Deaths

In Family History in Photographs, we discussed how to gather family history through the photographs in the home of family members. In this series on records found at home, we will remind you of resources that you may already have that provide evidence of...

Family History in Photographs

As we embark on our journey in family history, we sometimes neglect the resources right within our reach. We spend time online searching for records that may already be in the homes of our extended family. Before you set out to look for resources to document your ancestor, you need to exhaust the resources found at home or in the possession of family members. This is a first in a series of posts on resources for family history in your home.

Finding More Clues in a Will

Beginning Genealogy, Blog, Family History Research, Let's Talk Records

In Avenues of Research from a Will, we highlighted several clues that could help to reveal more about George Epps Tucker (1860-1927), affectionately called Epps, and his son, George Anderson Tucker (1882-1932). You should search to see if wills exist for the people...

Avenues of Research From a Will

What do you do with a will when you find one? Wills can reveal a great deal of information that can fuel your genealogy research. Treat each new detail like a clue that will link you to more information. We will use the will of George Epps Tucker (1860-1927) which we...

Run Out of Records to Research?

Beginning Genealogy, Blog, Family History Research, Let's Talk Records

Many avid researchers hit a stumbling block in identifying more about their ancestors, and they do not know how to overcome it. They get stuck for long periods of time not being able to find historical documentation. You must know how to keep your own research going. What do you do after you have exhausted all the records at your disposal online or in local repositories?

Letter from Freedmen Robert Hamilton and Patrick Allston Requesting Rations, Beaufort County, SC, 1868

Family History Research, Featured, Lowcountry Ancestors, Original Research

Freedmen’s Bureau records are such a rich resource for African American genealogy and history. From these records, you can learn so much about what was happening where your ancestors were living just after the end of the Civil War. But, even in Freedmen’s Bureau records, it’s rare to find a document written by a freed person, and to be able to hear that person’s voice in the document.

Researching Communities of the Formerly Enslaved

You can discern a lot about the life of your ancestor from the descendants of those formerly enslaved that lived in communities that they established. If you are not fortunate enough to know of living descendants or surviving communities with which to start, search the following resources that mention the locality where your ancestor lived and names of people that lived in those areas.

Sold With the Courthouse as a Backdrop

Beginning Genealogy, Blog, Family History Research, Let's Talk Records

In Sold on the Courthouse Steps, we discussed three types of sales of enslaved people through the local court system. We suggested that you search through newspapers to discover sheriff sales, equity court sales, and chancery court sales. Here are a few more sales...

Sold on the Courthouse Steps

An auction block at a commercial slave market is probably the most common visual that comes to mind when you think of people being separated from families during enslavement. You may be familiar with the sale of enslaved people through private parties, but numerous people were also sold through local courts with the courthouse as their backdrop. How would you find documentation of such cases, and what are examples of situations that would have brought about this end result? One quick way to find clues would be through historical newspapers.

1878 Election Mayhem Documents Freedmen