This weekend, I had the opportunity to give two presentations as the "Featured Speaker" for a genealogy symposium in Charlotte, NC. Held at the beautiful Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, the event was cosponsored by the church's African American Heritage Ministry, Afro American Historical and Genealogical Society (AAHGS), and Comprehensive Genealogical Services.
The day-long symposium, to which registration was open to the public, was the culminating event for the conclusion of 5 weeks of genealogy classes which had been held at the church, in which upwards of 50 students had been enrolled. The day included a period reenactment by a descendant of a formerly enslaved woman, recap sessions for the members of the two classes (beginner and intermediate), lunch, and two presentations by yours truly -
"Finding Calvin: A Case Study" and
"Introduction to DNA for Genealogy". Both presentations were extremely well-received and were followed by tons of compliments and expressions of gratitude from audience members. And, guess what? At the end of the day, I received an enthusiastic standing ovation - a first for me in the 7 years I've been giving genealogy talks!
The weekend was made particularly joyful and memorable for several other reasons, the most special of which was the fact that I got to spend time with FAMILY and FRIENDS. On Friday, my second cousin on my
Green-Hawkins line, Kelly, who lives just outside of Charlotte in Mathews, picked me up and, after we got a quick bite to eat, rode me around to a couple of places I wanted to see -
Johnson C. Smith University, where my aunt, Susie Yarborough, was a dorm matron in the 1940's and 50's; and
Barber Scotia College, a school I recently discovered that my ancestor, Jessie Green, attended sometime between around 1916 -1920. (You can read about that,
here.) Kelly and I had a lovely few hours together, and I'm ever-so-grateful that he so generously took the time to spend with me and to ride me around in the rain. After my afternoon with Kelly, I met up with a dear friend of 40 years and college sorority sister, Debbie, who lives right there in Charlotte. We had a great time catching up over a yummy dinner at the Rock Bottom restaurant.
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| With my cousin, Kelly |
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| With my Soror Debbie |
Then, on Saturday, Kelly attended the entire day of the genealogy event, just to support me! But, seeing Kelly wasn't the only "relative-treat" I got on this trip. Also on Saturday, I actually had the pleasure of meeting another second cousin - this one on my Yarborough line - for the very first time! Cousin Eunice and I have been communicating by phone, email, and Facebook for many years and she (and her brother, Samuel) even graciously tested their late mother - my father's first cousin - to assist in furthering my research. On Saturday, she too came to support me and to hear my talk about our shared ancestor, our great-grandfather, Calvin; and she also stayed the whole day! Meeting my cousin was such a pleasure! I look forward to seeing her, again!
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| With my cousin, Eunice |
Having these two cousins present at the symposium on Saturday was amazing, in itself, but it also constituted a first, for me. I've been giving genealogy-related presentations since 2012, but this was the first time any member of my family has ever been in my audience. To have not one, but two family members present - representing different lines, at that - warmed my heart to no end. And, to top off my "family time" for the weekend, I was able to make a quick stop at Kelly's house, on my way out of town, to see his wife, Michelle, and my young cousins, William and Sydney. This brief, but pleasurable visit was the icing on the cake of a great visit to Charlotte!
Here are a few additional photos from my trip. I do hope to return to the "Queen City", someday, for a longer (drier) visit. I had a great time! :)
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| Barber Scotia College |
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| Graves Hall at Barber Scotia |
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| Corner entry and sign for Johnson C. Smith University |
