Update to Funeral Programs Database

It's been a while since I posted the link to my (Mostly) African American Funeral Programs Database. This seems like a good time to share it, since I've just added two more programs, one of which is for a public figure - who was also a dear friend.

Calvin W. Pearson, Sr.

Front cover of Calvin Pearson's funeral program

Calvin was a noted historian and researcher, who was known, first and foremost, as the founder and president of Project 1619, a nonprofit that has played a crucial role in teaching and correcting the narrative about the arrival of enslaved Africans in English-speaking North America, for over 20 years. We became friends through our involvement with the Hampton Roads Chapter of the Afro American Historical and Genealogical Society (AAHGS); and, we subsequently discovered, through DNA testing, that we were also family - although we hadn't yet discovered who our common ancestors were.

Calvin's final arrangements were entrusted to Perkins Funeral Home, in Hampton, Virginia. To sign his guestbook and/or to view his obituary, click here. If you are interested in his funeral program, please visit my database and contact me via the link provided there. 

Here is the permalink to my database: https://tinyurl.com/SandersFuneralPrograms

Frances Lee Alton Hill

Front cover of Frances Hill's funeral program

I mentioned that I've just added two funeral programs to my database: the second was for my beloved Aunt Frances, wife of my mother's late brother, Howell Webster Hill, Sr. My aunt was a very special person, who God blessed to see almost 93 years, here on Earth. She had a quiet spirit (but she loved to talk!) and she loved and was loyal to all of her family and friends. I will likely write more about her on my family-focused blog, Into the LIGHT, so I won't say much more here. Her services were handled by Riddick Funeral Service, of Norfolk, Virginia. You can visit her memorial page, here; and, if you're interested in her funeral program, please reach out to me via my database, which (again) you can access by clicking on this link: https://tinyurl.com/SandersFuneralPrograms

Screenshot of a snippet of my database

As a reminder, my (Mostly) African American Funeral Programs Database is just that - a database. When you visit the link, you will find an excel spreadsheet that gives vital information about persons for whom I hold a physical (hard copy) of their funeral program. The information in the database will include names, birth/death dates and locations, names of spouses, and sometimes additional information such as nicknames or titles. When you see information for a person of interest, simply email me at yarsan@aol.com, to request a scan of the actual funeral program, which I will send to your email address. In some cases, if I have multiple copies of the program, I will gladly send a hard copy via U.S. mail. Also, if you have funeral programs that you would like to contribute or add to the database, please reach out to me at the same email - yarsan@aol.com. Those contributed to me are added to my page of the database; however, you will see that I allow others to add theirs, just as my friend, Adrienne Johnson, has done on Sheet 2 of the database, where she has added 198 (to date) additional programs! Be sure to check hers out, also!

Thank you for reading! Don't forget to check out the database!

Renate

Permalink to this post: https://justthinking130.blogspot.com/2024/09/update-to-funeral-programs-database.html

Happy Juneteenth: Calling My Ancestors' Names

Do you (or did you) know your great-grandparents? We each have 8 biological great-grandparents; they are our parents' grandparents, and they existed whether we knew them or not. I never had the pleasure of meeting any of mine, but thanks to 31 years of genealogical research, I at least know and can call all of their names - and I can tell you a little something about each of them and their families of origin. Unfortunately, I don't have photos of any of my formerly enslaved ancestors, so I must only imagine what they looked like. However, my research has led me to many documents that allow me to tell parts of my ancestors' stories. This Cohabitation Record for my great-grandparents, Calvin and Precilla Yarborough, was one of the first I found that confirmed their status as persons who had been formerly enslaved.

On this special day - this JUNETEENTH* holiday - I pause to call the names of my known formerly enslaved direct ancestors who were alive to see freedom, in 1865. Three of those were my parents' grandparents, but they were deceased before my parents were born, so they never met them, either. ALL of these Ancestors were of an age to have known their status as enslaved and to have been already providing unpaid labor to their enslavers at the time of Emancipation. Many, as you'll see below, had lived long lives as chattel, and were blessed to live out their final years as free people. Again, these are only my direct ancestors, but of course they had siblings, aunts, uncles, and cousins who shared their status as enslaved, and who may have been able to join the jubilee shout - "We'z FREE now!"

Great-Grandparents:

Calvin Yarborough - 25 years enslaved

Precilla (Shaw) Yarborough - 23 years enslaved

Pinky Tredwell- King Howell - 9 years enslaved

Great-Great-Grandparents:

Louis Neal - 50 years enslaved

Mary Neal - 55 years enslaved

Mack Tredwell - 52 years enslaved

Amy Littlejohn - 50 years enslaved

Lewis Davis -16 years enslaved

Dolly Ann Crutchfield -10 years enslaved

Asa (Asy) Brown - 22 years enslaved

Louvenia Ross Brown -10 years enslaved

Third-Great-Grandparents:

Elsy Littlejohn - 69 years enslaved

Everett Ross - 35 years enslaved

Minervia Dobbins - 35 years enslaved

Fourth-Great-Grandparents:

Essex Ross - 69 years enslaved

Chaney Ross Thornton - 70 years enslaved

------------------------------

 And, these are the known names of my direct ancestors, who were enslaved, but either didn't live to see "freedom" or whose death date is currently unknown. They are all my third-great-grandparents.

Peter Littlejohn (1782-1855) - husband of Elsy

Lewis - father of Lewis Davis

Lavinia - mother of Lewis Davis

It has become my life's work to research my ancestry and to share what I've learned with my family and with the larger community. I pay homage, every day, to my ancestors - those who were "free" before 1865 and those who were enslaved. Let no one tell you that you can't find your ancestors before 1865 - or before 1870, when formerly enslaved persons appear, by name, on Federal Census records. That's a LIE; and, every name you see above is proof of it! I knew nothing about my ancestry, before I started asking questions and doing the work, in 1993. If you're reading this, and you want to explore your own family history, let this post be incentive to you. There are more resources available to you than ever before, and you can get started with this research right from the comfort of your own home. YOU CAN DO IT! By Juneteenth 2025, you can be calling your own ancestors' names!

Thanks for reading - and happy Juneteenth!                                                                                        Renate

* "Juneteenth," officially Juneteenth National Independence Day, is a federal holiday in the United States. It is celebrated annually on June 19 to commemorate the ending of slavery in the United States. The holiday's name is a portmanteau of the words "June" and "nineteenth," as it was on June 19, 1865, when Major General Gordon Grandger ordered the final enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation, in Galveston, TX, following the end of the Civil War. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juneteenth)

Black History Month 2024 - Renate on the Mic!

For the past few years, I've done posts at the beginning of February to announce my upcoming Black History Month speaking engagements - and while I was at it, I went on and included talks for the few months that followed. I'd told myself I wasn't going to do it, this year, but as February approaches (tomorrow!) I'm realizing that sharing in one place is actually easier than trying to remember to post each event as it approaches. I'll still try to do that, for some, but anyway... here it is. (I'm only doing one month, this time.)

Black History Month 2024 - Here's where you'll find me! 

(Registration links are included if/where the talks are open to the public and I have them. All talks are virtual, unless otherwise stated and all times are given in Eastern time.)

February 2024

7th - (1:00 p.m.) Comite' des Archives de la Louisiane, Inc. (Baton Rouge)                                     https://www.lecomite.org/announcements.html

8th - (6:00 p.m.) Virginia Beach Genealogical Society  https://www.vbgsva.net/                

10th - (12:00 p.m.) Black Family Genealogy and History Society (Phoenix, AZ)                                bit.ly/BFGHS-zoom

10th - (2:00 p.m.) Afro American Historical and Genealogical Society - Jean Sampson Scott            Greater New York Chapter (Invite only)

13th - (7:00 p.m.) Virginia Beach Genealogical Society/How-To Group (VBGS members               only)

15th - (7:00 p.m.) Family Tree University (Webinar) http://tinyurl.com/FTU-Sanders

16th - (2:00 p.m.) Buffalo and Erie County Library                                                                             https://buffalolib.libcal.com/event/11665869

17th - (2:00 p.m.) Santa Barbara County Genealogical Society(CA)                                       http://tinyurl.com/SBCGS-Sanders                

29th - (11:30 a.m.) ROOTSTECH (Salt Lake City, UT) - In person and Virtual (See below for link.)

March 1 - (6:30 p.m.) ROOTSTECH (Salt Lake City, UT) - Virtual (See below for link.)

As you can see, I am giving two presentations at RootsTech, in Salt Lake City. I will be presenting in person, but only one of the talks will be hybrid. Registration for the virtual conference is FREE. Click here to learn more about RootsTech and to register to attend!

Well, there you have it. These are my scheduled presentations for the coming month. I do hope you'll join me for as many of these as you can. Don't forget to register at the links, above, and to add the events to your calendar. And, if you're looking for a speaker for your genealogy event, feel free to reach out to me at yarsan@aol.com to request a list of my current topics or to discuss your organization's needs.

I'll see you around - and thanks, in advance, for your support!

Renate

Permalink to this post: https://justthinking130.blogspot.com/2024/01/black-history-month-2024-renate-on-mic.html

Renate on the Web (and In Person!) - 2023 First-Half

 As in the past couple of years, I have several speaking engagements coming up, as we go into Black History Month and the Spring season. I've been pulling back a bit, though, so this year's list is not as busy as before. As you'll see, we are starting to get back to in person events, so my usual "Renate on Web" title for this post had to be edited! :)

Where's Renate?                                                                                                                Here's what I have going on for the first half of 2023. Where possible, I'll include a link where you can get more information and register for the events, if interested. All times given are in Eastern Time. I will also indicate with ($) at the end of each event that is not free. Here goes!

January 2023

28th - AAHGS-Greater Richmond Chapter, Monthly Meeting (Hybrid): Topic - "Researching Enslaved Ancestors" Click for more info and to register.   https://aahgsrichmondva.com/eventscalendar/

February 2023

4th - Stark Library, Canton, OH (Virtual): Topic - "From Yarborough to Neal: Reconstructing My Enslaved Family Using DNA" https://stark.libnet.info/event/7483558

10th-11th - North Carolina AAHGS Annual Black History Month Banquet and Conference: Opening Conference Speaker  https://tinyurl.com/ncaahgs2023 ($)

18th - Norfolk (VA) Public Library - Jordan-Newby Anchor Branch at Broad Creek, Norfolk, VA: Topic - "Researching Ancestors of Color" https://norfolkpubliclibrary-adultprograms.eventbrite.com

25th - Union County (NC) Library (Virtual): Topic - "Using Funeral Programs to Inform Genealogy Research"   (No registration. Click link at time of event (2/25/23 at 11:00 a.m. Eastern) This is a hybrid event.    https://www.unioncountync.gov/Home/Components/Calendar/Event/1356/1040

March 2023

25th - North Carolina Genealogical Society, Virtual Conference: Topic - Records of the Freedmen's Bureau - There's Something for Everyone" https://www.ncgenealogy.org/event/ncgs-2023-virtual-conference-coming-soon/ ($)

April 2023

7th - (2:00 p.m.) Legacy Family Tree Webinars - "Tick Marks and Number Counts: Understanding and Using the Slave Schedules" - The live presentation is free and the replay is free for one week, but registration is required. Available to subscribing members after the first week. Register here: https://familytreewebinars.com/webinar/tic-marks-and-number-counts-understanding-and-using-the-slave-schedules/                                                              Update: This lecture was recognized as the highest rated on Legacy Family Tree Webinars for the month of April! What an honor! I hope you'll check it out! :)

11th - (1:00 - 2:00) Wake Forest University: "Conducting Research on Enslaved Humans Owned by Wake Forest College" - Z. Reynolds Library, Wake Forest University. This is an in-person event sponsored by the Department of Sociology, RECAAL, and the Provost's Office. (Open to the public.)

13th - Virginia Beach (VA) Genealogy Society: Understanding and Using the Slave Schedules - This is a hybrid meeting. Email meetings@vbgsva.net to request the Zoom link. 

26th-29th - Ohio Genealogical Society 2023 Conference, Kalahari Resort and Conference Center, Sandusky, OH; "What Brought Them Here 1803-2023" - I'll be giving four lectures. Click link for conference and registration information: https://www.ogs.org/2023-conference/ ($)

May 2023

2nd - Genealogy Quick Start, with host Shamele Jordan - "DNA Discovers Granddad's Dalliances" Tune in LIVE! https://www.youtube.com/@GenealogyQuickStart/featured

31st  - National Genealogical Society 2023 Family History Conference, Richmond, VA; "Virginia, the Deep Roots of a Nation" Pre-Conference Day

June 2023

June 1- 3 - National Genealogical Society 2023 Family History Conference, Richmond, VA; "Virginia, the Deep Roots of a Nation" - I'll be giving two lectures: F242- Enslaved Ancestral Research in Virginia and North Carolina and S352- "From This Day Forward" - Documenting Marital Unions of Enslaved and Emancipated Persons." Click link for conference and registration information: https://conference.ngsgenealogy.org/ ($)

4th - Let's Talk North Carolina Genealogy! Season 3, Episode 11: "Researching the Wake Forest 16" - I will be sharing information about the descendant research I'm doing for Wake Forest University, regarding the 1860 sale of 16 enslaved individuals to create an endowment for the school. Register here: https://tinyurl.com/LTNCGS3E11

14th - Lemonade Insurance Employee Group - "Records of the Freedmen's Bureau: There's Something for Everyone!" (Private event)

17th - (1:00 p.m.) Historical Society of Washington County, VA, "Reclaiming Our History" Annual Conference (Virtual) "Researching Ancestors of Color" Register here.

It's good to see folks and to be seen!                                                                                        One of the best things about returning to in person is thinking about seeing gen-friends, old and new! I am looking forward to seeing and meeting as many of you, as possible, at these upcoming events!

     

Picture 1 - With genfriends, Shelley and Tim in Fluvanna, Virginia (unsure of year)

Picture 2 - With genfriends Amy and Peggy at OGS 2022

Picture 3 - With genfriends Shelly, Judy, Thom, and Gary at NGS 2017

Renate

P.S. This post will be updated as additional events are added. If you are interested in having me as a speaker for your organization, please email me at yarsan@aol.com to request my current list of topics. I'd love to hear from you!

Permalink to this post: https://justthinking130.blogspot.com/2023/01/renate-on-web-and-in-person-2023.html

Renate on the Web: Black History Month 2022

Updated 2/21/22

Black History Month is every month, for me! However, we've just entered the nationally appointed month of recognition and celebration - the "formal" Black History Month, if you will, which actually began with Carter G. Woodson's "Black History Week," back in 1926, but was designated in the United States as "Black History Month" in 1976 - and has continued to be designated as such by every American President, since then. 

Black History Month is also a very busy time for genealogists (and historians) who speak on topics related to African American research. Many of us are bombarded with requests to appear during the month of February, which we happily accept, but certainly would love for this level of interest in our specialization(s) would be present throughout the year. :)

I have been posting some of my upcoming events on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media outlets but, that can get exhausting and also confusing if I don't do a good job of keeping up with what I've already posted and where! But, while doing some reviewing and editing on my blog this morning, I ran across a post I'd done almost a year ago called, "Renate on the Web" and I realize I must have been feeling much the same way, when I decided to go on and post my upcoming appearances for that particular period. "Ah-ha" (I said to myself): "THIS is what I need to do now!" So, here we go! 

Renate on the Web: February 2022                                                                                      (Please click on links for times and additional info. ALL events are virtual!)

Please join me for some (or all) of these exciting events!

1. Friday, 2/4/22 - Clayton Library (Houston, Texas) - "In Their Own Words: Voices from the Slave Narratives" https://houstonlibrary.libcal.com/event/8494212 (Scroll to bottom of page.)

2. Saturday, 2/5/22 - North Carolina Chapters of AAHGS - Black History Month Conference - "Freedom Bound: Escaping Bondage for Life in the North" and "We Were Supposed To Be Neals: Reconstructing an Enslaved Family Using DNA" https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nc-aahgs-black-history-genealogy-virtual-conference-2022-tickets-222988814547

3. Sunday, 2/6/22 - Let's Talk North Carolina Genealogy - Monthly Research Chat (Theme: "Love is in the Air." Join me and my cohost, Taneya Y. Koonce, as we gather with other North Carolina researchers to share findings, conundrums, celebrations, and stories from our family history journeys. All are welcome! Registration required. https://bit.ly/2022-ltncg-research-chats

4. Saturday, 2/12/22 - Hampton Roads Chapter of AAHGS - "Putting Your Fingers to Work: Transcribing and Indexing Historical Documents" (This is a joint presentation with Selma Stewart. The focus will be on African American projects.) Email aahgshr@gmail.com to request meeting link.

5. Thursday, 2/17/22 - Bay Shore Brightwaters Library (Brightwaters, NY) - "Genealogy 101: Researching Ancestors of Color" https://www.bsbwlibrary.org/black-history-month/  Scroll down to "Zoom Programs." To register and receive Zoom information, email rs@bsbwlibrary.org.

6. Saturday, 2/19/22 - International African American Museum (Charleston, SC) - "African American Genealogy Research in the North Carolina Gullah-Geechee Corridor" Registration required. Click here for link.

7. Wednesday, 2/23/22 - AARP and Richmond Chapter of ASALH - "Wind Down Wednesdays: The Dismal Swamp and African American Freedom Seekers" with filmmaker, Brian Bullock. (I've just been added to this program as a panelist, with Mr. Bullock after he presents one of his short films, so you may not see my name on the advertisement. The discussion will center around taking road trips to ancestral locations!) Registration is required. https://aarp.cventevents.com/event/ea2d90c2-7c1e-4a06-9ef3-1d8794323643/summary

8. Friday, February 25 (NEW!) - Shenandoah Valley Black Heritage Project - "Finding Calvin: Following My Enslaved Ancestor Through Multiple Owners: A Case Study" Set a reminder to join the Zoom meeting on February 25 at 1:00 EST. Here's the link!  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85372515448

National Geographic Podcast - I'm also pleased to be a contributing member of an exciting podcast, "Into the Depths," featuring National Geographic Explorer Tara Roberts, who sets off on the journey of a lifetime to meet the divers, marine archaeologists, descendants of those brought over on slave ships, as well as historians investigating the lost stories of the slave trade. This is a six-episode podcast, airing on Thursday evenings, which actually began on January 27, and runs through March 3. I was hired as Ms. Roberts' genealogist and will be included in the March 3 episode, as well as in the March issue of National Geographic Magazine (cover story!), which will be released on February 8th.

Click here for more information and to access all available episodes of the podcast and here for the National Geographic Magazine web site.  Though I don't yet know what parts or how much of my research actually "made the cut" for publication, I am ever grateful to have had the opportunity to work with Tara Roberts and to have been included as one of the "featured voices" in this amazing project!

Currently, these are the presentations I have for February 2022, but requests are still coming in, so stay tuned for updates! (I'm saying a prayer that I haven't forgotten anything!) I will also add a few of my commitments for March and April, below.

MARCH

March 3-5/2022 - RootsTech Connect! "Who Ya Gonna Call? Myth Busters" and "What To Do When There's Nothing To Do" (These are both short versions of larger presentations, due to the RootsTech format.) To register, for the world's biggest genealogy conference, visit   https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/next/

 Thursday, 3/10/22 - The Genealogy Center at Allen County Public Library - "Researching Formerly Enslaved Ancestors: It Takes a Village!" - Registration link not yet available, but check this link for updates: https://acpl.lib.in.us/genealogy

Saturday, 3/19/22 - Tidewater Genealogical Society (Virginia) - "Researching Free People of Color in Virginia and North Carolina: 1800-1865" Registration information will be forthcoming. Email VATGS@verizon.net with questions.

Thursday, 3/24/22 - College of Coastal Georgia - "Using Funeral Programs to Inform Genealogy Research" https://upto.com/e/F12WO

APRIL

Friday, April 1, 2022 (NEW!) - Legacy Family Tree Webinars - "We Were Supposed to be Neals: Reconstructing An Enslaved Family Using DNA" Come along on this journey as I share how, using a combination of DNA and traditional research, I was able to find the family of my once enslaved great-grandfather, Calvin! This live presentation is free and will be available for one week for non-members of Legacy. After that, a subscription (well worth it) will be required to view it. Register here! https://familytreewebinars.com/webinar/we-were-supposed-to-be-neals-reconstructing-an-enslaved-family-using-dna/

And since I'm on a roll, a few blasts from the past!

January 2022 - North Carolina Genealogical Society and PBS - Virtual Sneak Preview of Season 8 of Finding Your Roots with follow-up discussion panel - Panel discussion available on YouTube at this link: tinyurl.com/NCGSPBS

December 2020 - Another View (Radio Show) - Finding Your Roots, WHRO Style! This is part 1 of a two-part event with Barbara Hamm Lee (host) and Lisa Godley (producer) of this popular PBS local radio weekly radio program. Click here to listen:                                                https://mediaplayer.whro.org/program/anotherview/e/anotherview-thursday-december-10th-2020

The second part of this wonderful event was a LIVE Genealogy Reveal, presented on Zoom, during which I present Ms. Hamm Lee and Ms. Godley with the results of my research on their extensive family histories. Grab some popcorn and join the fun and excitement as I reveal their roots, "WHRO Style!" (Click to watch!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=ABGudqXJhbc)

I hope to see you (virtually) soon! :)

Thanks for reading!

Renate

Permalink to this post: https://justthinking130.blogspot.com/2022/02/renate-on-web-black-history-month-2022.html

"We Were Supposed to be Neals"

 

 Wow. What a weekend!

The first thing: Meeting my Neals

As many of my readers know, I've been researching my YARBOROUGH line for almost 25 years. The targeted ancestor for this line has been my great-grandfather, Calvin Yarborough, who was born in or around 1840 and died between 1910-1913. Calvin lived in Louisburg, North Carolina. He and my great-grandmother, Precilla, were both enslaved. Together, they had 11 (known) children. To read more about Calvin, click here.

For over 4 years, I have been giving a presentation called, "Finding Calvin: Following My Enslaved Ancestor Through Multiple Owners." In this talk, which is actually a case study, I demonstrate how I determined that Calvin was, indeed, enslaved and I share the process and methodology used to uncover his ties to four different enslavers. And, though I hadn't been able to find records leading me to Calvin's family of origin, which I was sure he'd been separated from, I had one tiny tidbit of family lore, shared with me by my father's sister, the only close Yarborough relative still living at the time I began this work. What my Aunt Sue told me was this: "We were supposed to be Neals, not Yarboroughs."

Susie Yarborough Hawkins
(1920-2013)

Since discovering my great-grandfather's four enslavers, I've continued the work of researching each of them, as well as their family members, looking for any information relevant to Calvin - anything that might lead me to the names of his parents and/or any siblings. Unfortunately, I came across no revealing records in which family relationships were noted. So, in the Spring of 2020, bored at home in isolation because of a global pandemic, I made the decision to plunge more deeply into working with some of my DNA matches to see if I might be able to figure out how we are connected. I'd been spending hours and hours in webinars and reading blog posts about strategies for working with DNA matches, so it was time to up my game and put some (more) of what I’d been learning into practice.

My first goal was to try to determine the family line of a set of matches that were matching each other but were not connecting to any known relatives of mine. The main reason for this was that these matches were on Ancestry DNA, where the fewest of my relatives had tested, being that I had obtained most of their samples before 2012, when Ancestry began implementing autosomal testing. Even for the couple of years after that, I still mostly used 23&Me and FTDNA for my testing needs, not knowing that Ancestry would become the “popular choice” and gain such a large database of testees so quickly. Because of this, though all of my lines are represented on at least two of the other main sites (to include MyHeritage and Gedmatch, which allow uploads from the other companies), I am not able to immediately identify all of my matches on Ancestry by using the Shared Matches feature on their site. And, since many of these matches have been unresponsive to messaging and/or unwilling to upload to other sites, I’ve been left with few other options but to do the work of researching their lines and building out trees for them, myself. And, so I began, in the Spring of 2020 – and in so doing, I began to see a common thread in the first few trees I successfully built out; each of these matches had a NEAL line!

Sanders, Renate Yarborough. “We Were Supposed to be NEALS: Reconstructing an Enslaved Family Using DNA,” Slide No. 31: Accessed 11/1/2021)

As you can see, I was able to work the trees of these five matches to three Neal ancestors, Wiley Perry, Lee Ernest, and Louis Napoleon Neal. Thanks to the one person who had a tree, I learned that the parents of all of these men were James NEAL and Angeline Jackson. With this revelation, and excited by what it may have meant, I fervently began reaching out to these matches – and also to many of the others for whom I’d not yet been able to fully build out a tree. Some responded, some didn’t. But, regardless, I was able to move forward because of the tree work I’d done and the research bounty that resulted from it. My initial thought, that perhaps James Neal was Calvin’s father, was quickly squashed when I learned that James was born in 1846 – six years after Calvin. Because of the range in the amount of DNA I was sharing with the 15-20 matches in this group (at that time), it became clear to me that James was more likely a sibling of Calvin’s. Realizing that, my next goal became to find out who James’ parents were – presuming that either one or both of them would be Calvin’s parents, too.

And so the work continued. I did find James’ parents – Lewis and Mary Neal – my presumed great-great-grandparents. I do suspect, though, that perhaps Mary was not Calvin’s mother, because records are confirming my long-held suspicion that Calvin was separated from his parents and most immediate family. I will write more about that in a future post. Nevertheless, until I find differently, I will count both Lewis and Mary as Calvin’s parents. I’ve also found several other children of Lewis and Mary Neal – the siblings (half or whole) that were all together with their parents with their enslaver, John Neal, Jr., son of Calvin’s first owner, Chloe Crudup Perry Neal, as evidenced by an 1862 inventory, found in John Neal, Jr.’s estate papers. As a result of this research, I’ve been able to connect with some of the descendants of Lewis and Mary Neal, and have been in conversation with one, in particular, my cousin Willard Neal, of Bear Creek, North Carolina. And, thanks to Cousin Willard, descendants of Lewis and Mary’s once separated offspring – Calvin and James – were together this past Friday, for the first time, meeting at the home of Willard’s sister, Jackie, in Pittsboro, NC. That’s right, folks, I met some of my Neal family, for the very first time! This loving reunion was made even more special because I was accompanied by my daughter, Natalia, and granddaughter, Teigan. In all, we represented 4 generations of the descendants of Lewis and Mary Neal! (And I am the furthest generation back of all of us!)

NEAL descendants - Reunited and it feels so good!
(Cousin Willard is standing front, right - with the plaid shirt.)

This is just a light summary of the work I did to recover Calvin's family. I tell the entire story, share my research process, and discuss my hypotheses and theories in my new presentation, “We Were Supposed to be NEALS; Reconstructing an Enslaved Family Using DNA,” which debuted this past weekend at the North Carolina Genealogical Society’s Fall Conference, in Raleigh. That brings me to…

… The second thing: My first in-person presentation, since February 2020, due to the Covid 19 Global Pandemic!

Here I am, about to speak, at the NCGS Fall Conference 2021.
Photo Credit: Connie Knox

Yes, the NCGS Fall Conference was a hybrid affair, with a cap of 50 people attending in person, joined by approximately 150 online. I was one of the in-person speakers and I have to give KUDOS to the NCGS team for a perfect setup – and for going over and beyond the requirements for social distancing. Every effort seems to have been made to make both the participants and the speakers comfortable with the situation. From the spaced out seating, adherence to the mask policies, and even the individually wrapped snacks on the refreshment table – everything was just right. I think this was about building trust in the organization to do the right thing and, in my opinion, they totally did. So, thank you to NCGS, an organization that I’m a proud member of, for helping me to take the first step towards and into “getting back out there” in-person, to speak.

View of the room from the podium. No one was anywhere near me.

Like I said at the outset, “What a weekend!” There is so much more to tell. Stay tuned!

Thanks for reading!

Renate

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Renate on the Web

It's Me!
Over the past couple of months, I've had several opportunities to appear on the Internet, sharing my thoughts and expertise, not only in the area of genealogy research, but I also got a chance to talk about my first love - educating our children! It occured to me that maybe it would be a good idea to start sharing on my blog when I do these things, so, although self-promotion still doesn't come easily to me, here I am doing just that!

1. Family History Fanatics - February 7, 2020  
   "Dispelling the Myths of African American Genealogy Research"
I was invited by Andy and Devon Noel Lee to appear as their guest on their popular You Tube show, Family History Fanatics, to discuss common myths about African American genealogy. This show is an interview format, with the hosts asking me prepared questions, and me giving expanded responses to educate the viewers about the topic. This was a really fun experience, and I hope to return to the show, again! Please click on the picture, below, to hear our discussion!



2. North Carolina Genealogy Society Virtual Conference  
   "Researching Enslaved Ancestors: It Takes a Village!" March 14, 2020
It was my honor to present this webinar as a part of the North Carolina Genealogy Society's Second Annual Virtual Conference. Unfortunately, I'm unable to link to it, because it is only available to paid registrants, but I'm pleased to share that my session was well- attended and I've gotten lots of positive feedback. This is one of my most popular lectures. It's purpose is to encourage descendants of enslavers and other antebellum property and business owners to connect with and become engaged in the research of descendants of the enslaved. In this presentation, I offer suggestions and authentic examples of how that can be done, and share stories of successful connections made between descendants of enslaved and enslaver ancestors!

Opening slide from my presentation

This was the slide, created by NCGS, that was on the screen while I was being introduced.

3. Blog Talk Radio - Coping with "Schooling" Kids at Home March 27, 2020
It was so fun to finally be a guest on my friend Bernice Bennett's show, "Research at the National Archives and Beyond." Although her long-running show is on hiatus, right now, she is using the platform, during our Coronavirus crisis, to invite guests to come on and share with her audience about a variety of helpful and informative topics. This was the first time, since my 2017 retirement from teaching, that I'd had the opportunity to speak on the subject of education, and it felt so good! Please click, below, to enjoy this very short (15 minutes) chat with Bernice!

 

Although the focus of this post is to share what I've done, recently, as the featured guest or presenter in the online world, I'd also like to share these two appearances I've made during this time on Black Pro Gen LIVE!, where I'm a regular panelist.

Black Pro Gen LIVE! March 10, 2020
Episode 107 - The Count: Unearthing the Gems in the 1900 and 1910 Census
Black Pro Gen LIVE broadcasts feature a panel from Black Pro Gen, led by host, Nicka Smith, discussing a variety of topics of related to genealogy research, with a focus on researching ancestors of color. These regular episodes air twice, monthly. You can access the schedule for our sixth season by clicking here.




Black Pro Gen LIVE! Roots N Chill: Week Two Wrap-Up
BPG's new "Roots N Chill" initiative, encourages our followers to focus on specific record types, each week, with the hope that everyone will seek out or revisit those documents, in their research, and look at them, critically, to better extract information and apply it to our research. Then, on Fridays, our panelists come together to discuss what we've done and to hear from the Black Pro Gen community, in the chat room! Be sure to follow Black Pro Gen on Facebook and Twitter to get posts about the featured documents for e



Since the start of the COVID-19 situation, I've spent more time on the Internet, than ever. My days, like many others, are filled with calls and Zoom meetings, mostly for business, but increasingly more often for pleasure, too. All of the meetings for organizations I'm a member of have now been held virtually. In addition, there've been planning meetings for upcoming events, which, originally planned as in-person activities, are now switching over to virtual. My church, which had not done live broadcasts before this, now has Sunday services and Wednesday Bible Study on Facebook Live. (Yes!) I've attended a "Socially Distanced Birthday Party" for my little 12-year-old cousin, and, since the start of this, I'm meeting each weekday with my precious 2-year-old granddaughter, to read and do preschool activities, before she goes down for her nap. Yes, I've been very busy on the www during the month of March, and with my state now under a "Stay at Home" order, until at least June 10th, I'm sure there is more of the same to come!

If you are looking for a speaker for an upcoming virtual event, I'd love for you to consider me. Click here for a list of my current genealogy presentations and remember that I'm always happy to discuss anything having to do with education - Pre-K through 5th grade.

Thanks for reading (if you've made it this far lol). I'll leave you with a couple of little snippets from today's session with my sweet little granddaughter. Enjoy!

We sing at least one song every day. I always ask her what she wants to sing, and 99.9% of the time, she chooses her ABCs. Sometimes she sings it reaaaaallly slooooowwwly, pulling out the notes. Other times, she sings it, quickly. So, today, I asked her which way she wanted to sing it. (I was really just checking to see if she actually knew the difference between the words fast and slow.) She does. :) Oh, and by the way, the reason I'm just moving my mouth is because whenever I try to sing the ABCs with her, she points her finger and hollers, "No, I do it!" at me. LOL

In this clip, Sana is reading printed words (and one number) on cards. We just started doing these this week.

Happy researching!

Renate

Permalink to this post: https://justthinking130.blogspot.com/2020/04/renate-on-web.html