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Dorsey family, Free People of Color, General, Lavallais Family, Louisiana, Maternal Ancestry, Slavery
Our Queen Mother is now an Ancestor
A Mother’s Day tribute to my maternal heroines I have started and stopped writing this post many times. After all, how do you properly pay tribute to a person who is your inspiration for, well, everything? I still don’t know if I have adequate words, but I’m giving it my best shot. On November 23, 2020, I received a call from my cousin telling me that my family had lost its most precious treasure — my Big Mama, Betty June Fox. There are no adequate words to describe what my Big Mama meant to me. She was the brightest light…
What genealogy taught me about America’s real history
Avoyelles, LA. Noxubee, MS. Okemah, OK. What do all these places have in common? Well, they are all places where white terrorist attacks ended in the lynching of Black Americans. And they are all places where I discovered my ancestors lived when these terrible events…
- Fox family, Free People of Color, Genealogy tips, General, Kansas, Maternal Ancestry, Ohio, Slavery, Virginia
A family’s journey to freedom – a tribute to my great aunt
Our Aunt “Dude” The year 2020 has been a year of major transition for most of us. Along with everything else happening in the wider world, my family lost one of our matriarchs. Back in June, my great aunt, Melva…
Finding the Smiths part 3: The origin story
Editor’s note: This is the third part in a series on my Smith ancestors. Be sure to check out part 1 and part 2 if you haven’t already! Playing the ancestor name game One of the biggest hurdles for many…
- Chavis Family, Free People of Color, Genealogy tips, Maternal Ancestry, Quinichett, Slavery, Virginia
A Black History Month gift – an unexpected find!
Happy Black History Month! This is the first Black History month since I decided to share my genealogy journey and launch Reclaiming Our Ancestors. I had grand plans to post a new blog every week in February, but alas, real…
Finding the Smiths Pt 2: The Matriarch
FINALLY! I’m finally able to post again after a month of radio silence in which real life thwarted every effort to write for fun, and a severe case of writer’s block wouldn’t let me be great! A side effect of…
French Creole Connections
Editor’s note: I’m really excited about this week’s blog as I get the chance to introduce you to one of my long-time research angels, DNA cousin (and auntie in my head LOL), Susane Lavallais Boykins! Susane is an avid genealogist…
Finding the Smiths: Stories Behind Common Names
In my post on the Chavis family, I illustrated how it was possible to find lost ancestors if you crack the code. Most aren’t lost, we just don’t know where to look. Many times, they are hiding in plain sight,…
Boley: The Baddest Black Town in the West!
Have y’all heard of Boley, Oklahoma? If not, you should! For anyone — especially black folk — that has ever lamented that our people have never collectively done anything, never owned anything or don’t have the initiative to succeed on…
The Other Trail of Tears
The triumph and pride you feel when you break down a brick wall on the journey to your ancestral past is one of the highs of genealogy research. But while there are many highs, there are just as many low…
Breaking down the brick wall: The Chavis Family
In my last post, I introduced my 6x great grandmother Rebecca Chavis. Now, I want to explain a bit more about how I discovered her. Buckle up because it’s a long, winding road! Hopefully, this post will show how you…
