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Female 35 Male 34 Male 17 Male 15 Female 13 Female 11 Female 9 Male 7 Above is the list from the 1850 Slave Schedule of members of one of the many families enslaved by my ancestral family. Following the tentacles of slavery that reach down through the generations, I wonder how many descendants from this ONE family might be walking the same earth as me – today, now, in this moment. I consult AI and get an estimate of 2,500. Now I have a real number. I and those 2,500 peopl

Charleston, South Carolina I've now been to Charleston twice to research my family's roots there. Although SO much information is available on line, when I travel to locations in my family's history I ALWAYS learn something new, or feel and experience something critically important in my journey. Charleston has a unique place in our country's history. It was the largest port of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, with a total of between 100,000 and 200,000 people trafficked at it

Exploring my Maryland roots.

Finding Gordy history in Louisiana.

Pretty sure this is the entrance to the Samuel Greer homestead near Bloomfield, Kentucky purchased around 1784 -- no longer in the Greer family. As I research my ancestors, I feel pride and admiration for their sense of adventure, fortitude and entrepreneurial spirit. The common theme of the stories of my “first arrivers” is “immigration by choice” – for one reason or another, they chose to move to North America. Some were escaping oppression—economic and/or religious (someti

Soon, we will strike out on another adventure -- with stops to visit ancestral locations and real live relatives . :) The impetus for...

Here is a recap of my matrilineal line. my mother: Jane Logan Carroll (1942- still living!) Jane's parents: Mary Virginia Bedichek (1911-1995) + Gay Vaughn Carroll (1907-1983) my grandmother: Mary Virginia Bedichek (1911-1995) Mary's parents: Lillian Lee Greer (1885-1971) + Roy Bedichek (1878-1959) my great-grandmother: Lillian Lee Greer (1885-1971) Lillian's parents: Virginia LeStrappes Lee (1859-1955) + James Frances Greer (1858-1907) my 2nd great-grandmother: Virginia Le

Tombigbee River, Alabama A note about names. I use the women's maiden names, for simplicity and to keep everyone straight in my head (the name remains the same throughout her lifetime, rather than changing depending on whether she is married or not). Sarah “Sallie” Elizabeth Rivers Harwell born January 13, 1824 was the seventh of Sarah "Sally" Mason Alston's nine children, all except the eldest were born in Clarke County, Alabama. Before Sallie's birth, her father, Robert Riv

We have launched another Adventure with Ancestors! On this trip, my husband, dog and I are following my matrilineal line back through time (I wish!) and eastward across the southern US. I am not sure when my interest in my mother’s mother’s mothers began. Maybe it was when I learned about a silver spoon that has been passed down in my family from oldest daughter to oldest daughter. I thought it was so cool and I was disappointed that I was not in the line of succession, thoug

"A time comes when silence is betrayal..." Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It's Juneteenth, y'all, and time to own truths. My ancestor, Euphenia Derrick and her children, lived on the mainland across from Galveston on June 19, 1865. The land upon which they lived had been an outright gift to her husband, John Robert Derrick, from the Governor of the Republic of Texas, simply because he was white and arrived in Texas when he did. John simply applied for and received a "headright"

I have recently gotten back into researching my family’s history. I love digging for info and I get giddy when I find digital images of original documents. I love playing “Sherlock Holmes” and connecting dots. History has more meaning for me when I learn stories of real people in my family — where they were and what they were doing during key events. And since I am a purpose-driven person, I ask myself: Why am I doing this? Why am I obsessed with finding the enslavers in my f