This orientation with Linda Crichlow White introduces resources to explore and tell your family history with a spotlight on Black genealogy.
Investigating the history of our own families creates a personal connection to the past. Our elders’ stories capture our attention, animating the past with ancestors we recognize and connect with.
This Black History Month, with the help of expert Linda Crichlow White, president of the James Dent Walker Chapter-DC of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society, we dive into specific approaches and resources to trace Black family histories. In her presentation, Linda will explain why the history of slavery makes it difficult to trace African American genealogy in the United States. But she also complicates our understanding of “Black genealogy” and “White genealogy” as distinct fields. Linda argues that it is actually quite difficult to separate genealogy by race. Many records of formerly enslaved Black Americans can be found within White enslavers’ records and many White Americans may have Black ancestry, demonstrating just how deeply intertwined Americans’ histories are. These insights into genealogical work include a look at why family history is important, how to do this research, and why we tell our family histories.
During this virtual, hour-long orientation, the DC History Center staff also provides a look at resources available at the Kiplinger Research Library. Highlighted resources will include published materials such as various genealogy and cemetery indices, city directories, as well as manuscript collections from prominent and less well-known Washington families in the library’s holdings.
