Genealogy Adventures

When it comes to genealogical research, Free People of Color come with their own set of research challenges. We’ll be covering a number of those challenges in this episode with our guest, genealogist & writer Andre Kearns. The origins of their free status – whether via manumission or by being born to European mothers and black or mulatto men – there are different considerations to factor into your research. While some FPOC maintained a “person of color” identity, some would go on to assume a white identity. Then there were FPOC who became part of Native American tribes. We cover these topics as well as documents that were specific to FPOC – and more. Join us live every Sunday at 4pm EST via: 1. https://listenvisionlive.com OR 2. https://www.facebook.com/genealogyadventuresusa

Black women journalists dared to wield their pens in the names of truth and justice. At a time when all women were discouraged from engaging in “unladylike” activities like politics, black women of the American press were boldly writing about racial justice, gender equality, and political reform. Join Brian Sheffey & Donya Williams as we chat with writer & editor Maya Millet about the black women who were pioneers in American journalism.

Join Brian Sheffey & Donya Williams online this Sunday as we chat with the Elizabeth Lewis from the Daughters of the American Revolution about some of the women who were part of the American Revolution. We don’t want to give away any spoilers…but Clare has one heck of a story to tell about one woman in particular!! It’s simply jaw-dropping.

Black hair - specifically, black women's hair - has been the subject of legislative control in America since the early 1700s to the present day. In this episode, we discuss this history of attempts to control black American's relationship with their hair over the centuries - a practice that is alive and well in contemporary America. The discussion covers a recent slew of natural hair discrimination cases; and laws either passed, or currently being presented in various state and city legislatures, to end discriminatory practices around black hair in the U.S.

We regularly comment on how intertwined genealogy and history are on Genealogy Adventures. Understanding the history our families' lives played out against goes some way towards turning them from names into three-dimensional people whose life experiences we can relate to. This episode might be light on genealogy...but rich in historical information. In this episode, we welcome Mr mack to show to talk about his experience of being a black railroad worker in the Jim Crow Era. Join us live every Sunday at 4pm EST via: FaceBook Live: https://www.facebook.com/genealogyadventuresusa (Real-time comments + Q&A enabled) or Live Show In-Studio Stream: http://listenvisionlive.com (Commenting not possible)

In this episode, we chat recent discoveries that led to finding family members separated by slavery. We also chat about the power of reuniting family lines for kin who were split apart by slavery. One very recent DNA discovery reunited the lines of two Edgefield, SC-born sisters after a 163-year separation. Sisters Martha and Maria Brooks last saw one other in 1857, when Mariah was sold away from her enslaving Brooks relations and her enslaved Brooks family. Mariah was taken away to Mississippi while Martha remained in Edgefield, SC. Their descendants found each other via DNA 163 years after the sisters were separated. We also reference online resources that helped us in our discoveries...and dropped a few black history facts.

In this episode, we sat down with Luis Clavell, Program Specialist at the Library of Congress, to chat about the intersection of black history and the Library of Congress' vast collection of African American history artifacts and collections. We spent some time chatting about the Rosa Parks Exhibition which Luis hand a hand in; specifically focusing on the lesser-known elements of Rosa's life. Like her advocacy for the empowerment of young black women. Other topics we spend some time exploring is the important role organizations like the Library of Congress can play in bringing the histories of marginalized American peoples to the wider public. Join us live every Sunday at 4pm EST via: FaceBook Live: https://www.facebook.com/genealogyadventuresusa (Real-time comments + Q&A enabled) or Live Show In-Studio Stream: http://listenvisionlive.com (Commenting not possible)

In this episode, as we chat with our special guest, African American Research & genealogist Shelley Murphy, about a special project currently underway at the University of Virginia – a memorial that pays tribute to the enslaved people who worked there. Tune in to discover more about this project, the research involved, and why projects like this are so important. You can learn more about Shelley and her research work on her popular website https://familytreegirl.com You can learn more about UVA's Memorial Project here: https://slavery.virginia.edu/memorial-for-enslaved-laborers Join us live every Sunday at 4pm EST via: FaceBook Live: https://www.facebook.com/genealogyadventuresusa (Real-time comments + Q&A enabled) or Live Show In-Studio Stream: http://listenvisionlive.com (Commenting not possible)

We;re back after our winter break! In this episode, the author, genealogist and founder of the popular Roots Revealed website (https://rootsrevealed.com/author/melvinjcollier228596363) joins Donya and Brian to discuss researching slavery-disrupted family trees. We also chat about why black genealogical research is an important part of documenting American history through bringing our enslaved ancestors' stories to light. As always, we drop some knowledge about research strategies and sources of research information. Join us live every Sunday at 4pm EST via: 1. https://listenvision.com/wlvs-radio OR 2. https://www.facebook.com/genealogyadventuresusa