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Posted by: Neely Tucker
Mila Hill, a a junior fellow in the Office of Communications this summer, made a startling discovery when she was looking at the Blackwell Family Tree in the new Treasures Gallery -- she was part of the family.
Posted in: African American History, Exhibitions, Genealogy, Junior Fellows Program, Library Work and Employees
Posted by: Neely Tucker
Margaret Virginia “Maggie” Thompson spent most of her life in tiny Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, more than a century ago. When a Library genealogist came across Thompson's long-lost scrapbook recently, she set out to solve a mystery: Who were the other people pictured in her scrapbook?
Posted in: Civil War, Genealogy, Library Work and Employees, Music, My Job, Researcher Stories, Women's History
Posted by: Neely Tucker
When the Library opens its new Treasures Gallery next year, displaying some of the most striking papers and artifacts that span some 4,000 years, one of them will certainly stand out: The Blackwell's Kinfolk Family Tree. It's a dizzying, almost overwhelming piece of folk art that depicts the genealogical history of an African American family from Virginia. It's 8 feet tall and 6 feet wide, contains more than 1,500 names spread out on curving trunks, branches and leaves and details family connections from 1789 to the 1970s. Its most famous member? Arthur Ashe Jr., the tennis great.
Posted in: African American History, Genealogy, LCM
Posted by: Neely Tucker
One of the LIbrary's genealogy specialists was struck by reading the elaborate inscription on a 19th-century cemetery marker in her hometown. It spurred deep research and an extensive Library research guide into the 1870 sinking of the USS Oneida, costing the lives of 115 sailors, including the young man whose memorial caused her to pause: John Phelan. This is his story.
Posted in: Civil War, Genealogy, Library Work and Employees, Researcher Stories
Posted by: Neely Tucker
During Women's History Month, it's good to remember that specialists in the Library's Local History and Genealogy Section collaborate with researchers to help find female ancestors, who are often obscured in historical records. A video presentation offers help in tracking down female ancestors whose last name changed due to marriage, or whose names did not appear on home ownership and other records.
Posted in: Genealogy, Women's History
Posted by: Neely Tucker
Wanda Whitney, head of the Library's Local History & Genealogy Section, tells how using DNA research led to her discovery of a genetic mutation that had health implications for her entire family. It's part of the Library's Black History Month focus on families and health.
Posted in: African American History, Genealogy, Library Work and Employees
Posted by: Neely Tucker
Ninety years ago, a Texas grocer named Lorenzo D. Buchanan stepped forward with one of the great hoaxes of 20th-century American pop-culture life, a genealogical fabrication that continues to resonate today. The Great Buchanan Inheritance Hoax rocked American life from 1931-1936 with his false tale of an $85 million inheritance that was available to anyone who could prove a family connection.
Posted in: Genealogy, Researcher Stories, U.S. Presidents
Posted by: Neely Tucker
Researching African American genealogical history is complicated by several factors, most notably slavery and subsequent Jim Crow policies. Use this handy resource guide to get started.
Posted in: African American History, Genealogy, History, Researcher Stories
Posted by: Neely Tucker
Reference Librarian Candice Buchanan offers advice to researchers and family members who are interested to searching for the names and activities of women involved in the suffrage movement.
Posted in: African American History, Genealogy, Women's History