-
I’m White and Curious About My ‘Free Colored’ Ancestor
My family has lived all of our lives as “white” people, but recently we were pretty surprised to learn through DNA testing that my father and I both have non-European DNA; my dad has more than 3 percent sub-Saharan-African DNA. While researching my father’s paternal line, I was able to connect my second great-grandfather back…
-
Is My Family Linked to America’s 1st Black Episcopal Church?
I found a death return on FamilySearch for a 60-year-old named George White who was buried the week of Aug. 28, 1848, in the churchyard cemetery of the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas in Philadelphia. I wonder if this is my ancestor. And, if so, could there be a relationship to William White, one…
-
How Do I Trace My Cape Verdean Ancestry?
My father is African American and Cape Verdean, and he grew up on Cape Cod. His mother was Almeda Matilda Santos, born Jan. 22, 1922. She died March 7, 2002, and her parents had immigrated to the United States from Cape Verde Islands in the early 1900s. My father’s father, Benjamin Franklin Johnson, was the…
-
Am I Related to One of the 1st Black Boxing Champs?
I am the daughter of the light heavyweight champion of the world for 1935-1939: John Henry Lewis. From stories handed down and articles from 1935 newspapers, it was said that my father’s great-granduncle was Thomas Molineaux. I have been unable to find any census records or records of Thomas, only that he won his freedom…
-
Who Owned My Mixed-Race Ancestor in Louisiana?
I am trying to trace my great-grandfather Emile Perrilliat, who was born circa 1848-1850. He died in May of 1913. He lived in St. John the Baptist Parish, La. He was married to Claire (Clara) Thomas, also from St. John the Baptist Parish. My problem is I cannot find him or his family before 1880.…
-
Beyond Ellis Island Records: How Do I Find Immigrant Forebears?
All of my grandparents emigrated from St. Kitts. Records of my paternal grandparents are available on the Ellis Island website between 1912 and 1922, but none of my maternal grandparents can be located, although, based on the 1910 U.S. federal census and the 1915 New York state census, they arrived in the United States between…
-
My Ancestor’s Tragedy Made the Papers. What Happened Next?
I am trying to determine where Willie Wise Hargrove, the wife of my great-granduncle, died and is buried. In 1910 Willie Wise was living in Charlotte, N.C., with her husband, Shedrick Hargrove. In June of that year he died. The death certificate indicated, “Suicide reported to be.” I researched the local papers, suspecting that the…
-
Was My Ancestor an Afro-Cuban Railroad Man?
Dear Professor Gates: I am looking for genealogy resources about Afro-Cuban people in the Ohio Valley region (Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, West Virginia and Tennessee). My father’s paternal grandfather, Thomas Regan, was born in Cuba circa 1900. Using Ancestry.com, I found out that he arrived in the United States about 1918 by way of Ireland.…
-
I Found the Ship My Slave Ancestors Were On. What Now?
I would like help finding the parents of my slave ancestors Edward Wright and Adeline Boston (or Benett, we think). Both of them, my third great-grandparents, were shipped to Savannah, Ga., on separate dates on a ship called the Calhoun. Edward Wright was born in Essex County, Va., circa 1836 and died circa 1887 in…
-
Who Was My Enslaved Ancestor’s Owner?
My third great-grandfather Cain Dick was born between 1821 and 1824 and died around 1910 in Rock Creek, Guilford County, N.C. I was trying to search for his parents and the origins of his slaveholders, only to run into a complication. I came across three male individuals who had the same surname as my third…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
