black family tree research

Many years ago, I located my maternal great-great-grandparents, Lucy Hoffman and Ben Hoffman, in census records for…

How do I go about finding the parents of my maternal second great-grandfather Spencer Mott, born about 1820 in…

I visited Charleston, S.C., last week and walked past a statue of Wade Hampton III and stopped dead in my tracks.…

I have been working on my family tree for years and cannot find anyone on my father's side earlier than my…

Dear Professor Gates:

My fourth great-grandmother Delilah Yates was listed as a "domestic servant” in a white…

I have been unable to find any records of the Armstrong branch of my family before the 1870 census and look to you…

I have uncovered an interesting and tragic family story. I was able to trace my family to a couple of former slaves:…

My maternal second great-grandmother was named Sarah Riddick, born around 1862 in Washington County, N.C. Records…

In my father’s family, there is a story about three brothers: Nash, Kush and Hardy. Our surname is Graham. The…

My great-grandparents migrated from Jamaica. I have everyone’s name but no other information about them. Can you…

Dear Professor Gates: