African Americans are faced with some unique research challenges in searching for their ancestors.  This includes determining if their descendants were freedmen or slaves, dealing with incomplete records, and searching for descendants whose surnames may have changed numerous times in the years following the Civil War.  

Keynote speaker, Ari Wilkins, is a researcher and historian who worked with esteemed genealogist, Dr. James Rose, for many years on his project Generations: The WPA Ex-Slave Narrative Database.  She is the owner of Black Genesis, a genealogical consulting company.  Ms. Wilkins will present four programs during this all day workshop.  She will start out the morning with “Beginning African American Research” which will cover the basics.  “Using Antebellum Southern Plantation Records” for family research will follow.   In the afternoon she will discuss “Records of the Freedmen’s Bureau.”  She will end the day with “Using Apprentice Records to Trace Free People of Color.”

This workshop is sponsored by the Genealogy Center of the Waco-McLennan County Library in cooperation with the Central Texas Genealogical Society.

Space for the event is limited, so pre-registration for the event is required. Register using the online calendar at wacolibrary.org or by calling the Genealogy Center at 254-750-5945.