January 31, 2023
Get this sweet treat for Black History Month: Recipes for Success e-book
Thank you for your support. It’s available on our Lulu Publishing site and on Feb. 1, 2023, on all other sites.
Enjoy!
January 29, 2023
After 90 years: Amazing genealogy research techniques locates famous ancestor
Charles I. Brown gets proper burial
A founder of the 109-year-old international Black male fraternity, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., was long “missing.” He is now found.
For serious genealogy researchers, it is a joyful and encouraging example of how customized techniques resulted in a fraternity victory and for Black genealogy research.
The absence of Charles I. Brown on earth was recorded beginning in 1924. In 1999, a small group of tenacious Sigmas, led by their “International Historian Mark “Mallet” Pacich, began a search on the whereabouts of their founder.” In 2015, the men of Phi Beta Sigma, found Brown’s body and they commenced with burying him with proper rites. Facts about his whereabouts during the missing years are still trickling into the fraternity.
“He got lost,” said Rev. William Major during a Founders Day program in metro Atlanta. “Through genealogy research … he was found. He died in 1981,” Major said.
Major’s remarks were emotionally delivered in honor of the three founders of Phi Beta Sigma during the 2023 Metro Atlanta Founders Day program that included the fraternity’s sister organization, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. The two Black Greek-Letter entities are the only ones constitutionally bound in its founding. Dr. Ann Wead Kimbrough of Good Genes Genealogy Services, Inc. is a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.
Major and Kimbrough
Rev. William Major, left, and Dr. Ann Wead Kimbrough at their Fraternity’s and Sorority’s Founders Day observance in Decatur, GA. (Photo: Provided by Ann Wead Kimbrough)
On Jan. 9, 1914, on the campus of Howard University in Washington, D.C., Brown, along with A. Langston Taylor and Leonard F. Morse, founded Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. Today, the international organization is comprised of more than 150,000 college-educated and professional men, predominantly of African American origin. Since its inception, Phi Beta Sigma has been open to men of all race, religion, class and national origin.
The fantastic search for the Phi Beta Sigma Founder Brown is well documented. What makes the search for Brown remarkable: Full use of available research resources. Flexibility and strategy are the keys to success in genealogy and ancestry research. In one blog, these words are instructive to all researchers:
THE SEARCH FOR CHARLES I. BROWN
The purpose of this blog is to gather information relating to Charles I. Brown. A most honorable founder of Phi Beta Sigma. We by no means claim a patent on the subject, nor are we seeking to upstage those who have done research prior to ours. We are willing to accept any and all help with this project. This is a plea to all brothers if you have any information, be it rumor, gossip or speculation please post it here.
http://charlesibrown.blogspot.com/
Details of the successful search
That is valuable content within the search-for-Brown blog:
Founder Brown is said to have been born in Topeka, Kansas in 1890. Census records show that his father was Rev. John M. Brown and that his mother was Maggie M. Brown. However, records at Howard University from 1910 have Founder Brown living at 1813 Titan Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was very cordial and very popular with the student body and Howard University Administration. He is credited with choosing the 9 charter members of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity. Founder Brown founded the Delta Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas, on April 9, 1917, and through oral interviews was a teacher at the Kansas Industrial School for Negroes in Topeka, Kansas.
Census records and oral interviews have showed us that Founder Brown was alive in the Topeka, Kansas area until 1931. Some believe that he was a casualty of the First World War; others believe that he moved.
https://charlesibrown.blogspot.com/
While there are several aspects of Brown’s life that has not yet been fully restored, it is heartening to known that his remains were claimed by his beloved fraternity and he was given a proper memorial service. His legacy is worth reading.
CHARLES I. BROWN
August 27, 1885 – December 21, 1981
January 23, 2023
Helping children plant and build their photo and other modern family trees
Ann of the Good Genes Genealogy Services team began her interest in family genealogy at the age of 10. After asking her mother and paternal grandfather separate questions about their childhoods, siblings, families and more, Ann did not receive the replies she expected. In both cases, I could hear crickets (old schoolers will get the reference).
Yet, as a child, I could have been building the bits and pieces of information that I was able to glean from family gatherings. I was also nosey and wanted to hear the stories from the elders and cousins about what life was like for them in settings different than mine in Omaha, Nebraska. Child-friendly genealogy chart builders like the free ones featured on the National Archives sites are a great start for the young people.
Check out the other freebie from the National Archives. It’s a fresh look in the genealogy tree building exercises.
January 22, 2023
How the passing of ancestors brings us life
Black Genealogy research requires attention to obits, homegoings and surviving family members
Camden, Tenn. – About 340 miles northwest of Atlanta, lies a small community with a big heart that was originally named “Tranquility.” The community counted as one of its more than 3,000 residents a special lady, Delia Mae Tharpe, mother of Dr. Jack L. Bomar, Executive Bishop/Senior Pastor of Atlanta’s Hillside International Truth Center.
Ms. Delia, as many called her, was funeralized on the third Saturday of January admist a mountainous cool afternoon. It would have been an ordinary “homegoing” service, except Ms. Delia was anything but ordinary. Her extraordinary life on earth for 81 years is one for the history books. I barely knew Ms. Delia, meeting her perhaps once. Yet, nearly 55 persons, including my mother, Angeline Wead and me, traveled five hours each way to share with hundreds of others to celebrate the life of this lady.
What caused us to travel early on Saturday morning and return late that evening, is what I will share later in this blog.
Delia Mae Tharpe, September 28, 1941 – January 14, 2023
Just one day earlier, was the funeral for my maternal cousin, M. Madeline Wilks Matthews, who I’ve known all of my life. Her service took place in St. Louis, Missouri. My mother was the eldest cousin to Madeline. I was asked to write her obituary, which was delivered to her church secretary with all the love and care that I could deliver. Madeline was a bright light who was on this earth 93 years.
Margaret Madeline Wilks Matthews, Aug. 30, 1929 – January 7, 2023
The lives of Madeline and Ms. Delia were different and yet there were a few similarities. Both ladies lived full lives, sang in their church choirs, held many positions in church leadership, and each worked more than four decades in their respective fields. Madeline did not have children; while Ms. Delia bore nine children and had many grandchildren. Madeline was active in politics and in her retirement years, she gained additional education and served as a substitute teacher and paraprofessional in special education.
In short, I am proud of Madeline’s accomplishments that began in her college prep Omaha Central High School years where she excelled in academics, music, other creative endeavors, and as student government leader. As a young high school graduate, she was denied employment in her hometown because she was Black. That’s why she ventured south of Nebraska to Missouri where she lived the next nearly 80 years and endured the sadly typical ups and downs of trailblazing, independent thinking and working women.
Ms. Delia’s life couldn’t have been easy by usual, societal measures. She was a “dedicated and hard worker for more than forty-three years at Henry I. Siegel, ‘the H.I.S. factory’ in Bruceton, TN as a press operator,” according to her obituary. She bore nine children and raised them in humble conditions with such love, leadership and purpose as shared with laughter, sympathy tears and memorable message.
Her life was inspiring as experienced by hundreds in the near standing room-only chapel where the roomful of upright flower displays served as fragrant reminders of the depth of her influence in this hamlet of about 3,000 residents within 5.7 square miles of the Tennessee hills.
So impactful was Ms. Delia’s life that a young lady who was seated behind me said that she attended the service even though she lived in the area, yet did not know Ms. Delia “that well.” Eula Eikerenkoetter, widow of the late, popular minister, “Rev. Ike,” was there. So were several messages of condolences in the form of proclamations and recognitions that included many Atlanta City Councilmembers.
A guide for genealogy researchers
Family genealogists can learn many lessons from our new ancestors while honoring their time on this earth and their vibrant spirits. The obituaries, the services are the beginning of sharing the legacies of the families. Usually, many blanks are filled in that often break through the typical brick walls found in Black ancestry pursuits.
Tips:
- Ensure the obituaries are well-researched and well written. Many eyes are on the obituaries. Besides family and friends, other entities utilize the information for legal, government, insurance, retirement, military (if applicable), social and community purposes.
- The best way to achieve the best written obituaries is through preparation that is based on accurate written and oral information.
- When written and oral background is provided for the deceased loved one, engage at least one friend or family member to edit and fact-check. This is not the time to worry about whether anyone has hurt feelings about fact-checking another’s input. This is about getting things right for the legacy of the individual and accuracy for larger purposes.
- The way the services are rendered are usually the best examples of how persons lived. Take notes.
- During the service, the songs that are sung, the scriptures that are read and the officiants are all indications of the best parts of the deceased lives.
- Meet the persons who spoke at the services. At minimal, offer condolences to them as well as the family members. As a maximum benefit for the family researcher, politely seek more information from the individuals either after the service or another time.
- The burial or final resting places provide additional insight into family histories. My cousin, Mark S. Owen, partner in Good Genes Genealogy Services, often teases me that I am fixed on cemeteries and death certificates. It is for good reason. There are details such as health information and other bits of information that can benefit the living from the official documents. At cemeteries, I walk the grounds, especially if the recent ancestors are placed in family plots. There are often other clues about our extended families and friends based on surnames and first names found on the cemetery markers.
- After receiving new and/or best information, please record and update family records. Family members deserve vibrant and verified information. Studies show the positive mental and spiritual health benefits from individuals learning more about loved ones.
- Step back a few times during this process and reflect on how you feel during the process. Often Mark and I take time to release and “breathe” to ensure that our emotional health is intact. Researching, updating and engaging in this process is sometimes taxing for individuals.
- Celebrate the lives of our ancestors. They deserve our respect, understanding and accurate depictions of their lives.
November 27, 2022
Cyber Monday e-books on sale from Good Genes Genealogy
The Good Genes Genealogy team is honored to offer free or very low cost services to our clients. To keep our costs free for great consultations and other research, check out our Cyber Monday e-books. Check us out on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Lulu Publishing.
Thank you. We are grateful for our blog readers, social media fam and all clients.
November 21, 2022
Genealogy Book Black Friday Sale!
We are thankful that you are a member of our genealogy family. To show our gratitude, the Good Genes Genealogy Services team is offering our November 2021 ebook, Family Ties That Bind, to you at a Black Friday 2022 rate.
We are providing you with preview of the book. Please follow the link to our publisher’s store, or pick up your copy on Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Enjoy reading a portion of our Chapter 3.
Are you one-fourth or one-eighth African? The U.S. Census wanted to know
Chapter 3
There’s a knock on the door.
It’s Monday, June 2, 1890, the first day the U.S. Census takers began their monthlong gathering of data that would provide unique, one-time information forever etched in our historical documents. The questioner posed several questions to the household representative. Among those worth noting was the following:
Question #4 ask whether the races of the household inhabitants are “white, black, mulatto, quadroon, octoroon, Chinese, Japanese or Indian.” The Census questioner could no longer look at the household and answer the question. It was up to the household member to self-disclose the information. It was the first and last time that the “quadroon and octoroon” race descriptions were asked on Census documentations.
According to a National Public Radio report, “the government concluded: “These figures are of little value.” “Quadroon” and “octoroon” have never been used again for the census.”
October 17, 2022
All set: Precious finds from our grandmother’s China set collection
There are many ways to learn of our ancestor’s good taste in fine things. The Good Genes Genealogy team — First Cousins Ann Wead Kimbrough and Mark Owen — are fortunate that our grandmother, “Mama” Helen Wilkes Owen Douthy, was a collector of fine items, including china settings.
Mama Helen always found discreet ways to ‘break the mold.’ She was mother of six children and the twice-divorced mother made sure that her children were raised in a close-knit community as she worked as an administrative specialist — a “Hidden Figure” — employed at Offutt Air Force Base near Omaha, Nebraska. She found ways to travel the world as an ambassador from her church. It was on those travels that we also gained valued treasures that are great conversation pieces today.
The exquisite porcelain, blue flowered paisley and white patterns on her china, were indicators of the time period in which Mama Helen owned her set. The clues are good for genealogy sleuths who are interested in how our ancestors acquired and valued their fine things that provided for our great foundation.
Here are some tips on finding out when Mama Helen acquired this beautifully maintained china place setting.
- Turn over the back of the dishes to study the numbering and markings.
- Locate websites that have graphic images for you to compare your findings with the others. We were fortunate in that this was a relatively quick search. Here are our results.
- The upside of the china set also reveals its estimated manufacturing period. In our case, the beautiful, gold-trimmings confirmed the purchase time frame.
- It is also interesting to learn of the heritage of the china that my grandmother selected. “History of the Chodziez faience factory starts in 1852 or 1854 when Hermann Müller and Ludwik Schnorr bought a burnt building of the Grudzinski castle from count Koenigsmarck. The castle building is still in possession of the company.”
- As we reflect upon the meals that were eaten on this tableware, it is an opportunity to recall our fond family gatherings. At the time, I am sure that we did not know just how precious the dinnerware would mean to us. This is another way for your family genealogy to help bring back good times to our hearts and minds. Try it.
(First cousins Ann and Mark’s mothers are the daughters of Mama Helen).
October 15, 2022
White Cane Day: Seeing ways to celebrate visually impaired ancestors
In our family, we are aware of at least two relatives — one is an ancestor — who were and are visually impaired. In our lineage, Great Aunt Ada Chitwood Wilkes, became blind during our Grandmother Helen Wilkes Owen Douthy’s youth. The other visually impaired — fully blind — relative is John Charles Kimbrough, 36, son of Ann Wead Kimbrough of Good Genes Genealogy.
On Oct. 15, 2022, we honor White Cane Safety Day by sharing what we know of our Great Aunt Ada. She and Great Uncle Cecil Wilkes, were co-principal caregivers for Grandmother Helen along with her mother, Edna Wilkes Robinson, the Good Genes Genealogy team, Mark Owen and Kimbrough.
“I remember ‘Mom’ was blind and yet, she could really cook and sew,” said Angeline Cecil Owen Wead, eldest daughter of Grandmother Helen, also the mother and aunt of the Good Genes Genealogy team.
Ancestry.com research confirmed the abilities of Great Aunt Ada and Great Uncle Cecil inhabited a home in 1934 that confirmed her occupation. We suggest that all readers of this blog research ancestors who were differently abled by asking questions of your living relatives. That is how we learned about the life of Great Aunt Ada. She transitioned on Nov. 19, 1955 in Omaha, Nebraska, several years following the death of her husband, Great Uncle Cecil.
White Cane Day Safety Day is one way to pause and observe the challenges our ancestors faced while navigating the sighted U.S. prior to the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990. The signing of the U.S. law followed years of discrimination lawsuits and awareness campaigns by advocates and individuals who knew well the hurdles faced by those with mental, emotional and physical ailments.
The United States does not have the lock on providing legislation to protect and support those with visual and other disabilities. While in Hong Kong, Good Genes Genealogy’s Ann Wead Kimbrough, learned firsthand of the societal accommodations for its elderly and disabled residents. For instance, streetlights, public signage and private facilities showcased its welcoming adjustments for “specially abled” individuals.
Here are some ideas on how to honor our ancestors on White Cane Safety Day:
- Ask questions of relatives to learn about ancestors who were partially or wholly blind or otherwise visually impaired.
- Research those lives of ancestors and conduct additional searches of how their lifestyles intersected with public accommodations, private settings and more.
- Write about what you have discovered. Keep our ancestors stories in front of our families and friends.
September 5, 2022
Laboring Days for Black Americans: The story behind the September holiday
It’s’ Labor Day. The “celebration” is a U.S. holiday and has been dubbed the unofficial closing of summer. There are many layers to the meaning of Labor Day for Black folk. Here is an excerpt from the ebook, “Black Laboring Days,” Copyright © 2021 by Ann Wead Kimbrough, Mark Owen
Chapter Four
Labor Day and Black Codes, Black Laws
Most of us regard the Labor Day weekend each September
as the official end of summer. Yet, Labor Day had different
meanings for the once enslaved African Americans who
worked for no wages on lucrative agricultural plantations.
Even after the Union defeated the Confederate states in the
Civil War, those freed by the federal statute continued to
endure harsh conditions during the Reconstruction period.
Those conditions were imposed upon African Americans by
the Southern states’ Black Codes (read in the next section of
this blog) while U.S. labor unions were waging efforts for
the federal government to enact a national holiday in honor
of other laborers.
The federal law creating Labor Day was born to
recognize the employed men, women, and children. During
the Industrial Revolution in late 1800, several atrocities were
reported about the working conditions for the impoverished
and new migrants whose average workdays were 12 hours
and children as young as five were included. (Labor Day
2021: Facts, Meaning & Founding – HISTORY). On Sept. 5,
1882, the first Labor Day parade took place in New York
City. See below.
Black Codes, Black Laws
Meanwhile, African Americans were suffering as
laborers during the same late 19th century period. African
Americans’ treatment in the Industrial Revolution era was
deemed as carryover treatment from the days of mass
enslavement. Post-slavery and during the Reconstruction,
every Southern state’s legislature enacted Black Codes to
“protect their investments” (Project MUSE – Blue Laws and
Black Codes (jhu.edu) and to build infrastructure. In
Virginia, prison labor on the chain gang was primarily
comprised mainly of African Americans who were deemed
vagrants and guilty of other crimes under the state’s Black
Codes. The chain gang members were not compensated, and
their purpose was to build roads “to bring Virginia into the
automobile age.” (Project MUSE – Blue Laws and Black
Codes (jhu.edu)
Black codes required freed African Americans to sign
yearly labor contracts. If they refused to sign the agreements,
the laborer risked being arrested, fined, and forced to join the
chain gang and not receive any wages for their toils. (
https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/black-codes)
https://nomoreslaveryyay.weebly.com/rights-and-vagrancylaws.html
According to numerous historical documents, Congress
passed legislation to repeal all Black Codes, yet the Southern
States continued with its practices.
(https://nomoreslaveryyay.weebly.com/rights-and-vagrancylaws.html)
There was an overlap of Black Codes in non-Southern states.
Known as the Black Laws, the restrictions were enacted in
conditions that included Ohio in 1803. Author Stephen
Middleton, (The Black Laws: Race and the Legal Process in
Early Ohio · Ohio University Press / Swallow Press
(ohioswallow.com) explains Black slaves and free African
Americans found refuge in Ohio. Yet, new laws prohibited
many movements and imposed restrictions that were
eventually overturned in 1886.
Real Labor Days
The real labor days began in the 17th century in the United
States. Enslaved ancestors from the Trans-Atlantic Slave
Trade were often sold and repurchased again at marketplaces
like this one on Whitehall Street in Atlanta, Georgia.
Civil war photographs, 1861-1865, Library of Congress,
Prints and Photographs Division
The involuntary work performed by slaves has been
documented in multiple media formats. However, leading
scholars on the topic of African Americans’ slave history,
“Clearly, dominant narratives at historic plantation sites have
long been maintained by a white elite class at the expense of
the enslaved and African American history in general. There
is evidence of inclusion of the enslaved at the plantation
museums; however, this movement is slow and
evolutionary—not revolutionary.” (SEGEOGLOGO.eps
(d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net)
The enslaved life was anything but glamorous. Southern
plantations were booming in commerce. Due to demands for
cotton, tobacco, rice, and all agricultural products, the wealth
of its owners increased the intensity to grow the slave
population. Dark-skinned people, including Spence Johnson,
the once free member of the Choctaw Nation, were placed in
involuntary servitude. He and his family lived in the Indian
Territory in 1850 when his mother and Johnson were sold at
a Louisiana slave auction. They were not brought to the
United States during the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, yet
were stolen and sold to perform free labor on giant
plantations:
As if laborious tasks were not enough to complete, slaves
were the victims of horrific crimes against their bodies.
Sometimes the chopping off of legs and arms and even
women’s breasts were designed to keep slaves from fleeing
their plantations. In the case of the phenomenal inventor and
scholar George Washington Carver, he was castrated as a
child by his master. His enslaver wanted to ensure the
African American slave would not be intimate with the
White man’s daughter.
(George Washington Carver Was Not
Gay, But Castrated (Updated 2021) – MICHEAUX
PUBLISHING (wordpress.com
September Laboring Day
Ebook | By Ann Wead Kimbrough, Mark S. Owen
ISBN: 9781716435287
March 12, 2022
Black History Things to Do: Benjamin Banneker’s Home Story | Healthy Kyla
Check out this cool site. Time to get out and experience the USA history makers.
