On this annual day of Epiphany, it is also the birth of my most cheriished ancestor. Today, Jan. 6, 2022, would have been my Paternal Aunt Beverly Ann Wead Blackburn Jones’ 85th birthday. She transitioned in 1973 at the age of 36. I was 15 years old. It was the first family death that left an indelible mark upon my life.
My father’s baby sister, my mother’s best friend, my dear ancestor Aunt Beverly, has taught me so much over the nearly 49 years since her transition. Many of our ancestors have that ability to guide us through our genealogy journeys. My advice: Let them.
Aunt Bev’s Grave Marker in Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Omaha, Nebraska
Aunt Beverly is more than the grave marker of her birth and death dates. She was a standout scholar, athlete and civic citizen that began in her high school years. She continued with similar activities in college and added accomplishments that included journalist, sorority member and U.S. Senate recognized achiever. She was twice married, had three children during her first marriage, owned businesses and hosted many recreational and entertainment activities for children and teenagers in our hometown of Omaha, Nebraska.
The summary of Aunt Beverly’s life from our family tree on ancestry.com’s website
When I wrote about my dear Aunt Beverly a year ago, I did not have the family details that I have since retrieved. Thanks to Aunt Beverly, I offer the following genealogy tips that lead to more discoveries in our ancestry searches:
Update ancestor’s information. Review the ancestor’s information for updates that are often added through online sources. I found new information relevant to Aunt Beverly’s ancestry data. A closer look at the 1940 U.S. Census data for Aunt Beverly’s/my Dad’s family showed that their Dad/my grandfather completed one year of high school.
Review linked ancestor’s information. While reviewing your ancestor, follow her or his lineage for the same purpose of online updates. I found new and rich updates about my ancestors who are Aunt Beverly’s father, grandfather, great-grandfather and great-grandmother’s information.
Resist the tendency to keep your original research. Often, we don’t want to release our early research about our ancestors after we find new documents that provide validity. For instance, my great-great grandmother’s birth year and location were incorrect on my family tree. Documents were recently released that gave accurate results based on Fannie Robinson Wade’s recently found birth certificate from 1841.
4. Verify new information. Using my paternal great-great grandmother’s data, I verified her birth year by reviewing the 1880 U.S. Census for her age at that time. I also found two other trees that included Fannie Robinson Wade as part of their research. The reconciled birth year information appears to be accurate.
5. Select a routine day or date to review and update ancestral information. I use my ancestors’ birthdays, marriage anniversaries, holidays and death anniversaries to pause and review existing information for updates. With Aunt Beverly, I review her life’s story on her birthday and in June of each year.
The how-tos that I presented can be expanded by each researcher reading this WordPress blog and social media post. Share your ideas to help others and the Good Genes Genealogy team to gain new research techniques.
This column is reprinted from WeadWriteAwayandGenealogy
Author: Learning family histories
Our genealogy traces our family from western and central Africa and western Europe. Our ancestors entered the United States at the Virginia and Georgia Ports. First cousins Mark Owen and Ann Lineve Wead (it is protocol to use the maiden names of females in genealogy searches) are responsible for writing this blog. Although Ann has been involved in genealogy research while searching for certain ancestors since the age of 10, the cousins began deeper research of their families during the COVID-19 Pandemic Year of 2020. Devoting as much as 6 hours some evenings to the methodical training and research of genealogy, the cousins completed the year 2020 by earning genealogy certificates. Join us. @goodgenesgenealogy on wordpress and fb, twitter Sign up for our blog and enjoy the journey. View all posts by Learning family histories
One of my facebook genealogy page colleagues gifted her children with their individual family trees. Now that the winter holidays are over, this idea is perfect for 2022 family reunions.
A real tree for families
My colleague said the most often asked question is where to purchase the tree stand? She offered this bestchoiceporducts site.
Here is the back of one of the branches for you to consider how to list your ancestors.
This example by Sheila Bousson is a great capture of an ancestor.
How to make this happen for your family? Be creative by using this example as your foundation of an idea that brings new meaning to our genealogy phrase, “family tree.”
For many of us, it is a challenge to learn of our grandparents and their parents. Think about the challenge of locating 10 generations of grandparents, or stated another way, your great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandparents!
While the Good Genes Genealogy cousins are only halfway there with our maternal grandparents, we, like you, will keep trying to reach the 10th generation of relatives.
Notice the fourth and fifth great-grandfathers. The fourth great-grandfather fought a battle in Georgia during the Revolutionary War to keep the British invasion at bay.
Here’s some solid advice from us and colleagues who are genealogy buffs:
Decide on your purpose for your family tree. Some prefer to build family tree to only link direct lineage. Others build trees for family history purposes. Both types of family trees are valuable.
Now begin with yourself to begin your family tree, hence the top of the Christmas tree shaped family tree that is displayed in this blog.
Fill in as much as you know about your grandparents and their parents, if possible.
Use death and birth certificates, if available, to verify each grandparents’ parents.
DNA results remain a huge help in filling in the names of grandparents, siblings, cousins and other relatives.
Do not ignore individuals that keep appearing on your ancestry lines that do not appear to be blood relatives. Their records are equally important to locate ancestors as those “nonblood” individuals may share other family relationships.
If grandparents have been married more than once, you have the choice to add each marriage, or directly link your blood lines to the married grandparents. It’s tricky, yet family tree-building technology is now allowing for some flexibility.
Build in lots of genealogy research time to achieve whatever goals you have for building family trees this holiday season.
Have fun, relax, share memories and ask great questions of your relatives to build your tree.
Family of Rev. Dr. Miles Mark Fisher III and Ada Fisher. Young Florida is standing, right.
I was busy preparing my holiday cards when my thoughts turned to gift-giving. What is the greatest genealogy gift that I could give to my family? The answer: Ancestral research findings.
Guess what? I, too, received the greatest gift.
I poured through our family ancestry records and discovered great finds via newspapers.com. I attached the newspaper clippings to my family members’ trees and also printed some records to share as part of my gift giving.
The clipping below was part of my gift to Cousin-by-marriage Florida L. Fisher Parker a year ago during the holiday season. She was overjoyed to see this clipping, her marriage license and other related documents that I uncovered through electronic methods. My discoveries also prompted Florida sharing funny and tearful memories about that great day in her life.
My cousin, Ret. Col. Parker and Florida on their wedding day, June 27, 1959Florida and Herbert Parker’s marriage license and certificate
Florida, the widow of Ret. Col. Herbert Gerald Parker, is an enthusiast genealogist. She piqued my interest in genealogy while we all lived in Tallahassee, FL. Typically, I would visit with Florida and we would prepare documents for the family reunion. After the burial of her husband, my cousin, Herb, at Arlington National Cemetery in D.C., Florida chose to live near her daughter and family in Maryland. Distance and COVID-19 restrictions have grounded our travels and frequency of our conversations.
That’s why this year, I bundled up some new finds that are related to her deceased father, Dr. Miles Mark Fisher. During my research of her father, I discovered my greatest gifts.
Gift #1: I learned that Dr. Fisher was the author of several books and articles. One of his books, “The Life of Lott Cary” is out of print. It is about the life of a former slave who toiled many years to earn enough to purchase his freedom and that of his family’s. He became a member of the clergy and also ascended into other high places.
Gift #2: I learned that Rev. Fisher was the longtime pastor of White Rock Baptist Church, Durham, N.C. It was a church that was widely recognized nationwide and in its community for its social activism and highly touted black businessmen and civil rights leaders as congregants. He also initiated a program that held period racially integrated religious services.
Gift #3: I learned that Dr. Fisher was a scholar. He was on faculty at Virgina Union and Shaw University.
Gift #4: I learned the young scholar was one of the first “Negroes to receive the Ph.D. degree in philosophy and religion from the University of Chicago.”
Gift #5: The joy that the printed articles bring to Florida’s life. She doesn’t use technology, yet, she is fond of receiving information about her family.
Rev. Fisher’s integration services’ program
By sharing your ancestral findings with loved ones, you are giving the greatest gift of all during this holiday season and throughout the year.
Barnes & Noble website is one of many locations to find our books
The Good Genes Genealogy Services team has been providing free and low-cost services to engaging clients throughout 2021.
To keep our services at this level, we invite you to support us by investing a few dollars into the books we published during this second health pandemic year. The bonus book is written by Dr. Ann Wead Kimbrough about her father, Dr. Rodney S. Wead, a relatively unknown and yet effective community leader.
All of the books genealogy books are written by the cousin duo, Kimbrough and Mark S. Owen. The book illustrator for all books is Veverly Byrd-Davis. Besides our publishing company, www.lulu.com (see bookstore, Good Genes Genealogy), our books are offered on many national book sites.
Amazon is another website where you can find our books
It’s Freebies Friday from your hosts, Good Genes Genealogy! Take a peak at our book, “Out of Sight…” published in February 2021 that puts you on the right path to locate your ancestors.
Go to https://www.lulu.com/en/us/shop/mark-s-owen-ms-and-dr-ann-lineve-wead/out-of-sight-an-introduction-to-unearthing-your-african-american-and-afro-caribbean-genealogy/ebook/product-k447kz.html
An excerpt from our book: There are thousands of federal, state, local and private records that offer guidance for genealogy researchers.
Archives Library Information Center (ALIC) Listing of State Archives Alabama Alabama Department of Archives & History 624 Washington Avenue, Montgomery, AL 36130 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 300100, Montgomery, AL 36130 Phone: (334) 242-4435\ Email: mark.palmer@archives.alabama.gov Alaska Alaska State Archives Mailing Address: P.O. Box 110525, 141 Willoughby Avenue, Juneau, AK 99811-0525 Phone: (907) 465-2270 Fax: (907) 465-2465 E-mail: archives@alaska.gov Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records History and Archives Division Mailing Address: 1901 West Madison, Phoenix, AZ 85009 Phone: (602) 926-3720 Fax: (602) 256-7982 E-mail: See the Contact Form Arkansas Arkansas History Commission Mailing Address: One Capitol Mall, Little Rock, AR 77201 Phone: (501) 682-6900 E-mail: state.archives@arkansas.gov
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California California State Archives Mailing Address: 1020 O Street, Sacramento, CA 95814 Phone, Reference Desk: (916) 653-2246 Phone, General Information: (916) 653-7715 Fax: (916) 653-7363 E-mail: See the Contact Form Colorado Colorado State Archives Mailing Address: 1313 Sherman Street, Room 122, Denver, CO 80203 Phone: (303) 866-2358 Toll-free, in state only: (800) 305-3442 Text: (303) 866-2229 E-mail: See the Contact Form Connecticut Connecticut State Archives Mailing Address: Connecticut State Library, 231 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, CT 06106 Phone, General Information: (860) 757-6500 Phone, History and Genealogy Unit: (860) 757-6500 Text: (860) CONNREF (860 266-6733) E-mail: See the Contact Form Delaware Delaware Public Archives Mailing Address: 121 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. North, Dover, DE 19901 Phone: (302) 744-5000 E-mail: See the Contact Form Florida State Archives of Florida Mailing Address: R.A. Gray Building, 500 South Bronough Street, Tallahassee, FL 32399-0250 Phone: (850) 245-6700 TDD: (850) 245-6096 Reference Fax: (850) 488-4894 E-mail: info@dos.myflorida.com Georgia Georgia Archives Mailing Address: 5800 Jonesboro Road, Morrow, GA 30260 Phone: (678) 364-3710 E-mail: See Ask an Archivist Hawaii Hawaii State Archives Mailing Address: Kekauluohi Building, Iolani Palace Grounds, 364 S. King Street, Honolulu, HI 96813
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Phone: (808) 586-0329 Fax: (808) 586-0330 E-mail: archives@hawaii.gov Idaho Idaho State Archives Mailing Address: Idaho State Archives, 2205 Old Penitentiary Road, Boise, ID 83712 Phone, Archives: (208) 334-2620 Fax, Public Archives: 208-334-2626 Illinois Illinois State Archives Mailing Address: Margaret Cross Norton Building, Capitol Complex, Springfield, IL 62756 Phone: (217) 782-4682 Fax: (217) 524-3930 E-mail: See the Reference Request Form (Illinois Residents Only) Indiana Indiana State Archives Mailing Address: 6440 East 30th Street, Indianapolis, Indiana 46219 Phone: (317) 591-5222 Fax: (317) 591-5324 E-mail: arc@icpr.in.gov or see the Contact Form Iowa State Historical Society of Iowa: State Archives and Records Program Mailing Address: State of Iowa Historical Building, 600 East Locust, Des Moines, IA 50319-0290 Phone: (515) 281-5111 E-mail: dm.library@iowa.gov Kansas Kansas Historical Society: State Archives Mailing Address: 6425 SW 6th Avenue, Topeka, KS 66615-1099 Phone: (785) 272-8681 Phone, State Archives Reference Desk: (785) 272-8681, ext. 117 E-mail: reference@kshs.org Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives Mailing Address: P.O. Box 537, Frankfort, KY 40601 Phone: (502) 564-8300 Fax: (502) 564-5773 E-mail: kdla.archives@ky.gov or see the Records Request Forms Louisiana Louisiana State Archives Mailing Address: Louisiana State Archives, Louisiana Secretary of State, P.O. Box 94125, Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9125 Phone: (225) 922-1200 Fax: (225) 922-0433 E-mail: See the Contact Us Page
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Maine Maine State Archives Mailing Address: 84 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333 Phone: (207) 287-5790 Fax: (207) 287-6035 Maryland Maryland State Archives Mailing Address: 350 Rowe Boulevard, Annapolis, MD 21401 Phone: (410) 260-6400 Toll free: (800) 235-4045 Massachusetts Massachusetts Archives Division Mailing Address: Secretary of Commonwealth, Massachusetts Archives, 220 Morrissey Boulevard, Boston, MA 02125 Phone: (617) 727-2816 Fax: (617)288-8429 E-mail: archives@sec.state.ma.us Michigan Archives of Michigan Mailing Address: 702 W. Kalamazoo Street, Lansing, Michigan 48915 Phone: (517) 335-2576 E-mail: archives@michigan.gov Minnesota Minnesota State Archives Mailing Address: Minnesota Historical Society, 345 Kellogg Boulevard, St. Paul, MN 55102-1906 Phone: (651) 259-3260 Fax: (651) 296-9961 E-mail: See the Contact Us Page Mississippi Mississippi Department of Archives & History Mailing Address: P.O. Box 571, Jackson, MS 39205-0571 Phone: (601) 576-6876 Fax: (601) 576-6964 E-mail: refdesk@mdah.state.ms.us. Missouri Missouri State Archives Mailing Address: 600 W. Main, P.O. Box 1747, Jefferson City, MO 65102 Phone: (573) 751-3280 Fax: (573) 526-7333 E-mail: archref@sos.mo.gov. Please read the guidelines before sending reference requests.
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Montana Montana Historical Society Mailing Address: P.O. Box 201201, 225 North Roberts Street, Helena, MT 59620-1201 Phone, Research Center: (406) 444-2681 E-mail: mhslibrary@mt.gov or see the Online Request Form . Nebraska Library/Archives Division of the Nebraska State Historical Society Mailing Address: Library / Archives, Nebraska State Historical Society, P.O. Box 82554, 1500 “R” Street, Lincoln, NE 68501 Phone: (402) 471-4751 Fax: (402) 471-3100 E-mail: nshs.libarch@nebraska.gov Nevada Nevada State Library and Archives Mailing Address: 100 North Stewart Street, Carson City, NV 89701-4285 Phone: (775) 684-3310 Toll free, in state only: (800) 922-2880 Fax: (775) 684-3311 E-mail: See the request form New Hampshire New Hampshire Division of Archives and Records Management Mailing Address: 71 South Fruit Street, Concord, NH 03301 Phone: (603) 271-2236 Fax: (603) 271-2272 E-mail: archives@sos.nh.gov . For birth, death, and marriage records, contact the Division of Vital Records Administration at http://www.sos.nh.gov/vitalrecords/. New Jersey New Jersey State Archives Mailing Address, State Archives: 225 West State Street, P.O. Box 307, Trenton, NJ 08625-0307 Mailing Address, State Records Center: 2300 Stuyvesant Avenue, P.O. Box 307, Trenton, NJ 08625-0307 Phone: (609) 292-6260 Fax, Reference: (609) 292-4127 E-mail, State Archives: njarchives@sos.state.nj.us New Mexico State Records Center and Archives Mailing Address: 1205 Camino Carlos Rey, Santa Fe, NM 87505 Phone, Archives and Historical Services Division: (505) 476-7948 Fax, Archives and Historical Services Division: (505) 476-7909 E-mail: archives@state.nm.us
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New York New York State Archives Mailing Address: New York State Education Department, Cultural Education Center, 222 Madison Avenue, Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY 12230 Phone, Research Assistance: (518) 474-8955 Phone, General Information: (518) 474-6926 E-mail, Research Assistance: archref@mail.nysed.gov North Carolina State Archives of North Carolina Mailing Address: 4614 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-4614 Phone: (919) 807-7310 Fax: (919) 733-1354 E-mail: archives@ncdcr.gov North Dakota State Archives Mailing Address: 612 East Boulevard Avenue, Bismarck, ND 58505 Phone, Reference: (701) 328-2091 E-mail: archives@nd.us Ohio Ohio Historical Society Archives/Library Mailing Address: 1982 Velma Avenue, Columbus, OH 43211 Phone: 614-297-2510 Toll free: 800-686-6124 Fax: (614) 297-2358 E-mail: reference@ohiohistory.org or see the Reference Contact Form . Oklahoma Oklahoma State Archives and Records Management Mailing Address: 200 NE 18th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73105 Phone, Archives: (405) 522-3579 Phone, Records Center: (405) 524-4416 Fax, Archives: (405) 522-3583 Fax, Records Management: (405) 524-7567 Oregon Oregon State Archives Mailing Address: 800 Summer Street NE, Salem, OR 97310 Phone: (503) 373-0701 Fax: (503) 373-0953 E-mail: reference.archives@state.or.us Pennsylvania Pennsylvania State Archives
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Mailing Address: 350 North Street, Harrisburg, PA 17120. Phone: (717) 783-3281 E-mail: ra-statearchives@state.pa.us Rhode Island State Archives Mailing Address: 337 Westminster Street, Providence, RI 02903 Phone: (401) 222-2353 Fax: (401) 222-3199 E-mail: statearchives@sos.ri.gov South Carolina Department of Archives and History Mailing Address: 8301 Parklane Road, Columbia, SC 29223 Phone, Reference Room: (803) 896-6104 Fax, Reference Room: (803) 896-6198 E-mail: See the Genealogy Request Form South Dakota South Dakota State Archives Mailing Address: 900 Governors Drive, Pierre, SD 57501 Phone: (605) 773-3804 Fax: (605) 773-6041 E-mail: archref@state.sd.us Tennessee Tennessee State Library and Archives Mailing Address: 403 7th Avenue North, Nashville, TN 37243 Phone: (615) 741-2764 E-mail: reference.tsla@tn.gov Texas Texas State Library and Archives Commission Mailing Address: P.O. Box 12927, Austin, TX 78711-2927 Phone: (512) 463-5455 Email, Reference: reference.desk@tsl.state.tx.us Utah Utah State Archives Mailing Address, Research Center: 300 S. Rio Grande, Salt Lake City, UT 84101 Phone, Research Center: (801) 533-3535 E-mail: See the Contact Form Vermont Vermont State Archives and Records Administration Mailing Address: Office of the Secretary of State, 1078 Route 2, Middlesex, Montpelier, VT 05633-7701 Phone, Reference Room: (802) 828-2308 E-mail: archives@sec.state.vt.us. For vital records requests use vitals@sec.state.vt.us.
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Virginia Library of Virginia Mailing Address: 800 East Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23219 Phone: (804) 692-3500 E-mail: See the Contact Form Washington Washington State Archives Mailing Address: P.O. Box 40238, Olympia, WA 98504-0238 Phone: (360) 586-1492 E-mail, State Archivist: archives@sos.wa.gov E-mail, Research Requests and Information on Public Records: research@sos.wa.gov West Virginia West Virginia State Archives Mailing Address: Archives and History Library, The Cultural Center, 1900 Kanawha Boulevard East, Charleston, WV 25305-0300 Phone: (304) 558-0230 The West Virginia Archives will not answer e-mail research requests. All research requests must be submitted in writing. Wisconsin Wisconsin State Historical Society Library-Archives Mailing Address: Archives Reference, Wisconsin Historical Society, 816 State Street, Madison, WI 53706 Phone: (608) 264-6460 Fax: (608) 264-6472 E-mail: See the Archives Reference Request Form Wyoming Wyoming State Archives Mailing Address: Barrett Building, 2301 Central Avenue, Cheyenne, WY 82002 Phone: (307) 777-7826 Fax: (307) 777-7044 E-mail: See the Contact Form Source: State Archives | National Archives
Saturday, May 15, 2021I AM MY ANCESTORS In life, there is no separation. There is no separation from the past, the present, and the future. We are the center of it all. We are the life of God that lived as our ancestors. They passed their life on to us. Who they are is encoded in our DNA, cells, soul, and physical features. We are who they are. We are one and the same. We too are here to impress our collective soul-full imprint upon the earth.
I am part of a never-ending story of the mighty miracle of this thing called Life. I am a miracle to behold. A miracle to extend to the world. I am a wisdom keeper and a revealer of what is sacred and precious about Life. Every aspect of my journey is significant. I celebrate it and let God multiply its blessings. Thank you, Power, in me, through me, as me, around me, through the Christ within. And so it is. I am reminded of your true faith, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure now in you also.2 Timothy 1:5 Daily Thoughts from the HillCopyright: Hillside International Truth Center, Inc.Bishop Dr. Jack L. Bomar – Executive BishopBishop Dr. Barbara L. King – Founder Minister/World Spiritual Leader Renew/Subscribe: http://www.HillsideInternational.orgAddress Change/Mailing Questions/Did not receive – Contact: jjones@hillsidechapel.org
