Research At The National Archives And Beyond!

Join Tonya A. Browder - Director of the Tompkins Memorial Library to learn about the rich history and historical documents and genealogical information available in Edgefield County, South Carolina.    Since becoming Director, Tonya A. Browder  has played an important role in the organization of the library's materials and has published a number of resource books on Edgefield County genealogy.   She received a BA cum laude in History from the University of South Carolina at Aiken in 1992.  Starting in 1991, Tonya worked for seven years as Community Historian for the Savannah River Archaeological Research Program, a division of the South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology.  Her work involved conducting an oral history project on the former towns and hamlets of the Savannah River Site and from this research, she co-authored two books, Memories of Home: Dunbarton andMeyers Mill Rememberedand, Memories of Home: Reminiscences of Ellenton.     Theme music - Sweet Mello Spice by composer / produc

  Conducting Slave Era Research will help the learner understand basic genealogical strategies to finding enslaved ancestors.   Aaron Dorsey, a native of Oakland, California has been doing genealogical research for over 10 years.  His undergraduate degree in U.S. History and graduate degree in Education Policy is from Stanford University. He began researching his family history after reading Jubilee by Margaret Walker-Alexander for a Survey of African American Literature at the College of Alameda. He has documented the history of his family in Alabama, California, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. However, the focus of his research has been concentrated in Texas where he has traced his ancestors to 1839. His Texas research has been featured in the ARK-LA-TEX Genealogical Association, Inc.’s The Genie.  Aaron is currently working on two books one focusing on slave era research and the other pertaining to the 1868 voter registration in Leon County, Texas.   Theme music - Sweet

  Have you discovered that your ancestors are from Virginia and have no idea where to begin? Please join Natonne Elaine Kemp- family historian, researcher and writer for a journey through Virginia Genealogical Resources.  This lively and passionate discussion will focus on the variety of records uncovered in her own research that may help others as they go back in time to uncover the mystery and excitement of researching in the State of Virginia. Other Researchers are encouraged to call in and share information on resources they have also used in Virginia.   Theme music - Sweet Mello Spice by composer / producer Alvin K. Alexander. (Pianist Ayako Higuchi).

Join Mark Engler and Blake Bell to explore the rich history of the Homestead Act of 1862 and the impact it has had on land acquisitions throughout the United States.  Mark Engler is the Superintendent for the Homestead National Monument of America, Beatrice, Nebraska.  Mark has been at Homestead since the summer of 1997.   Following a seven-year assignment at Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, or commonly known as the Gateway Arch, Mark returned to Beatrice, Nebraska. During Mark’s career with the National Park Service he has been involved in numerous special programs, detail assignments and has worked in a variety of different disciplines. Mark attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where he obtained a Bachelors of Science in Education focusing on both Political Science and History.   Blake Bell is the Historian at Homestead National Monument of America.  He is interested in how the Homestead Act of 1862 and subsequent land laws fit into a broader historical context of U.S. Western development.  Hi

Join Alean Miller- Coordinator of the Father Daughter Dinner Dance for the Ivy Vine Charities, Inc., of Montgomery County,  Maryland. Learn how you can make this special day a memory for your daughter. The Father Daughter Dinner Dance is Friday, December 2, 2011 from 7:30 pm - 10:00 pm.  Location: Knights of Columbus Hall - 9707 Rosensteel Avenue, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910. http://www.ivyvinecharities.org

The Story of Walter H. Williams: A Man Who Made a Difference. Guest- Beverly B. Woods.   Beverly Babin Woods is a genealogist, writer and lecturer with her ancestral roots based in Louisiana.    "In her life time, she has traveled and lived among cultures in Okinawa, Japan and in the Pacific Islands. Her research at National Archives into the Freedmen’s Bureau Educational Records has been well documented on education of African Americans during reconstruction in Lafayette, Louisiana. Beverly is also featured in the National Archives’ Signature film Democracy Starts Here, describing the mission of the National Archives.  The film is shown daily at the National Archives and was produced by the Discovery Channel.   As a member of the Afro American Historical and Genealogical Society, she is engaged in promoting genealogy in the African American communities as well the broader society. She published an article entitled Genealogy: Getting in Touch with Youth in Everton’s Genealogy Magazine.  Her poetry was also p

The Story of Agnes Mathieu, a slave who gained her freedom in 1779 through a year-long court battle with the help of Mathieu Devaux, a French National who served in the American Revolutionary War under theSpanish Governor General Bernardo de Galvez.   Lieutenant Commander Michael N. Henderson, U.S. Navy Retired, began his genealogy journey almost 30 years ago. His success as a genealogist is attributed to an early curiosity about his family’s history, as well as the keen research skills he honed in the Navy. One of the family’s elders shared a story with Henderson of an ancestor who had once said, “they wouldn’t allow us to use daddy’s last name.” From the moment he heard the story, Henderson was haunted by and wanted to know the mystery behind it.  He uncovered his fourth generation great-grandmother, Agnes Mathieu, a slave whose great grandparents were listed on an inventory document in 1738. Devaux and Agnes maintained a long relationship that produced seven children, who were all born free prior to the L