A genealogy workshop in Moorhead later this month will focus on exploring the complexities of African American genealogy research.
The workshop will feature a presentation by genealogy expert Elyse Hill, and is presented through a partnership with the Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County.
When it comes to genealogy, Hill says the hardest part can be getting started – it can be a long process and appear very intimidating. She says there is value in everyone discovering their family history, but for African Americans, the process can be more complicated due to the country’s history surrounding slavery. She says during this time period, enslaved people were considered “property,” and documentation about many life events may be lacking.
"Most records of enslaved persons are in the names of their owners, so you have to identify who the owner is, which is a challenge in itself. Once you identify the owner, you have to see, did the owner leave records that named their slaves? Some did, some didn't - so if they didn't, normally you stop right there. And if they did, do the records still exist, and where are they? So it's a whole separate type of research."
Hill says those issues are less prevalent among persons of color who were not enslaved before the Civil War.
She says she initially became interested in genealogy when she wanted to find out more about her mother’s side of her family.
"I was able to find slave owner information, I was able to find that my third great-grandfather accompanied his master to the battlefield during the Civil War. He wasn't a soldier, but did manual labor-type work; you know, cooking and cleaning and stuff like that. So I was just stuck after that - after I found that out. Like I said, we didn't know anything - and to find out this information, not only was I able extend my grandmother's family tree, her lineage back, I was also able to find this type of information. I just got stuck in it!"
Hill says she then started attending trainings and conferences to learn more about the research, and now teaches it to others.
The workshop, Beginning African American Genealogy Research: The First Steps, begins at 1pm at the Moorhead Library on February 22nd.
Hill says while the workshop is focused on African American genealogy and takes place during Black History Month, anyone is welcome to attend.