AFRICAN AMERICAN GENEALOGY GROUP

AFRICAN AMERICAN GENEALOGY GROUP OF THE MIAMI VALLEY

Meeting Notes - July 31, 1999
By Mary Alexander

Yellow Springs Library Meeting Room

Bob Harris welcomed nearly 60 African-Americans interested in forming a formal genealogical group in the Miami Valley to Yellow Springs and to the meeting. Bob gave his reasons why there should be a genealogy group in this area, the primary reasons being the slavery roadblock, our ability to help each other discover our past, and the enjoyment of discovery. The purpose/goals for a Miami Valley organization entitled "Why an African-American Genealogy Group?" was distributed. The list included the following: 1) General promotion of African-American genealogy, 2) education and training in African-American genealogy, 3) sharing of resources and information, 4) identification of sources of data, 5) networking with others who share our interests, 6) identification of important libraries and other depositories for African-American genealogy, 7) mutual support to one another in our individual genealogies, 8) "mainstreaming" of African-American genealogy, and 9) enjoyment.

It was proposed that a formal group be organized and a charter written. A slate of the primary officers should be president, vice-president, secretary, and treasurer. Other officers can be added as needed. It was suggested that the meetings be held on the third or fourth Saturday of each month, perhaps rotating communities in which we meet and that a newsletter be written with stories and articles of interest to the group. Jonas Bender volunteered to do the newsletter. It was suggested that others volunteer for offices.

Bob acknowledged three people who helped him get the group together: Jonas Bender, publicity; Art Thomas, genealogical instructor and author (traced his family to the 1700s), and the guest speaker; Bennie McRae, whose web site is known nationally, has provided a great deal of information to African-Americans. Other people present and recognized were Sheila Clay, author, Black Legacy; Deanna Ulbestad, director of the history and genealogy departments at the Xenia Library; Madalene Jones Norris, researcher/author, gathered the listings and inscriptions of monuments at the Cherry Grove Cemetery, Xenia; and Dr. Olabisi Gwamma, professor at Wilberforce University.

Bob relayed that many news reporters have asked him: "Why do you need an African-American genealogy group, why not join the traditional groups that already exists?" Bob emphasizes that African-Americans deal with special problems that most other ethnic groups do not have to think about and of course the problem is slavery. Slavery is a barrier that most African-American genealogists at some point will reach. Slavery alone is a reason we need a new group.

Throughout the meeting emphasis was placed on networking/sharing information and researching. Several books were presented namely: Black Legacy, Clay, a book about the contributions of Blacks in Champaign County; Wider Window to the Past, Lucas, a well document history of the Lucas and Garrett families; Blacks in Ohio 1880, Nitchman, 10 volumes of Blacks in Ohio from 1880 census by counties; Finding Your Roots, Westin, a good background book of genealogy for all ethnic groups; Finding a Place Called Home: A Guide to African-American Genealoqv and Historical Identity, Woodtor, specifically for African-American genealogist; Historical Facts and Tributes of Champaign County, Champaign County Genealogy Society, listing contributions of Blacks in Champaign County; Heritage Books a magazine specializing in genealogical material; Family Pride: A Complete Guide to Tracing African-American Genealogy, Beasley, an excellent step by step book. Other sources of information are libraries. The largest genealogy library is the Mormon Library in Salt Lake City; the next largest, perhaps, is the Allen County Library, Ft. Wayne, IN, about a four to five hour drive from here; the Cincinnati Library, Cincinnati, OH, houses all the U.S. censuses; and several other large libraries have good resources. Locally, the Xenia Library Greene Room has most of the censuses, several family histories, and an obituary file that dates from 1915 to present. Libraries also have computers that are used by the public free of charge. There is a vast amount of information that can be obtained from computers. A list of websites will be handed out at our next meeting. It was stated that there is a great deal of information is available from the National Archives concerning veterans. A pension file is the best file to get from the Archives.

There are other African-American genealogy groups/societies existing and getting started. Mentioned were the African-American Genealogy Society of Northern California perhaps the oldest group; there are groups in Richmond, VA, Wilmington, DE as well as Akron, Cleveland, and Columbus. We were encouraged to join other genealogy societies.

Art Thomas gave a splendid presentation on how to gather information, make sure it is complete & concise, and to pass information on. He too encouraged us to join other genealogy societies especially in the state/county being researched, and to make sure African-American family histories get into the local libraries. Art acknowledged author Sheila Clay.

Bennie McRae, "website master," encouraged using the computer for information. He is not a genealogist (he considers himself a researcher) but has many website links to retrieve genealogical information. He is willing to help in any way he can, and encouraged us to look for pension files of veterans of any war.

Deanna Ulbestad invited us to visit the Greene Room at the Xenia Library for information. There is a large collection of family histories, many of the U.S. censuses are located there and a great deal of information on Kentucky (especially ), as well as other states. Her office is located on the second floor of the Xenia Library.

Madelene Norris, researcher/author, encouraged going to cemeteries to gather information. A copy of her book is at the Xenia Library. There is a need for cemetery listings and inscriptions. She said a project is in place to fund the research of cemeteries.

Dr. Gwamma invited Bob to present a workshop October 14-19, 1999, at Wilberforce University. The event is the Wilberforce International Conference on Slave Narratives. The theme is Chronolizing Our Present, Remembering Our Past, Producing Our Future. The group was encouraged to participate.

Throughout the meeting we were urged to publish our histories, to give our notes/publications to the library for historical purposes and to join other genealogy societies/groups.

The meeting adjourned with an invitation to complete the registration cards by adding what office one would like to hold, surnames being researched, and an e-mail address; talk to the guests, and look at the various materials available. Please tell others about the group.

Notification of the September meeting will be mailed.