Family Tree Girl

I am challenged everyday on how I conduct my genealogical research. It doesn’t matter if I am doing African American or European ancestry  -challenges are expected and welcomed. There are so many myths that cause more challenges, such as all enslaved individuals took the slaver owner’s name. This is not true. Per Family Search only…

Originally posted on 1st U.S. Colored Cavalry: This 32-page guide by Reginald Washington (now retired from the National Archives) is a must. It’s free. Just click on the image and download it.

Sharing information about my new job. Join me in reading the articles and feel free to share. It will take a community to build this project. The President’s Commission on Slavery at the University (University of Virginia, Charlottesville) has designed a memorial to the enslaved laborers who helped to build the University. The memorial will be…

I have written about my paternal grandfather a few times. But this one has my mind boggled. So let’s walk through a bit of a timeline to see what I have.  I know I have to do the SO WHAT thing of analyzing and questioning the information that gets presented to me. My goal is…

I am so sorry to my ancestors and my heart is broken. A group of folks are trying to help save the cemetery from being disturbed. I feel we are too late, money and dirty tactics will probably win. But, I am still hopeful.  They have swarmed in and around the burial grounds. We are…

does not mean you are not a racist or have racist tendencies! This write up is a little rant, so it’s up to you if you want to read it or not. The 2019 Black History month has not been a good one in my opinion. We should be learning, teaching generations, and sharing the…

Okay, let me back up a bit because I am on a roll. This is on my father’s side, so Murphy’s this is for you. I posted a blog on the Hendry’s. I welcomed William Hendry to the family via my paternal great grandmother Nellie (McCorkle, Murphy) Giles. He, William Hendry,  is my 2nd great…

Curious about DNA and what to do with it once you have received results? Sept 9th at the Library of Virginia (in Richmond, Virginia)  is the place to be to receive some answers. Registration is still open. Click on the link http://www.lva.virginia.gov/news/calendar/?year=2018&month=9 Hope to see you there!

Are you familiar with Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest in Forest, Virginia? Visit the home page at: https://www.poplarforest.org/#section-1  Information shared from the website event’s page: Discover your African American roots. Join the Poplar Forest African American Advisory Group for an interactive experience designed to help you explore your family’s African American history. Hear stories about exploring…

Charlottesville, VA, August 16, 2018 – The Charlottesville Center for History and Culture: Home of the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society, today named Dr. Shelley Murphy as the new Chair of the Board of Directors. A native of Michigan, Dr. Murphy has been an avid genealogist for nearly three decades, specializing in the study and practice…