Full Circle: Tracing the Descendants of a Slaveholding Ancestor

Take a deep dive through case studies to learn how Civil War Pensions, the Freedmen’s Bureau, and Probates/Successions come together to reveal the pre-emancipation, post emancipation, and 20th Century lives of the formerly enslaved and their families.

Learn how DNA reconnected a family living on two continents (North America and Australia), and how the Underground Railroad, the Freedmen’s Bureau, a legal battle within the slaveholding family, and Broadway musicals became central threads to their dynamic story.

Discover how DNA, online and offline genealogy converged to break down a more than 100 year old brick wall revealing the life, times, and relations of a mysterious multi-ethnic man named John Lee.

This groundbreaking collection, which also goes by the name Louisiana, U.S., Records of Enslaved People, 1719-1820, was the brainchild of Dr. Gwendolyn Midlo-Hall and features the names, genders, ages, occupations, illnesses, family relationships, places of origin and more for upwards of 100,000 formerly enslaved in Louisiana. In this session, learn the history of the collection, where records were obtained, how to search and find original documents, and more.

Organized in August 1862, the First Kansas Colored Infantry was the first Black unit recruited in the North, the first to see and die in battle in the Civil War. Made up of both free and enslaved men, including those from the Five Tribes, its exploits were legendary. Yet, the lives of its rank and file outside of their service were prolific and unsung.

From Sago and Fatima, Randall and Esther, to Moosa and Katy, learn the ancestral story of the Trask 250 from the vantage point of their oldest traceable ancestors. These incredible individuals were born before the founding of the United States, survived the Transatlantic Slave Trade, and count more than 6,000 descendants between them.

The concept of ex-slave pensions gained traction in 1890 and became a full movement by the beginning of the 20th century. Learn about the history and demise of the movement, the leaders, and how to find ancestors among the records.

Genealogists and family historians alike have spent decades looking for a tried and true method for unearthing slaveholders of those enslaved prior to 1865. Learn how three crucial record sets (Civil War Pensions, the Freedmen’s Bureau, and Probates/Successions) can become just the wrecking ball needed to obliterate brick walls related to slavery.

What’s the difference between circuit and chancery court? Are probate and succession the same thing? Why bother looking at court records when it’s not involving slavery? Get the answers to these questions and more during this session, where we’ll cover court records from top to bottom, from the perspective of…