The Genealogy Insider: New (and Mostly Free!) Genealogy Events Celebrating Black History Month

New (and Mostly Free!) Genealogy Events Celebrating Black History Month

In 1926, a man named Dr. Carter G. Woodson created “Negro History Week” to celebrate and honor the life, history and contributions of Black Americans to their communities and to the world. Woodson chose the second week of February to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. Fast forward to the year 1986, and February became the first official Black History Month.

True to its roots, Black History Month is a time to explore, celebrate and honor Black heritage, and, as the original proclamation by Ronald Reagan states, “an occasion and opportunity to gain a fuller perspective of the contributions of black Americans to our Nation.”

The Library of Congress, the National Archives, the Smithsonian and others are offering online events, discussions and more. You can find a full list of BHM events here, and browse online exhibits from museums and galleries around the country here. 

Here are just a few happenings that may interest family historians:

• The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) is hosting a free online talk about the experience of Black veterans returning home after WWII. 

• The NMAAHC is also hosting a free online talk hosted by Robyn Smith about how to use deed records to trace African American ancestors. 

• MyHeritage is hosting a Facebook event all about using DNA in African American genealogy.  

Here at Family Tree, we’ve got a webinar coming up on Feb. 8 lead by Ari Wilkins all about researching African American ancestors pre-1870. Plus, a new session of our African American genealogy course begins Feb. 22, instructed by Shamele Jordon.

African American Genealogy Cheat Sheet Download

Use this quick-reference African American Genealogy Cheat Sheet to research your Black ancestry. The charts, tips, timeline, DNA answers, websites and books will help you find enslaved ancestors, freedmen, free Black people, and their descendants in US census, newspaper, Freedmen’s Bureau, Freedman’s Bank, US Colored Troops, plantation, court, and other records.

• Ancestry announced that it will be using handwriting-recognition technology (powered by artificial intelligence) to create the indexes of the 1950 census, and expects that "the indexing of the 1950 Census to be completed and available on Ancestry.com this summer, with states released in real time upon completion." 

• FamilySearch published a blog post about what users can expect in 2022, including handwriting-recognition technology, new international tree features and more.

• Ancestry has also been rolling out visual design updates including colors, fonts, illustrations and more. You can read the official blog post from Ancestry regarding the updates here. Roberta Estes also addressed the changes on her blog.

7 Steps for Fact-Checking Online Family Trees

Online family trees can be useful, but you should always carefully evaluate where the details in them come from. Read on for how to fact-check online family trees and determine whether other researchers are on the right path—or barking up the wrong tree.

How to Make a Family History Binder (Printable Guide)

Binders are a great tool for organizing and sharing family history research! Download this free guide and get started creating your own genealogy binder.

Census Excitement! We asked on social what you are hoping to discover about your family in the 1950 census. Read the responses and add your thoughts on Facebook and Twitter.

Facts vs. Facts: Legal Genealogist Judy Russell published a fascinating post about ultimate vs. evidentiary facts in courthouse records.

#MyGenealogyStory: Daniel Loftus of Daniel's Genealogy issued a call across social media for people to tell their genealogy story.

Year of the Tiger: Google celebrated the Lunar New Year with an adorable doodle, as well as a post sharing user-submitted family traditions and stories. 

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