Our Folks' Tales

02/16/2026

A nature preserve in Albemarle County stands as more than just a place for hiking and open space. Long before it became trails and protected land, it was a Black-owned farm with a story that helped shape the community.

02/16/2026

Today is President's Day. Because of my friend Sterling (Roots & Vistas Tours ), I've come to appreciate the first US presidents a bit more, even as I struggle mightily with their identity as enslavers.

Still, I don't care much about those dudes. I do, however, care a great deal about their papers. Because they were famous, even then - and because they thought of themselves as important - their papers have been preserved, documented, archived, and made available.

Gemini said
For a genealogy page, Presidents' Day is complicated. We don't want to just "celebrate" the men, many of whom were enslavers.

Instead, let’s frame the holiday as a Research Opportunity. The personal papers of U.S. Presidents are some of the most well-preserved archives in the country—and for African American genealogists, those papers (plantation records, estate inventories) are often the only place to find the names of enslaved ancestors.

Here is a post that honors the holiday by centering the "Hidden Figures" in the archives.

Caption:

Today is Presidents' Day. But as genealogists, we look past the statues.

When the country celebrates Washington, Jefferson, Madison, or Jackson, they see "Founding Fathers."

But for those of us researching African American history, we see something else. We see the Estate Inventories.

Because these men were Presidents, their personal papers were meticulously preserved. And hidden inside those papers—in the farm ledgers of Mount Vernon, the garden books of Monticello, and the probate records of The Hermitage—are the names of thousands of enslaved ancestors.

For many Black families, a President’s "legacy" is the only reason their ancestor’s name was written down at all.

So today, we don't just honor the men in the White House.

We honor the families who built their houses.
We honor the names listed in the margins of their diaries.
We honor the Ben Creasys (who is buried under a marked stone at Bremo) and the Isaac Grangers (who managed Jefferson’s estate).

Genealogy Tip:
If your ancestors lived in a county where a US President (or a wealthy politician) lived, check their personal papers at the Library of Congress, the National Archives, or your local universities and historical societies. Your family might be mentioned in their letters, their hiring contracts, or their sales records.

Have you ever found an ancestor listed in the papers of a famous historical figure? I'd love to hear more about your ancestor and your find.

(Image Description - the memorial to enslaved workers at Monticello. A bench curves around the edge of the cemetery.)

02/14/2026

🦅🇺🇸Happy birthday to Frederick Douglass — 19th Century American abolitionist, author, and orator.

“Interpreted as it ought to be interpreted, the Constitution is a glorious liberty document.”

— Frederick Douglass, 1852

02/13/2026

Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day. And as genealogists, we know that "Love" didn't always come with a license.

For many of us researching African American history, finding a marriage record before 1865 is rare. We rely on oral histories. We look for the couples who simply stayed together through the impossible.

But then, sometimes, you find the moment when everything changed.

Years ago, I was looking through the records for Fluvanna County, Virginia. And there they were: Dilcey and Cato Cocke.

They were married in December 1865.

Just months after the end of the Civil War. Just as the ink was drying on the 13th Amendment. They didn't wait. They walked into that courthouse and made sure that the state of Virginia—the same state that had once denied their humanity—acknowledged their love.

I can only imagine how long they had been together before that day. I can only imagine what it felt like to stand there and say, "This is my husband. This is my wife. And you have to write it down."

This weekend, while the world celebrates hearts and flowers, I am honoring Dilcey and Cato. And I am honoring every ancestor who fought for the right to love out loud.

Tell me: Who is the earliest couple you have found in your family tree who legalized their union after Emancipation?

(Image Description - a black man sits on the edge of a porch while a black woman sits on a trunk on the porch. Photo by Library of Congress on Unsplash)

02/12/2026

I didn't work yesterday. I needed the silence.

When you work in African American genealogy, the work is rarely just "research." It is emotional labor. It is spiritual work.

We are constantly wading through heavy waters—trying to find names in the gaps, reading hard histories, and holding space for ancestors who weren't allowed to tell their own stories.

It is rewarding, but it is heavy.

I took yesterday off to just be. As I was sitting with a friend at a winery overlooking the fall to the James River from the Blue Ridge, I thought about how hard our ancestors worked. They labored so that, one day, their descendants would have the luxury of a slow Wednesday.

If we burn ourselves out trying to find them, we miss the point of their survival. They wanted us to live.

So, I took the rest. And today? Today I’m ready to open the archives again.

To my fellow researchers: Don’t forget to step away from the census records every once in a while. The history will still be there when you get back.

(Image Description - the grapes at Vineyards with the James River behind them) )

02/10/2026

The Genealogist's Worst Nightmare. 🔥📄

We all know the pain of hitting a "Burned County" or looking for the 1890 Census only to find... nothing.

That specific grief—the realization that history has physically turned to ash—is the heartbeat of The Library Book by Susan Orlean.

I revisited this book recently, and it hits differently when you are a researcher.

It chronicles the 1986 fire at the Los Angeles Central Library, which destroyed over 400,000 books and damaged 700,000 more. Orlean describes the fire not just as an event, but as a death in the family. She captures the visceral tragedy of losing the only copy of a story.

As family historians, we are in the business of preservation. We digitize, we interview, and we save because we know how fragile paper really is.

If you want a book that understands why we do this work—and the lengths people will go to save a single record—you need to read this.

I wrote a full reflection on The Library Book today.

Read it on Substack. (Link in first comment.)

Question: What is the one "lost record" you wish you could have saved from a fire?

02/09/2026

Black Love has always been an act of resistance. ❤️⛓️

As we head into Valentine's week, I’m thinking about the Cohabitation Bonds of 1866.

Immediately after Emancipation, thousands of couples went to the Freedman's Bureau or local courthouses to retroactively legalize their marriages.

These records are some of the most moving documents in American history. You see couples who had been 'jumping the broom' for 20, 30, or 40 years finally getting to say, 'This is my spouse' on legal paper.

Genealogy Tip: If you are stuck in the 1870 brick wall, check the Freedman’s Bureau Marriage Records. They often list the names of children, previous enslavers, and how long the couple had been together before the law recognized them.

It’s not just a vital record; it’s a testament to endurance.

(Image Description - page of Roanoke County, Virginia Cohabitation Records from the Library of Virginia)
Have you found a Cohabitation Bond in your research yet?

02/08/2026

Will I be seeing you at RootsTech? I'll be popping in when my son is occupied, or when he wants to peek in. :)

A family history conference. An on-demand learning library. A way to grow closer to the people, places, and stories that matter most. RootsTech is all that and so much more. Join us as we celebrate together the joy of connection.

02/06/2026

Do you believe in the "Magic of the Second Look"?

I am constantly amazed by how I can read a Census record ten times and see nothing... and then read it the eleventh time and see everything.

I think it’s because we often research with a specific question in mind ("Where is John?"). Our brain filters out everything that isn't "John."

But when we step away and come back later with a quiet mind, the filters drop.

Suddenly, we notice that the family living next door has the same last name as John’s wife. Suddenly, we notice the tick mark in the "Owned Property" column. Suddenly, the story opens up.

If you have a file you haven't touched in six months, maybe this weekend is the time to open it again.

You are a different researcher now than you were then. You know more. You see more.

Has this ever happened to you? What did you find on the second (or twentieth) look.

(Image Description - an old, handwritten ledger. Photo by camera obscura on Unsplash)

02/05/2026

I was thinking today about the phrases that color my childhood memories. Not necessarily the deep life advice, but the quirky, specific expressions that just were.

In my house, if there was confusion or chaos, you’d hear: "What shot who?"

And if the day had been long and the work was hard? "I’m plum tuckered."

I love these phrases because they are like little time capsules. As soon as I say "plum tuckered," I can picture the my dad and grandfather say it. I can hear their voices.

Oral history isn't just about the big stories; it's about the texture of the language our folks used every day.

So, I want to hear the quirky ones.

What is a phrase you grew up hearing that you still find yourself saying today?

Drop them in the comments! 👇🏾

(Image description - my grandfather Preston Ellyte Cumbo and grandmother Bela Mae Brown Cumbo)

02/04/2026

Free webinar from Enslaved At Oakley. Don't miss it.

Join us on February 11 at 7:00 p.m. ET for VGS’s free February webinar, presented in recognition of Black History Month. We'll be discussing the Enslaved at Oakley and Beyond Project with author, Joseph Roby. Register here: https://www.vgs.org/event/webinar-in-conversation-with-joseph-roby-11-feb-2026/

Researching enslaved individuals is often challenging, particularly when records name the enslaved only indirectly or not at all. In many cases, locating and thoroughly analyzing records created by enslavers is the key to identifying and tracing African American lives across time. The Enslaved at Oakley & Beyond Project demonstrates how careful, contextual research into enslavers and their families can illuminate the lives of those they enslaved—and how responsibly locating, analyzing, and sharing these records is essential to that work.

This program will depart from a traditional webinar format and take the form of a moderated conversation with Joseph Roby (The Enslaved at Oakley & Beyond Project), Kelley Conner Lear, CG®, and Dr. Shelley Viola Murphy. Together, they’ll discuss methodology, interpretation, and ethical considerations in this type of research. Time will be reserved at the end of the session for audience questions.

02/03/2026

We spend years searching for our ancestors. We find their names, their dates, and the places they called home. It is a labor of love.

But the leap from "Researching" to "Writing" can feel huge.

I know this because I have stood exactly where you are standing.

When I was writing my book, The Slaves Have Names, I was staring at piles of inventory lists, court records, and genealogy charts. I had to figure out how to take those dry facts and weave them into a narrative that honored the people I had found.

It wasn't easy, but it was the most rewarding work I have ever done. And now, I want to help you do the same.

Whether you have a binder full of notes or a rough draft that needs help, I work with family historians in two ways:

🌿 Book Coaching: If you are staring at your research and thinking "Where do I even start?"—we can work together to build your outline and draft the stories chapter by chapter.

📖 Editing: If you already have pages written but want them to shine, I can help you polish the narrative so your grandchildren will actually want to read it.

The goal is the same: To take the history you’ve found and breathe life into it, so it isn't lost again.

I have a few openings for Coaching and Editing starting late February.

Send me a message if you’d like to chat about where you are and what you need. Let’s get these stories told.

(Image Description - my notes as I do further research on the family of Anthony and Ardelia Harris at Birdwood in Albemarle County, Virginia.)