Findingdeeproots

02/22/2026

Our Ancestors’ Land, Our Future

Researching your family history is about more than names and dates — it is about power, legacy, and protecting what belongs to your family.

Across the country, families are using genealogical research and community action to protect ancestral land and preserve their heritage. Recently, residents of Sapelo Island’s historic Gullah Geechee community successfully voted to stop zoning changes that threatened their land, culture, and future — showing how knowledge of community history and participation in civic processes can safeguard generational legacy. The following article by Aallyah Wright, Sapelo Island’s Gullah Geechee Community Fights Back and Wins, provides additional insight.
https://capitalbnews.org/sapelo-island-voters-stop-development/

This powerful example reminds us that documenting family history is not just personal — it can influence property rights, community preservation, and generational wealth. When we understand our ancestors’ land ownership, migration patterns, and historical connections, we strengthen our ability to advocate for our families and communities today.

At Finding Deep Roots, we help families uncover these vital records — tracing ancestry, property connections, and historical documentation that build a clearer path to the past and empower the future.

Your family history matters. Your legacy matters. Your voice matters.

Let us help you discover your story.

02/15/2026

Your Past Is Your Power

In today’s world, with so much change happening around us, understanding who we are and where we come from has never been more important. Knowing your family history provides a powerful link to the past — a foundation that helps guide how we move forward.

Genealogy connects us to the lives, struggles, and triumphs of those who came before us. It reveals how our ancestors lived, worked, migrated, and persevered. Their experiences shaped the opportunities we have today, and their stories help us better understand our identity, purpose, and place in the world.

Researching your family history is more than curiosity — it is preservation, empowerment, and legacy-building. It allows us to reclaim stories that may have been forgotten, correct narratives that were misunderstood, and pass knowledge to future generations.

At Finding Deep Roots, we believe that when you know your roots, you stand stronger in the present and walk more confidently into the future. Your past is not behind you — it lives within you.

02/14/2026

Yay!!!

Join us for a Black History Month Ancestry Workshop presented by Finding Deep Roots on Saturday, February 21st at 1:00pm! Explore your family history and learn how to create a 5-generation genealogical pedigree chart.

Please register at the link below or by calling the library at 412-775-4700.
https://pennhills.librarycalendar.com/event/black-history-month-ancestry-workshop-15489

02/14/2026

02/10/2026

Awesome!

We're so excited to have Findingdeeproots back for another awesome workshop! Sign up to work with their expert genealogists and learn more about your family history this Valentine's Day.

For more information and registration, please call the library or visit our Events Calendar at https://live-homestead.pantheonsite.io/event/finding-deep-roots-genealogy-workshop-3362

02/09/2026

Our Ancestors Left Receipts

Good day everybody and Happy Black History Month!

Black history is every day when you are researching your family history. At Finding Deep Roots, we are really trying to build forests — not just individual family trees but connected histories that tell a fuller story of who we are and where we come from.

This month, there are several FREE genealogy workshops happening around the community. If you need assistance getting started or digging deeper into your research, please stop by. You don’t have to do this work alone.
https://findingdeeproots.com/events/

Across the country, we are beginning to see forms of reparative justice take shape. Most recently, San Francisco passed legislation to assist families who can prove harm due to enslavement. In most cases, reparative justice starts with proof — and proof can only be found through research.

If you’d like to read more about this historic measure, here’s an article by Kevin Epps in the San Francisco Bay View that provides more information:
https://sfbayview.com/2025/12/5-million-reparations-fund-from-slaverys-shadows-sf-mayor-signs-historic-measure-for-black-san-franciscans/

There is a wealth of information available online that can grant access to historical records capable of supporting that proof. The key is simply getting started. We are here to help you research your family’s history, uncover the facts, and preserve the truth.

Who knows what we can find together?

02/01/2026

Celebrate Black History by Tracing Your Roots

This Black History Month, we’re honoring our ancestors not just with remembrance — but with action. At Finding Deep Roots, we believe one of the most powerful ways to celebrate Black history is by learning our own family stories and preserving them for future generations.

We don’t just build family trees — we build forests.
Forests of stories, connections, cultures, and lineages that stretch across generations and communities. Every family matters. Every story matters. Every branch is connected.

That’s why we’re hosting FREE genealogy workshops every Saturday at local libraries throughout the community. These sessions are designed to help individuals and families begin researching their ancestry, build pedigree charts, and learn how to navigate historical records — all in a supportive, welcoming space.

Black history isn’t just what we read in textbooks — it lives in our families, our names, our stories, and our lineage. Come build your forest with us.

View our full schedule on our Events Page:
www.findingdeeproots.com/events/

Let’s honor the past by empowering the present and preserving the future.

01/25/2026

We Build Forests: Genealogy Beyond the Family Tree

We’re honoring roots that extend deep into history — and how building forests of connection enriches all of us.

One of the most extraordinary examples of interwoven family history in the United States is the Quander family, believed to be the oldest consistently documented African American family whose ancestry extends back to the 1680s and the Fanti people of what is now Ghana.
https://quanderquality.com/

From early ancestors like Egya Amkwandoh — brought here through the horrors of the trans-Atlantic slave trade — to generations who preserved their legacy across Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., the Quanders have kept records and connections alive for centuries.

Their story includes notable contributors like Nellie Quander, a pioneering civic leader and first international president of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, and many others who shaped community life and historical understanding.

The Quanders’ multi-century journey reminds us that genealogy isn’t just about one lineage, but about how our histories intersect and illuminate the collective past. At Finding Deep Roots, we help people uncover these connections through library genealogy workshops, guided research, and tools like the Finding Deep Roots Workbook — because when individual trees are documented and linked, we build forests.
https://findingdeeproots.com/workbook/

01/21/2026

https://findingdeeproots.com/events/

12/14/2025

Wrapping Up a Year of Growth, Gratitude & Genealogy

What a year it has been for Finding Deep Roots! As we close out 2025, we’re reflecting on the incredible journey we’ve shared with our community.
https://youtu.be/6D9RDo5IEQA

This summer, we took time to dive deeper into our own family trees—traveling to places like Charlottesville, VA and Ironton, OH to walk the land of our ancestors, visit historical societies, uncover records, and reconnect with relatives. These trips of discovery reminded us why this work matters: genealogy is personal, powerful, and healing. When we strengthen our own roots, we become even better equipped to help others find theirs.
https://findingdeeproots.com/back-in-action-with-new-roots-revealed/
https://findingdeeproots.com/census-records-to-legacy-tracing-my-ancestors-in-charlottesville-virginia/
https://findingdeeproots.com/walking-in-their-footsteps-my-ironton-journey/

This year, we hosted multiple free genealogy workshops, helping families across Pittsburgh and beyond begin or deepen their research journeys. We traveled all the way to Brazil, expanding our understanding of African diaspora histories and strengthening our mission to connect families globally.
https://findingdeeproots.com/events/
https://findingdeeproots.com/bom-dia-from-rio-de-janeiro/

We also launched our new Black Tee collection, proudly defining genealogy, ancestor, and pedigree—bringing family history into everyday style with intention and power. And of course, we celebrated the 2nd anniversary of Finding Deep Roots: The Workbook, a tool that continues to help families document, organize, and preserve their stories with clarity and purpose.
https://findingdeeproots.com/genealogy-ancestry-pedigree-why-we-research/
https://findingdeeproots.com/two-years-and-were-just-getting-started/

It’s been a year of expansion, joy, and deep connection. Thank you for supporting, sharing, attending, purchasing, and believing in this work.

We can’t wait to see what 2026 will bring—more workshops, more discoveries, more stories uncovered, and more families remembering who they are.

Here’s to the past, the present, and the roots we’re still uncovering. Cheers!