MEC Behymer Family History Research Services

11/12/2025

11/09/2025

10/04/2025

"We are excited to announce a new database for 10 Millions Names, [North America: Records of Enslaved People from Plantations and Estates, 1765-1890](https://www.americanancestors.org/search/databasesearch/3866/north-america-records-of-enslaved-people-from-plantations-and-estates-1765-1890). This database contains birth, death, marriage, and census records of those who were enslaved at North American Plantations and Estates, as well as their family members. Each volume within this database is of a different plantation or estate. Currently, this database only contains records between the years 1765 and 1890 from the Cedar Grove Plantation in North Carolina, but more volumes will be added as they are completed. [North Carolina: Cedar Grove, 1765-1890](https://www.americanancestors.org/search/databasesearch/3866/north-america-records-of-enslaved-people-from-plantations-and-estates-1765-1890) contains 600 records and 805 names. This volume includes records from tax lists and inventories, deeds, family papers, the 1870 census, and the [Torrence Family Tree project](https://heartscollaborative.org/torrence-and-allied-families)."

https://dbnews.americanancestors.org/2025/08/28/new-database-north-america-records-of-enslaved-people-from-plantations-and-estates-1765-1890/?utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9MaJR0HEbMb-BT4Y-RD59J_ZIy8_MxfKVzmNDNTxt4EpmOWSDRmJGpQMTOQ-nOElUQJBdD9JIJdrEQBolyRPU5TdI05vTCimBkY9eNvfvHMIF4b6I&_hsmi=383592585&utm_content=383592585&utm_source=hs_email

Historic plantation house in Huntersville, NC, built in 1831; 2022, Crazyale, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons We are excited to announce a new database for 10 Millions Names, North America: Records of E…

09/26/2025

09/04/2025

GRS Descendants Database
Check out this hidden Gem! You can search everyone in your to see if they have ever appeared on an application for Daughters of the American Revolution. The database is updated within a year of new verified applications and information for living individuals is not accessible. The current version of the database has over 15 million names! It's a great way to locate lesser known records or discover if you may have a ancestor you never knew about. Interested in your own genealogy? https://mecbfhrs.square.site/
Patriots exist in the following ethnic/cultural areas:
African-American (including Black Patriots (free and enslaved) and African-American descent from European Patriots)
Dutch
French (including countries such as Haiti which were under French control during the Revolutionary War period)
French Canadian
German
Jewish
Native American
Polish
Spanish (including the Louisiana Territory and countries such as Cuba which were under Spanish control during the Revolutionary War period)
This content does not represent or express the views of NSDAR, any state society of NSDAR, or any chapter of NSDAR.

09/01/2025

5 Ways to Be An Ally Through Genealogy
1. Do not hide the "uncomfortable" parts of your family history. This information may be vital to helping someone in a marginalized identity piece together their family history. Your ancestors' actions don't reflect poorly on you - hiding that history does.
2. If you are recording family stories, be clear about what can (and what cannot) be verified as the truth. We may grow up hearing some epic stories, but they may not even be close to what researchers can verify. Don't lash out when you read something from another researcher that disproves what you heard.
3. Preserve your family's records and photos. Preserve. Your. Family's. Records. And. Photos. There are resources out there that will only cost you time. You have a phone and there are free places to help with bulk photo digitization. And, professional digital preservation is becoming less and less expensive. This is something that will have an impact far beyond what you can even imagine.
4. If you have the bandwidth, record the names of the enslaved people your family held and who they were sold or transferred to. Again, many people of marginalized identities are trying to piece together their enslaved families migrations and ancestry, and this could be vital for them to learn.
5. Don't forget about your Caucasian ancestors who were identured servants! Again, these names and stories are very important. Lesser known parts of the history of the enslaved include being "bred" with European servants to create enslaved people with lighter skin tones and to continue to perpetuate enslavement once the importation of people as property was no longer allowed.

Free or low-cost resources to start your family tree and preserve your family memories:
1. FamilySearch: https://www.familysearch.org/
2. FamilySearch Centers: https://www.familysearch.org/en/locations/centers/about
3. 10 Million Names: https://10millionnames.org/
4. Newspapers . com: https://www.newspapers.com/ [Low-cost & separate subscription outside of Ancestry]
5. Check prices for DNA tests around every holiday you can think of! There are so many sales. Opt-in to matching with DNA relatives to help folks of color find their ancestors. *Disclaimer: You may find some family secrets by doing this!


The content contained herein does not necessarily represent the position of any corporation or organization mentioned.

09/01/2025

Now posted to YouTube -- Building Your Family Tree-Part 2 (Taylor's Version) - Ancestry.com!

Join me as we continue a family tree using the renowned celebrity Taylor Swift and her family. We find birth and death (if applicable) for each generation and gain some very cool insights into the lives of Taylor's family back into the 18th century!

The content contained herein does not necessarily represent the position of any corporation or organization mentioned.

https://youtu.be/tqyavu-wEig?si=1MgrNm3Ih0qihVKi

08/31/2025

Oops-tech issues! I will be streaming genealogy research on today from 1 pm to 3 pm EST. https://www.twitch.tv/busybehymerbee

Taylor's Version on Ancestry.com from a professional genealogist's perspective was 2 weeks ago. To celebrate the engagement, we will do Travis's Version! Feel free to comment on things you'd love to see me cover in the future!

Streams, videos, and shorts will also be posted to my YouTube channel! https://youtube.com/shorts/DVrc9JtGOMQ?feature=share

08/22/2025

Eunice Russ Ames Davis
(1800-1901)
(1) The first known woman of color in the Daughters of the American Revolution.
(2) Born Eunice Davis in North Andover, Massachusetts to Prince Ames & Eunice Russ.
(3) Prince Ames was a Black man who served as a Private out of Massachusetts, most likely in the Continental Line.
(4) Eunice Russ was of African, European, Penobscot, and Narragansett descent.
(5) Due to her father's Revolutionary War service, Eunice Russ Ames Davis joined
the Daughters of the American Revolution on December 3, 1896. She was given the national number 16263 and became a member of the Old South DAR Chapter in Boston. She is considered a “Real Daughter” meaning she is a child of a Revolutionary War Patriot.
(6) In her lifetime, Eunice Russ Ames Davis was an abolitionist, devout Baptist,
political changemaker, and outlived two husbands and all her children.
Some of her many accomplishments were:
- President of the first independent Baptist Female Society
- Officer and a founder of the Boston Female Anti-Slavery Society
- “In 1896, The New York Times named her the "oldest living female abolitionist in the world".”
(7) No additional text on the slide.
(8) No additional text on the slide.
(9) Eunice Russ Ames Davis was a legend & we honor her legacy.
Could you trace your ancestry back to a Revolutionary War Patriot?
Eunice Russ Ames Davis
(1800-1901)
(1) The first known woman of color in the Daughters of the American Revolution.
(2) Born Eunice Davis in North Andover, Massachusetts, to Prince Ames & Eunice Russ.
(3) Prince Ames was a Black man who served as a Private out of Massachusetts, most likely in the Continental Line.
(4) Eunice Russ was of African, European, Penobscot, and Narragansett descent.
(5) Due to her father's Revolutionary War service, Eunice Russ Ames Davis joined
the Daughters of the American Revolution on December 3, 1896. She was given the national number 16263 and became a member of the Old South DAR Chapter in Boston. She is considered a “Real Daughter,” meaning she is a child of a Revolutionary War Patriot.
(6) In her lifetime, Eunice Russ Ames Davis was an abolitionist, devout Baptist,
political changemaker, and outlived two husbands and all her children.
Some of her many accomplishments were:
- President of the first independent Baptist Female Society
- Officer and a founder of the Boston Female Anti-Slavery Society
- “In 1896, The New York Times named her the "oldest living female abolitionist in the world.”
(7) No additional text on the slide.
(8) No additional text on the slide.
(9) Eunice Russ Ames Davis was a legend & we honor her legacy.
Could you trace your ancestry back to a Revolutionary War Patriot?


on Twitch | YouTube | TikTok - https://mecbfhrs.square.site/

The content contained herein does not necessarily represent the position of the NSDAR or any other organization.

on Twitch | YouTube | TikTok - https://mecbfhrs.square.site/

The content contained herein does not necessarily represent the position of the NSDAR or any other organization.

08/18/2025

The first genealogy stream has been posted to YouTube! Join me as we start a family tree using the renowned celebrity Taylor Swift and her family. In under 2 hours, I will show you how I built a tree back 4 generations. We find birth and death (if applicable) for each generation and gain some very cool insights into the lives of Taylor's family back into the 19th century!

https://youtu.be/HVCwXSLnVqw?si=tfvuXVFgZmPObwa6

Discover your family's story! https://mecbfhrs.square.site/

08/17/2025

Exciting News! I am taking my genealogy content to the next level - streaming! I will be streaming (schedule permitting) genealogy research and resources on Twitch every Sunday from 11 am to 1 pm EST. https://www.twitch.tv/busybehymerbee

Today's stream will start a brand new tree on Ancestry.com from a professional genealogist's perspective. Feel free to comment on things you'd love to see me cover in the future!

Streams, videos, and shorts will also be posted to my YouTube channel! https://youtube.com/shorts/DVrc9JtGOMQ?feature=share