Rediscovering History in Western Pennsylvania

I had already visited Fallingwater, the iconic Frank Lloyd Wright house nestled in the Laurel Highlands of Western Pennsylvania, twice before. Tucked away in the lush hills of Fayette County, it had always been a peaceful escape, with modern architecture harmonizing with nature. Each visit felt like a retreat into beauty and design. But my most recent trip was different. This time, I wasn’t just … Continue reading Rediscovering History in Western Pennsylvania

kenyaJune 17, 2025July 5, 20252 Comments

Isle of Wight County Historical Society Juneteenth Program

The Isaac Holleman descendants research team presented their research for the Isle of Wight County Historical Society‘s Juneteenth program. My fourth great-grandfather Isaac Holleman was born enslaved in 1818. He was granted his freedom at the age of 18 and reenslaved at the age of 30. During the Civil War, Isaac self-emancipated, fleeing to Fortress Monroe with his 3 children (by free woman Malinda Pretlow) … Continue reading Isle of Wight County Historical Society Juneteenth Program

kenyaJune 26, 2024June 26, 2024Leave a comment

Civil War Map of Isle of Wight and Nansemond Counties

Here’s a Civil War map of Isle of Wight County and part of Nansemond County. In the image, I have labeled where Jones Grove Baptist Church is as well as where Tony and Moses Allmond’s lands were 30-40 years later. Many of the roads are the same and a lot of the parcels have the same boundaries. Civil War maps are available at the Library … Continue reading Civil War Map of Isle of Wight and Nansemond Counties

kenyaAugust 16, 2023December 17, 2024Leave a comment

Social Media from 1926

I found this in the Journal and Guide from January 9, 1926, in the Suffolk section. They put any trivial detail in the paper back then. It looks a lot like today’s social media. Know that I’m actually glad they did because I’m finding out so much more about my family from notes in the local sections and society pages of these newspapers. Can you … Continue reading Social Media from 1926

kenyaAugust 12, 2023August 12, 2023Leave a comment

Finding Martha Blizzard Led Me To Blizzard Descendants

My Thrulines on Ancestry.com have been hit or miss lately. They suggest DNA relationships based on family trees and DNA matches. They can be completely wrong based on wrong trees on the site. Additionally, your Thrulines could disappear if someone deletes or makes private a large tree that the Ancestry algorithm is using to make the connection. Even when it’s wrong though, I’m normally able … Continue reading Finding Martha Blizzard Led Me To Blizzard Descendants

kenyaJuly 13, 2023December 17, 2024Leave a comment

International African American Museum, Charleston, South Carolina

I visited the International African American Museum located on Gadsden’s Wharf in Charleston, South Carolina. Gadsden’s Wharf was the first destination for an estimated 100,000 enslaved Africans during the peak of the international slave trade. Some researchers estimate that 40% of the enslaved Africans in the United States landed at Gadsden’s Wharf. The museum covers the history of Africans in America starting with the Black … Continue reading International African American Museum, Charleston, South Carolina

kenyaJuly 8, 2023Leave a comment

5th great-grandmother Angelina Urquhart

I have recently found the maiden names of two of my female ancestors both on my maternal grandmother’s maternal lines. I can’t tell you how excited I am about this because oftentimes, women’s entire identities were wiped away when they got married. The second one is my 5th great-grandmother Angelina Gwaltney nee Urquhart. Here she is on my MyHeritage tree. I found a death certificate … Continue reading 5th great-grandmother Angelina Urquhart

kenyaMay 25, 2023December 17, 2024Leave a comment

4th great-grandmother Martha Blizzard

I have recently found the maiden names of two of my female ancestors both on my maternal grandmother’s maternal lines. I can’t tell you how excited I am about this because oftentimes, women’s entire identities were wiped away when they got married. The first one is my 4th great-grandmother Martha Cypress nee Blizzard. Here she is on my My Heritage tree, which I have not … Continue reading 4th great-grandmother Martha Blizzard

kenyaMay 23, 2023December 17, 2024Leave a comment

Historical Black Newspapers

I wasn’t finding obituaries or any mention of my relatives prior to maybe the 1950s in the local newspapers that are available via Newspapers.com, VirginiaChronicle.com and NewsBank. Something I specifically didn’t find was an obituary for each of my Allmond great-grandparents. The only mention I found was a notice for a pressure canner clinic for Farm Security Housewives at my great-grandmother’s house in 1946. My … Continue reading Historical Black Newspapers

kenyaApril 9, 2023April 10, 20231 Comment

Virginia Free Negro Registers

Last weekend, I participated in a transcribe-a-thon to index Free Negro Registers that have recently been digitized by the Library of Virginia. In 1793, the Virginia General Assembly passed a law requiring that all free Black people “be registered and numbered in a book to be kept by the town clerk, which shall specify age, name, color, status and by whom, and in what court … Continue reading Virginia Free Negro Registers

kenyaMarch 13, 2023December 17, 2024Leave a comment