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The Latest
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The Long Road Home: Debt, Foreclosure, and the Resilience of the Evans Family
In the history of Newton County, few stories illustrate both the vulnerability and resilience of African American landowners as vividly as the saga of the…
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The Master of the Deed: How Allen Rigsby Outpaced the Crop-Lien System
In the history of Newton County, Mississippi, we often hear about the promise of “Forty Acres and a Mule” — a promise that never truly…
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From the Balcony to the Brush Arbor: The Birth of the Black Church in Mississippi
Before the Civil War, the Black church in Mississippi was often a church within a church — a congregation worshipping under watchful eyes. Faith existed,…
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The DNA Truth: Using Genetic Testing with Wisdom and Care
In his episode of Finding Your Roots, LL Cool J discovers information about his family history that reshapes his understanding of identity. Like many people…
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The Architecture of Memory: Why Our Stories Matter
History is often taught as a series of dates and names belonging to the powerful or the well-documented. But for the African American community in…
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Breaking the 1870 Wall: Finding Our Ancestors in the Shadows
For anyone researching African American genealogy, the year 1870 often feels like a brick wall. This was the first U.S. Federal Census to record formerly…
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Sacred Ground: Reclaiming the Lost Archives of Newton County
Cemeteries are more than just resting places—they are historical records etched in stone. In Newton County, many burial grounds tied to Black families, churches, and…
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The Sound of a Name: Why Census Spellings Vary (and How to Trace Them)
When researching African American families in rural Mississippi, one of the first “brick walls” we encounter isn’t a lack of records—it’s a lack of consistent…
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Following the Names: Reclaiming the Stories of Newton County
Genealogy is often described as placing names on a family tree. But for those researching African American families in Mississippi, the work is far more…
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The Alias in the Archives: Navigating Name Fluidity in African American Genealogy
In genealogical research, we often expect a straight line from birth to death. We expect records to align neatly — birth certificate, census, marriage, death.…
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The “Robbery” at Hickory: Looking Again at a 1923 Account
In October 1923, a tragic incident in Hickory, Mississippi, left two people dead: Mrs. Kennedy and Arch Johnson Anderson. The newspaper account described it as…
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More Than a Name: Unpacking “Aunt” and the Complex Legacy of Southern Churches
When we read historical accounts of Black Americans, especially from the Jim Crow South, we often encounter seemingly quaint terms like “Aunt” or “Uncle” preceding…