Black History Month raises a lot of questions in the minds of African Americans about their genealogy.
University of Memphis sophomore Jared Ross is trying to answer some of those questions. So Ross is coordinating an event in conjunction with the Family History Center called “Trace Your Roots.”
“I just wanted to provide a service to The U of M for people of African American decent to trace their genealogy,” Ross said.
“Trace Your Roots” will be held on Feb. 12 and 14 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the University Center. Although it is in honor of Black History Month, the event is open to all people.
The event will show people how to use the Internet, library and Family History Center to research their genealogy, said Ross.
One of the premiere resources for use at the event will be the Freedman’s Bank records. The Freedman’s Bank was a bank established to help freed slaves after the Civil War and many detailed records came from it.
“If somebody just knows the name of an ancestor who was a slave, we can start the search in Freedman’s from there,” said Iris Godwin, family history specialist.
There will also be computers set up for research, and volunteers from the Family History Center will be on-hand to help with the search.
The Family History Center is sponsored by and located in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 4195 Kirby-Whitten Parkway in Bartlett.
The center is a free service offered to the public to search their genealogy.
“We have access to the largest genealogy records in the world from Salt Lake City,” said Director of Public Affairs Carolyn Bendall.
The center also provides access to many books, military records and microfilm on Mid-South genealogy records. The center also works in conjunction with the public library to help people start the search for their roots, according to Bendall.
Run by volunteers who are trained in researching genealogy, and throughout the year, the center hosts seminars to aid the public in the search for their ancestors.
On Feb. 16, Godwin will speak at the Family History Center with a lecture titled “Court Records.”.
The seminar will teach people how to locate and utilize court records for genealogical research and will be held from 9 to 10:30 a.m. in the Family History Center.
“There are people’s lives in those court records,” Godwin said. “People can see how their ancestors lived and what they did, instead of just finding out dates to fill a family tree.”
