May 11, 2019 Meeting

The AAHGS Hampton Roads Chapter will meet this Saturday, May 11, 2019 at the Hampton Public Library on Victoria Blvd. in Hampton VA at 10 AM.  Our speaker will be Robert Kelly, President of the Fort Monroe Historical Society.  Mr. Kelly served as the Research and Preservation Assistant for the Fort Monroe Authority from 2011-2014 and was named Casement Museum Historian in 2014. He will be presenting information from the current research being done at Fort Monroe which appears in an article just published.

“Humanizing the Enslaved of Fort Monroe’s Arc of Freedom,” that was recently published in the Journal of Contemporary Archival Studies, hosted by Yale University.

The article features newly completed archival research that pertains specifically to the enslaved and contraband laborers who worked at Fort Monroe during the 19th century.  

Learn more about the ongoing research to identify by first and last name, both the enslaved people that helped build Fort Monroe and those who sought refuge at the fort during the Civil War.  Also, hear about newly discovered evidence that may substantiate the oral tradition of Shepard Mallory as one of the first three contrabands.

Monticello Bus Trip

AAHGS – Hampton Roads is going to Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello and we’d LOVE for you to join us! Departing: 8:00 a.m., Saturday, June 22, 2019 - Returning (approx.) 5:00 p.m. Cost: $50 (Covers bus transportation and admission fee) Lunch options are available on site or bring your own! ​

Monticello is the mountaintop home that Thomas Jefferson built for himself and his family. It was also home to enslaved and free people of color, including Sally Hemmings and her children. Admission price includes tours of the main home, the Slavery Tour, tours of the gardens, and numerous exhibits that expound upon the intricacies of life on this large, scenic plantation. Full payment of $50 is due by June 2, 2019.

Mail your check to: AAHGS-HR, PO Box 2448, Newport News, VA 23609 or use the PayPal link.

Questions: Email yarsan@aol.com or call 757-291-9109 For more information about touring Monticello and to prepare for our trip, visit https://www.monticello.org Charter bus transportation will be provided by Venture Tours, Inc

2019 Spring Seminar

Spring Seminar 

Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society Hampton Roads Chapter 

Saturday, 13 April 2019, 9:30 a.m. — 4:00 p.m. 

New Grace Church, 128 Deal Drive Newport News, VA 23608 

Registration Form

(Flyer updated March 24, 2019)

November Meeting Speaker - Dr. Shelly Murphy

Dr. Shelly Murphy

The Afro American Historical and Genealogy Society, Hampton Roads Chapter will meet on Saturday, November 10, 2018 at 10:00 at the Hampton Public Library on Victoria Blvd in Hampton, Virginia. Guests are always welcome.

Dr. Shelley Murphy will give a presentation entitled: 

"We Were There! The Forgotten Patriots of the American Revolution & the DAR Process"

Save the Date: 2018 AAHGS Hampton Roads Seminar

 Saturday, 12 May 2018

New Grace Church, 128 Deal Drive

Newport News, VA  23608

10:00 to 4:00 pm

Afro-American Historical and

Genealogical Society—Hampton Roads

Spring Seminar

"Understanding DNA:  An Introduction to Genetic Genealogy"
SHANNON COMBS-BENNETT, an award-winning author and lecturer, speaks on a variety of topics from genetics to methodology.  Currently she is in the genealogy post graduate program through the University of Strathclyde and is a staff genealogist at the National Society Colonial Dames XVII Century.

“Speaking for Themselves:  Freedmen’s Bureau Record Group 105”
SELMA STEWART has spent more that 25 years as a family researcher.  Past president of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society-Hampton Roads Chapter, she serves on the board of the Virginia Genealogical Society.  She has participated in numerous transcription projects, including those for the Virginia Freedmen’s Bureau records.

“Getting Started:  Where Do I Begin?”
DRUSILLA PAIR, a blogger, genealogist, technologist, educator, and lecturer, has been tracing her family history for more than 20 years.  She is the author of the blogs Find Your Folks (www.findyourfolks.blogspot.com), Professor Dru (www.professordru.com), and the James A. Fields House.

 

Registration Form

 

For more info

Write to:  AAHGS-Hampton Roads

PO Box 2448

Newport News, VA 23609-2448

Email:  AAHGSHR@gmail.com

Website:  aahgshr.blogspot.com

Speaker, March 2018 Meeting

The AAHGS Hampton Roads Chapter will meet on Saturday, March 10, 2018 from 10 to 12 Noon at the Hampton Public Library on Victoria Blvd. Hampton, VA.

"One Slave, Many Owners: Following the Path of My Formerly-Enslaved Ancestor - A Case Study" will be the topic of a talk that will be given by member Renate Yarborough Sanders.

Researching the lives of formerly-enslaved ancestors presents unique challenges. Traveling back in time beyond the 1870 census requires careful study of records of slave owners and records used to monitor the lives of slaves. Sanders will share how she determined her great-grandfather’s status as formerly-enslaved, and how using a combination of hearsay, primary documents, and careful, analytical research skills she established a timeline, uncovering a path of enslavement under four different owners during the first 25 years of her ancestor’s life.

Sanders, a recently retired educator, has been engaged in genealogy research for more than 20 years. She specializes in African-American research, primarily in North Carolina and Virginia, and is a member of numerous genealogical organizations. She is the author of two blogs, "Into the LIGHT," which focuses on her own family history, and "Genea-Related," a platform for presenting a variety of topics of genealogical interest. Sanders is a panelist on the bi-weekly BlackProGen LIVE! online forum for persons researching ancestors of color.

Guests are always Welcome

Speaker April Meeting