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Track 1A: Methods and Strategies for Genealogical Research Overview: Building a Strong Foundation in African American Genealogy Track 1A is your essential starting point on the journey to uncovering and honoring African American ancestry. Thoughtfully designed for beginner to intermediate researchers, this dynamic series of twelve courses equips you with the critical tools, strategies, and historical insight needed to navigate complex genealogical landscapes with confidence. From organizing your research time and files to mastering timelines, and from local research methods to in-depth analysis of records and informants, you’ll build a sturdy foundation for credible, effective genealogical research. You’ll gain hands-on experience with public records, legal frameworks, and discover how to distinguish reliable evidence from misleading claims. Track 1A also takes you deep into history, exploring the lives of Free People of Color in the Antebellum South, the vital role of church records in slave ancestry, and tracing African American roots back to colonial America through the post-Revolutionary period. The journey concludes with a powerful session on mapping Freedmen’s Bureau records, helping you visualize and document newly found ancestral connections. Whether you're just beginning or looking to sharpen your skills, Track 1A offers inspiration, clarity, and practical knowledge. It’s more than a track. It’s your launchpad into discovering, preserving, and sharing the rich legacies of African American families. Track Coordinator: Dr. Shelley Murphy Track Instructors:
2026 Track 1A class offerings
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Track 1B Methods and Strategies for Slavery Era Research Overview: Track 1B is an immersive experience designed for genealogists who are ready to go beyond basic records and dig deeply into the complex history of African American ancestry during the era of slavery. This intensive track offers 12 strategically sequenced courses that will challenge, inspire, and equip you with powerful tools and research methods to uncover the lives of enslaved and newly freed ancestors. Through the lens of legal history and archival analysis, participants will explore how enslaved individuals appear in court records, the often-overlooked reality of slavery in Northern states, and how to decode and apply 1850 and 1860 Slave Schedules. You will learn to trace marital relationships through cohabitation and contract records, and how to compile and analyze plantation documents, crucial resources for naming the unnamed. Track 1B empowers you to break through the daunting “Brick Wall Challenges” using Reconstruction Era records, Freedmen’s Bureau documents, and the Freedman’s Bank archive. These sessions show not just how to find records, but how to interpret them to tell a fuller, more accurate story. Advanced sessions guide you through the identification of the last slaveholder, use of DNA evidence in complex lineage cases, and case study methodologies to bring clarity to ambiguous family lines. You'll also learn how to extract rich genealogical narratives from Civil War pension files, illuminating the lives behind the documents. Whether you are a seasoned researcher or just beginning to explore slavery-era records, Track 1B offers the insight, historical context, and practical strategies to push your research further and deeper. These sessions are more than educational. They are transformative pathways to reclaiming stories that history has tried to erase. Track Coordinator: Dr. Shelley Murphy Track Instructors:
2026 Track 1B class offerings
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Comin Soon! Track Coordinator: Lisa A. Fanning Track Instructors:
2026 Track 2 class offerings
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Comin Soon! 2026 Track 4 class offerings
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