Podcast appearances and mentions of angela walton raji

The Genealogy Guys Podcast, in partnership with MyHeritage.com, is giving away a FREE MyHeritage DNA Kit. Please send an email to genealogyguys@gmail.com with your name and mailing address by no later than midnight U.S. Eastern Time on 31 August 2023 for your chance to win! News You Can Use and Share American Ancestors/New England Historic Genealogical Society has announced the 10 Million Names Project. The Project is a collaborative effort dedicated to recovering the names of the estimated 10 million men, women, and children of African descent who were enslaved in pre- and post-colonial America (specifically, the territory that would become the United States) between the 1500s and 1865. Learn more at https://10millionnames.org/. A great new book written by African-American and Native American expert Angela Walton-Raji has been published by Arcadia Publishing, Inc., titled Oklahoma Freedmen of the Five Tribes. It is now available at Amazon.com. Drew recaps the highlights of the newest records releases at FamilySearch. Listener Email Lisa sent a follow-up about her census mystery searching for her ancestor Felice Giuseppe Maturo and his brother, Liberato Maturo, in the 1910 U.S. Federal Census in New Haven, Connecticut. Mell wrote to ask for suggestions to research her ancestor Felix White in the area around Columbus, Muskogee County, Oklahoma. Lisa wrote about the Ancestry Hints, what they are and aren't. This includes the “Family Data Collection” and “Geneanet Community Trees”. Nicole is researching her Dulaney ancestral line from Virginia, supposedly back to Ireland. Drew shares some insights. Thank you to all our Patreon supporting members for their support. Your Patreon support helps us improve our technology and provide even more podcast content to you! You can join us for as little as $1 a month or as much as you'd like to contribute. Visit https://www.patreon.com/genealogyguys to get started. Please also tell your friends and your genealogical society about our free podcasts, our blog, and our Genealogy Guys Learn subscription education website. And don't forget to order Drew's new book, Generation by Generation: A Modern Approach to the Basics of Genealogy, from Genealogical Publishing Company (https://genealogical.com/) or Amazon.com. Please let us hear from you at genealogyguys@gmail.com.

Deborah Robinson has been a genealogist for more than 25 years. Born in Harlem and raised in the Bronx, Deborah's specialty is African American research in the southeastern United States, particularly the Gullah/Geechee culture of the South Carolina Lowcountry. Deborah holds certificates from the Boston University Center for Professional Education in Genealogical Research and the Professional Genealogy (ProGen) Study Program. She also holds a bachelor's degree in speech communications from Syracuse University. Deborah has worked as a Research Manager at Ancestry.com's ProGenealogists division and is currently the 2nd Vice President and Webmaster for the Jean Sampson Scott Greater New York Chapter of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society. Music by Sean Bempong. Links Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society, Jean Sampson Scott Greater New York Chapter: https://aahgs-newyork.org/ Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor Commission: https://gullahgeecheecorridor.org/ Lowcountry Africana: https://lowcountryafricana.com/ Donna Cox Baker and Frazine K. Taylor, The Beyond Kin Project: Descendants of Slaveholders, Do We Still Hold a Key?: https://beyondkin.org/ Enslaved: Peoples of the Historical Slave Trade: https://enslaved.org/ Stacy Ashmore Cole, They Had Names: African Americans in Early Records of Liberty County, Georgia: https://theyhadnames.net/ Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries: https://digital.newberry.org/ahcb/index.html Discover Freedmen: http://www.discoverfreedmen.org/ Toni Carrier and Angela Walton Raji, Mapping the Freedmen's Bureau: https://mappingthefreedmensbureau.com/ Ancestry.com, U.S. Freedmen's Bureau Records: A Breakthrough for Black Family History: https://www.ancestry.com/cs/freedmens?o_iid=116303&o_lid=116303&o_sch=Web+Property International African American Museum: Center for Family History [Charleston, South Carolina]: https://cfh.iaamuseum.org/ FamilySearch.org Research Wiki: African American Genealogy: https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/African_American_Online_Genealogy_Records Books Nick Lindsay, And I'm Glad: An Oral History of Edisto Island (Charleston, South Carolina: Tempus Publishing, Inc., 2000). Charles Spencer, Edisto Island, 1663 to 1860: Wild Eden to Cotton Aristocracy (Charleston, South Carolina: The History Press, 2008). Charles Spencer, Edisto Island, 1861 to 2006: Ruin, Recovery and Rebirth, (Charleston, South Carolina: The History Press, 2008). Lorenzo Dow Turner, Africanisms in the Gullah Dialect (Columbia, South Carolina: University of Chicago Press, 1949). De Nyew Testament: The New Testament in Gullah, Sea Island Creole with Marginal Text of the King James Version, (New York, New York: American Bible Society, 2005).

Angela Walton-Raji is known nationally for her research and work on Oklahoma Native American records.  Her book Black Indian Genealogy Research, African Ancestors Among the Five Civilized Tribes, is the only book of its kind focusing on the unique record sets pertaining to the Oklahoma Freedmen.  Angela has published two volumes called Freedmen of the Frontier from a blogging project that unfolded in 2017. The goal was to document 52 families from Indian Territory in 52 weeks.By the end of that year, 52 family histories had been placed on the African-Native American Genealogy blog. The families covered in the books are Indian tribal Freedmen---people who were once enslaved by Cherokees, Choctaws, Chickasaw, Creek and Seminole Indians. Many of the elders in some of the families highlighted, were people who were brought to Indian Territory on the Trail of Tears. The Trail of Tears is the same journey that forced those tribes from their homes in the southeast to the west. The lesser known story is that those five tribes, including the tribal chiefs took enslaved black people with them. The Freedmen are the people freed by the treaty of 1866, and who lived their lives in Indian Territory from that time, onward. In 2018, it was decided to put those 52 family stories into a book manuscript. When the stories were tweaked and consolidated there were more than 500 pages of data in the project. Angela then decided to divide the book into two volumes. Volume 1 documented Cherokee, Choctaw, and Chickasaw Freedmen. Volume 2 documented Creek and Seminole Freedmen.   Opening music: Sweet Mellow Spice by AK Alexander Productions, Inc.  

Join Genealogist Angela Walton- Raji and host Bernice Alexander Bennett for a quick conversation about what they are doing during the coronavirus covid-19 pandemic.

Angela Walton Raji is a researcher/ author from Fort Smith, Arkansas In 1997 Angela launched the African-Native American Web site. The page had developed out of my research and work with the records that document the Freedmen of the Five Civilized Tribes. This enormous record set became the basis of my work with “Black Indian” records and eventually formed the basis of my book, Black Genealogy Research. African American Ancestors Among the Five Civilized Tribes. In the past 12 years, my research has expanded to include the history and documentation of blended African & Native American families in more states. As a genealogist, the focus remains on providing the evidence and properly citing the sources in order to tell the family story. As I have become more familiar with resources for documentation of African American families that were associated with people from multiple Native American communities, I have expanded the focus of my research to include genealogical resources for families beyond Indian Territory. The focus will remain on relying upon standard genealogical methodology that will lead to the proper documentation of one's family history. The page will discuss and include record sets that are essential to construct one's family history. Be sure to check out the following link. African-Native American Genealogy Blog: n-nativeamerican.blogspot.com or For Choctaw and Chickasaw Freedmen: http://choctawfreedmenlegacy.blogspot.com/ Terry Ligon was born and reared in the community of Watts in Los Angeles County California. He has received degrees from the University of San Francisco and the Academy of Art College located in San Francisco, CA. Over the past 30 years Mr. Ligon has been widely accepted in the genealogical community as a specialist of Indian Territory Freedmen Mr. Ligon has been an avid genealogical and historical researcher since 1989 when he was given a treasure trove of family photos, letters and documents that contained faces of people he was not familiar with. So began his remarkable journey into a family genealogy that included an oral history that his father had an Indian grandmother. Mr. Ligon was able to confirm for his father prior to his death in 1999 that his grandmother Bettie Ligon was considered herself to be a Chickasaw Indian. This discovery led to Terry's lifelong research into a lawsuit known as Equity Case 7071 which involved approximately 1500-2000 people seeking to be recognized as Chickasaw or Choctaw citizens by blood and entitled to receive three hundred and twenty acres of land based on their ancestry. When Terry's father gave him the family's heirlooms he also gave him a responsibility to share the information with his siblings. Little did his father know it would lead to Terry sharing his discoveries with many people who had similar family history? There was one more request or demand his father gave him and that was to write a book on his research. Based on all of his research and the promise he made to his father, Mr. Ligon is in the process of writing a book about his remarkable journey to discover his family's genealogy and history as well as documenting his father's Indian Grandmother Bettie Love-Ligon. To reach Mr. Ligon 925-529-1069 estelusti@aol.com www.blackandredjournal.blogspot.com www.bettieslist.blogspot.com

Angela Walton is a descendant of Choctaw Freedmen--former people enslaved in the Choctaw Nation, by Choctaw Indians. Since discovering her family records in 1991 at the National Archives, she has devoted herself over the years to research Freedmen from all of the former slave-holding tribes of Oklahoma. These are Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek and Seminole Nations. She is the only nationally known genealogist  who has this specialty, and she had developed a unique perspective of telling stories about the former slaves--the Freedmen from these tribes. Her new book is "Freedmen of the Frontier," which grew out of a project in 2017 where she documented 52 Freedmen families, over 52 weeks---the entire year. In 2018, she decided to turn those 52 blog posts into a 2-volume book set reflecting stories of these 52 families she profiled. She is a blogger, and podcaster and she claims both Arkansas and Oklahoma as her home states. She has a degree in Spanish from St. Louis University and a Master of Education from Antioch. She is currently working on a memoir about her journey to document the Oklahoma-based Freedmen, and her own African-Choctaw family. Her research continues at the National Archives in Washington DC, and also from Maryland where she continues to research and write.

Join author Bernice Alexander Bennett and Angela Walton-Raji for a conversation about Tracing Their Steps- A Memoir. Bernice will discuss her journey to verify her grandmother MaBecky’s story about a lot of land her grandfather Peter Clark, owned in Maurepas, La. Using the bits and pieces shared by MaBecky and conducting painstaking research through an array of obstacles, Bennett identified the land her 2x great grandfather acquired under the Homestead Act of 1862. But, he was not alone:  other African American men also acquired land and supported each other in the application process. Tracing Their Steps: A Memoir will take the reader on a journey to learn how the power of oral history can serve as a guide to capturing not only a beautiful family history, but untold African American history as well.    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1733648402/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=reseatthenati-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1733648402&linkId=a2b8626f0b2604ea0ee256e3dd8be82e  

Happy 2019!   Join Bernice Bennett and her Genie Friends tonight for an open mic discussion on what your goals are for 2019. Joining me are Shannon Christmas, Janice Lovelace, Ph.D., Angela Walton-Raji, Antoinette Harrell, Shelley Murphy, Nicka Sewell- Smith, Leonard Smith and many more. We will discuss DNA, documentation, resources, history, leaving a legacy and much more. The call in number is 646-200-0491 and press 1 to speak to the host.     Music by AK Alexander Productions

Angela Walton-Raji is a popular genealogy speaker, writer, blogger, and podcaster, with a focus on African-American and Native American research. You can learn more about Angela and her podcast at her website, African Roots Podcast.

The news includes: MyHeritage adds a collection of New York newspapers (1806-2007) to its SuperSearch facility, and New York City Marriage License Index (1908-1929). Ancestry has made a change to the Privacy Settings for its DNA product enabling people to not see who they match. Evidentia has added a new Evidence Summary Report in a table format. The Association of Professional Genealogists (APG) announced their new officers, board, and committee members. The New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHJGS) has launched an online gallery of Pilgrim Descendants at http://mayflower.americanancestors.org. Ancestry and NEHGS announced that they have partnered in a Historic Catholic Records Project. It will digitize Massachusetts Catholic records from the late 1700s to the early 1900s. The Federation of Genealogical Societies has announced that the Preserve the Pensions Project has resumed with digitization and indexing of War of 1812 pensions at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). New records will begin to be added to Fold3.com for free access. NARA has announced the digitization of over 100 Confederate Maps in Record Group (RG) 109, available for download through their online catalog. Findmypast announced a two-year project to digitize materials from the Trinity Mirror Archive. Findmypast announced plans to publish the Cincinnati and Chicago Sacramental Registers online, beginning in 2018. Findmypast has added English Roman Catholic Parish browseable images for the Archdiocese of Westminster Drew shares updates from FamilySearch's recent records additions. Listener email includes: David asked for guidance to access Dawes Rolls and other Native American records. George recommended: an Ancestry Academy webinar by Paula Stuart-Warren; a Legacy Family Tree Webinar by Angela Walton-Raji; and Angela Walton-Raji's “The African-Native American Genealogy Blog at http://african-nativeamerican.blogspot.com. Brandon provided an update to his research for his great-great-grandfather. While he could not locate the probate records, he discovered court records about his ancestor's insanity and institutional commitment. Margaret asked about American citizens coming through Ellis Island. Sam shares a great story about his successful use of DNA to solve a mystery about the birth parents of an adoptee.

The panelist will focus on Indian Territory Freedmen Family History and resources. Angela Walton-Raji is known nationally for her genealogical and historical research and work on Civil War west of the Mississippi, as well as her work on Oklahoma Native-American records. Her book, “Black Indian Genealogy Research” is the only book of its kind focusing on the unique record set reflecting Freedmen found within the Dawes Records.  She also includes several chapters and documents in her book, focusing on the records that reflect Blended Families, African and Native American families in many households.  Ronald Graham, Sr. was born and raised in Okmulgee, Oklahoma. His father Theodore Graham was an original allottee, roll number Creek Freedmen newborn 671. He's also a direct descendant of: Hutton/Grayson, Corbray and McGilbray. All were Muscogee(Creek) nation citizen's. Terry Ligon is a history and genealogical researcher who has dedicated twenty eight years researching Freedmen of Indian Territory. One area of expertise has been the research what is known as Equity Case 7071- Bettie Ligon et al. vs the Chickasaw and Choctaw Nations and the Department of Interior.   Nicka Smith is a professional photographer, speaker, host, and documentarian with more than 18 years of experience as a genealogist. She has extensive experience in African ancestored genealogy, reverse genealogy, and family reunion planning and execution. Her family in the Cherokee Nation is well documented. 

  The International African American Museum's Center for Family History is a one of a kind research center with a special focus on African American genealogy. You can visit the IAAM CFH website at https://cfh.iaamuseum.org/. The exhibitions at the IAAM will use groundbreaking research to inform cutting-edge exhibit techniques, bringing historical events to life. The exhibition features eight distinct chapters that guide visitors through the African American story. Visitors begin in West Africa in the 17th century, and end with the formation of new African American communities in the 21st century. Toni Carrier is an anthropologist, historian and genealogist. She holds a Master’s degree in Applied Anthropology from the University of South Florida and is the founder of Lowcountry Africana (www.lowcountryafricana.com), the USF Africana Heritage Project (www.africanaheritage.com) and co-founder with Angela Walton-Raji of Mapping the Freedmen’s Bureau (www.mappingthefreedmensbureau.com ). Robin Foster has been researching and helping people discover and share information about their ancestors since 1985 and as a blogger and freelancer, she has worked to heighten awareness of genealogical and historical resources through social media. She has worked as a FamilySearch Missionary from May 2007 until July 2013. Robin is a HubSpot certified Inbound Marketer. She was selected as Family Tree Magazine’s Social Media Mavericks: 40 to Follow in 2014. Robin is currently consulting to establish the Center for Family History at the International African American Museum.

  with Lisa Louise Cooke    In this episode, I chat with Angela Walton-Raji, expert in U.S. and African-American research, about tips for interviewing relatives and taking your African-American family tree back to the era of slavery. Other highlights of this episode include: A RootsTech 2017 recap, with info on archived streaming sessions; Great news from Findmypast about its new Catholic Heritage Archive; A ground-breaking study from AncestryDNA that identifies specific migration patterns among genetically-related clusters of people; Follow-up mail from Lisa's Episode 200 celebration; An expert Q&A on finding relatives who don't appear in the census where you expect them to; A teaser clip from the upcoming Genealogy Gems Book Club interview with Annie Barrows, author of The Truth According to Us. ROOTSTECH 2017 RECAP Genealogy Gems booth streaming sessions are on the . "Like" our page, and then scroll down to Videos and click See all (shown here). You'll find: Lisa Louise Cooke: Google search methodology for genealogy, using Google Earth for genealogy and creating memorable, easy family history videos; Diahan Southard: Understanding your DNA ethnic pie chart; Amie Tennant: Digital journaling and scrapbooking; Sunny Morton: Jogging your memories and “Genealogy Jackpot” (on researching her ancestors' survival of the Great Johnstown flood of 1889.   POPULAR ROOTSTECH STREAMING LECTURE “THE BIG 4” NOW ONLINE and catch a summary of its main points Catch our future free Genealogy Gems streaming sessions on Facebook! "Like" and follow the .   GENEALOGY GEMS APP BONUS MATERIAL If you listen through ) and ), your bonus material for this episode is a short video clip showing a time-lapse perspective on RootsTech 2017 from the exhibitor hall.   NEWS: FINDMYPAST CATHOLIC HERITAGE ARCHIVE : Archdiocese of Boston and New England Historic Genealogical Society plans to bring 10 million+ parish records online MAILBOX: Robin mentioned she's learned so much from Lisa on these topics: , , , , How to organize electronic files (see the free ) software for writing family history  Start creating fabulous, irresistible videos about your family history with Animoto.com. You don't need special video-editing skills: just drag and drop your photos and videos, pick a layout and music, add a little text and voila! You've got an awesome video! Try this out for yourself at . Keep your family history research, photos, tree software files, videos and all other computer files safely backed up with Backblaze, the official cloud-based computer backup system for Lisa Louise Cooke's Genealogy Gems. Learn more at . INTERVIEW: ANGELA WALTON-RAJI Angela Walton-Raji instructs the . Purchase it with this link and use coupon code GEMS17 for 10% off, valid through 12/31/17. Angela's oral history questions: What to ask your elders Did they happen to know anyone who had been born a slave when they were a child? Who was the oldest person that you remember when you were a child? And did that person ever talk about anyone who may have been enslaved? What do you know about where the family was from? (Were we always from Georgia, or, were we always from Pennsylvania, or was there a time when we came from another place? (Read more about the she mentioned.) Why did we move? Who remembers that journey? Were people involved in the Civil Rights movement, in the , with the , or other important events in their lifetime? What kinds of things did they see? Who in the family participated in the military (in World War II, I, the Spanish-American War)? African-American military units through the mid-20th century were still referred to as Buffalo soldiers. (She mentioned the , a unit of all-black World War II paratroopers. is the place to make connections with relatives overseas, particularly with those who may still live in your ancestral homeland. : it's free to get started.     Lisa Louise Cooke uses and recommends . From within RootsMagic, you can search WebHints on FamilySearch.org, Findmypast.com and MyHeritage.com. Soon RootsMagic will also be able to search records and even sync your tree with Ancestry.com, too.         EXPERT TIP ON FINDING ANCESTORS “MISSING” IN CENSUSES Kate Eakman takes on a Gems listener question from someone who has already done a lot of work trying to locate a relative in the 1940 U.S. census provides expert genealogy research service that works with your research goals, budget and schedule. The Legacy Tree Discovery package offers 3.5 hours of preliminary analysis and research recommendations: a great choice if you've hit a brick wall in your research and could use some expert guidance. GENEALOGY GEMS EXCLUSIVE OFFER: Go to and use coupon code GEMS100 to save $100 off your purchase of research services (expires 4/30/17).   DIAHAN SOUTHARD: STUDY BREAKTHROUGH There is no doubt that this is an exciting time to be a genealogist. Here at Genealogy Gems, we are announcing new record collections online every month, advances in genealogy databases and their ability to retrieve the information we are looking for, and of course, DNA testing. There really has been no time in history where such a wealth of information about our past has been so readily available to so many. In another ground-breaking development in the DNA world has been a recent publication in a scientific journal by the scientific team at . It is titled, “Clustering of 770,000 genomes reveals post-colonial population structure of North America.” Or, in more understandable terms, “Your DNA can tell us where you came from in America in the last 500 years.” Wow, right? So how did they do this? Well, the power really is in the numbers. In this particular paper they used 770,000 people, but now that they are approaching having testing 4 million people, you can bet the same principles will be applied to a larger data set and we will see even more as a result. But even though it takes a large data set to accomplish this, it really all still comes down to the relationship of two people. To start, Ancestry determines how just two people are genetically related. Then they find how those two are related to a third, again, looking only at pairs of people. This goes on and on and on until everyone in the group as been compared. Then we use a graph to plot those relationships, with those more closely related clustering around each other.  Then the real key, the point where we see the marriage of genetics and genealogy: they add in the family history information for each of these individuals in the cluster. What they found was astounding. They have displayed the data in Figure 3 in the paper: Distribution of ancestral birth locations in North America. Summary map from Nature Communications; click to see article with full explanation of map data. Image used with permission of Ancestry.com. It is a map of the United States with colored dots scattered across the landscape. The location of the dots corresponds to the genealogy of those tested, while the color of the dots relates to their genetic clustering. Those who clustered closest together are the same color. The result is a nearly perfect rainbow, with each color holding its respective spot on the map, with very little overlap between groups. (There are actually two maps in the paper, just to make things easier to see.) We might be tempted when looking at the maps to think, oh, well, of course there is a large population of European Jews in New York, everyone knows that, no breakthrough there. But it IS!! This isn't their family history, or their accent or their culture that is telling us this, it is their genetics! As if that wasn't exciting enough, further on in the paper they describe how we can trace migration patterns of different groups over just a few generations. In the paper they specifically mention French Canadians and Cajuns/Acadians, but this same principle can theoretically be applied to dozens of other groups. For example, let's say you have an ancestor in Texas about 4 generations ago, but you aren't sure where she came from. If technology like what is published in this paper ever reaches your testing company, your DNA could tell you that you fit into the Lower South group, meaning that your ancestor likely hails from, well, the South!  This is just a glimpse into what the advances in genetics are bringing to your genealogy toolbox. So hang on to your hats, and keep tuned in here at Genealogy Gems for all of the latest updates.   GENEALOGY GEMS BOOK CLUB   by internationally best-selling author Annie Barrows It's the summer of 1938, and wealthy young socialite Miss Layla Beck is now on the dole as a WPA worker, assigned to write a history of the small town of Macedonia, West Virginia. As she starts asking questions about the town's past, she is drawn into the secrets of the family she's staying with—and drawn to a certain handsome member of that family. She and two of those family members take turns narrating the story from different points of view, exploring the theme that historical truth, like beauty, is often in the eye of the beholder. Annie Barrows is also the co-author of . This novel takes place after World War II in a London recovering from the Blitz and an island recovering from German occupation. At the heart of Guernsey is an unlikely love story and the inspiring tale of a community that took care of each other in their darkest days with humor, compassion and good books. and how you can listen to Lisa's upcoming exclusive conversation with author Annie Barrows about .   PRODUCTION CREDITS Lisa Louise Cooke, Host and Producer Sunny Morton, Editor Amie Tennant, Content Contributor         Diahan Southard, Your DNA Guide, Content Contributor Lacey Cooke, Service Manager Vienna Thomas, Associate Producer Hannah Fullerton: Production Assistance     FREE NEWSLETTER: Enter your email & get my Google Research e-bookas a thank you gift! to receive a free weekly e-mail newsletter, with tips, inspiration and money-saving deals.      

The Genealogy Gems Podcast Episode 200 with Lisa Louise Cooke  Listen below: It's finally here—the 200th episode of the free Genealogy Gems podcast, also celebrating its 10th year. In this special episode, Lisa invites Professor Mark Auslander to share his discoveries about a mother and young daughter separated by slavery. Learn how he pieced together their story from a poignant family heirloom found at a flea market. Throughout the episode, you will hear from several listeners, past podcast guests, Gems staffers and supporters in the genealogy industry with congratulations, memories, stories, and favorite Gems tips. Listen for the DNA success story of an adoptee who never gave up his search for his biological roots. Thanks to all listeners and friends who sent congratulations! Among them are: Allison Dolan, Publisher, Family Tree Magazine. She mentioned the Bruce Buzbee, RootsMagic family history software DearMYRTLE, veteran online genealogy educator and author of the award-winning . She mentioned Lisa's podcast; her ; and during conferences. Geoff Rasmussen, , and author of Jim Shaughnessy, Mary Tedesco, host and genealogist on PBS' , founder of , co-author of and a guest on , talking about Italian research and her work on Genealogy Roadshow Steve Luxenberg, author of . Listen to Lisa's conversation with him in The Genealogy Gems Podcast episodes  and . This book and interview planted the seed for the ! Yev Pusin, Social Marketing Marketer, online computer backup service, also celebrating its 10th anniversary   NEWS: FAMICITY KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN : see several options for contributing, including options that come with a Famicity Premium subscription as a reward. Pledges will only be collected if they reach their Kickstarter goal, and subscriptions become active in the summer with the official launch. Tip: the Kickstarter page gives contributions in British currency. to see a tool for converting those amounts to your currency. ROOTSTECH 2017: IN PERSON AND STREAMING CLASSES IN PERSON: If you're attending RootsTech on February 8-11, 2017 in Salt Lake City, Utah, come by the Genealogy Gems booth for exclusive 30-minute classes on the hottest topics; prizes at every class AND a Saturday Grand Prize drawing; great Gems product specials and a new and wider selection of products we love. to learn more. LIVE STREAMING: Lisa will be live-streaming marked sessions (above) via the free Periscope app. Get it in  or . Sign up for a free account and follow Lisa Louise Cooke to tune in. Sign up for notifications in Periscope, and your phone will “ping” whenever Lisa starts streaming! Broadcasts stay in the Periscope app for 24 hours. Like and follow the  to hear about more streaming sessions. RootsTech offers a few free live-streaming sessions; to see the full schedule. Gems editor Sunny Morton will be streaming on Friday, Feb 10 at 3:00 pm Mountain Time with “The Big 4: Comparing Ancestry, FamilySearch, Findmypast and MyHeritage.” MAILBOX: LISA AND SUNNY The following were mentioned in listener emails and voicemails: by Lisa Louise Cooke. This is a FREE step-by-step series for beginning genealogists—and more experienced ones who want to brush up or learn something new. One listener mentioned the series on naturalization records in episodes 29-31. by Lisa Louise Cooke. Monthly episodes—and the full archive of past episodes—are available to . This podcast takes what you love about the free Genealogy Gems podcast and goes deeper, broader and more exclusively into topics of interest for U.S. and international audiences. and is only $2.99 for .   : free tips and great resources to help you make the most of this free app (or its Premium version) to keep all your genealogy research notes and links organized and at your fingertips. computer dashboard tool and : “I was robbed! They took the computer AND the backup drive!” Keep your family history research, photos, tree software files, videos and all other computer files safely backed up with Backblaze, the official cloud-based computer backup system for Lisa Louise Cooke's Genealogy Gems. Learn more at . DNA WITH YOUR DNA GUIDE DIAHAN SOUTHARD s, available to Gems fans for a special price. Diahan's series of DNA quick guides, available or as   IMAGE Lisa Louise Cooke uses and recommends . From within RootsMagic, you can search WebHints on FamilySearch.org, Findmypast.com and MyHeritage.com. Soon RootsMagic will also be able to search records and even sync your tree with Ancestry.com, too.       is the place to make connections with relatives overseas, particularly with those who may still live in your ancestral homeland. : it's free to get started.   INTERVIEW: MARK AUSLANDER Mark Auslander is an Associate Professor and Museum Director at Central Washington University in Ellensburg, WA and the author of Mark's path to the probable family of this artifact used these techniques: Look closely at all clues from the artifact: the fabric, stitching, colors, facts conveyed in the text, etc. Look at both the historical clues and the artistic or symbolic aspects of it. Create a profile for the people mentioned based on what is known. Probable age for Ruth Middleton in 1921, etc. Use contextual and social history clues to hypothesize a scenario. The inclusion of “South Carolina” hints that the seamstress didn't live in South Carolina, so he guessed that she was part of the Great Migration of millions of African-Americans in the early 1900s who headed from the rural South to the industrial Midwest and other urban cities. Take advantage of unusual clues. Rose is a common name for an enslaved woman, but not Ashley. Look through all available records. Possible census listings for Ruth Middleton in 1920 didn't seem likely candidates. He dug through marriage records for Northern states until he found a woman named Ruth who married a man named Middleton who fit the profile he'd created. Use specialized sources for African-American research, especially records created by and about the slaveholder that relate to the holding, sale or transfer of enslaved people. Mark says that some researchers describe the search process as “guided by some force larger than yourself that keeps you going through those endless hours in microfilm rooms or online. But it does connect us all in very profound ways to those who came before and those who come after….Through genealogical work, in a sense we can triumph over death itself and we can move back and forth in time in the most remarkable way.” Coming up next month in : An interview with Angela Walton-Raji on finding African-American ancestors. She shares tons of resources! Even if you haven't found any African-Americans on your family tree, the challenges and rewards of African-American genealogical research are both fascinating and moving to learn about.  provides expert genealogy research service that works with your research goals, budget and schedule. The Legacy Tree Discovery package offers 3.5 hours of preliminary analysis and research recommendations: a great choice if you've hit a brick wall in your research and could use some expert guidance. GENEALOGY GEMS EXCLUSIVE OFFER: Go to and use coupon code GEMS100 to save $100 off your purchase of research services (expires 4/30/17). CONVERSATIONS WITH MORE GEMS Amie Tennant Lacey Cooke Vienna Thomas Amie Tennant, Gems Content Contributor: see the Lacey Cooke, Gems Service Manager Vienna Thomas, Associate Producer and Audio Editor; she mentioned a favorite title and interview were with Chris Cleave, author of   GENEALOGY GEMS BOOK CLUB   by internationally best-selling author Annie Barrows It's the summer of 1938, and wealthy young socialite Miss Layla Beck is now on the dole as a WPA worker, assigned to write a history of the small town of Macedonia, West Virginia. As she starts asking questions about the town's past, she is drawn into the secrets of the family she's staying with—and drawn to a certain handsome member of that family. She and two of those family members take turns narrating the story from different points of view, exploring the theme that historical truth, like beauty, is often in the eye of the beholder. to read an introduction to using WPA records for genealogy. Annie Barrows is also the co-author of . This novel takes place after World War II in a London recovering from the Blitz and an island recovering from German occupation. At the heart of Guernsey is an unlikely love story and the inspiring tale of a community that took care of each other in their darkest days with humor, compassion and good books. and how you can listen to Lisa's upcoming exclusive conversation with author Annie Barrows about . Music from this episode is from the band The song played at the opening was “We're Still Here,” from the album . The song played at the closing was “The Family Tree” from the album ; click to purchase the album or .   FREE NEWSLETTER: Enter your email & get my Google Research e-bookas a thank you gift! to receive a free weekly e-mail newsletter, with tips, inspiration and money-saving deals.  

Bernice Bennett welcomes Angela Walton-Raji for a discussion on the Challenges and Opportunities  in  African American Genealogy.   Angela Walton-Raji is known nationally for her research and work on Oklahoma Native American records.  Her book Black Indian Genealogy Research, African Ancestors Among the Five Civilized Tribes, is the only book of its kind focusing on the unique record sets pertaining to the Oklahoma Freedmen.  A founding member of the well known AfriGeneas.com, webite, Ms. Walton-Raji is also a genealogist specializing in information for beginners, via daily and weekly online genealogy chats on AfriGeneas.com. She also serves as the host of a weekly genealogy podcast, The African Roots Podcast a number of instructional videos and has been used in recent years as a genealogical consultant on several video documentaries. Ms. Walton-Raji combines her skills as a genealogist with a warm on camera personality that brings comfort to her viewers through and her video channels on YouTube, while providing her viewers with useful information. Her African Roots TV, and Beginning Genealogist channels have both brought new insights to hundreds of viewers nationwide.    

Ted Allen’s family tree is so rich with culinary history that his Food Network stardom might be genetic. From baristas, to royal dinner guests, to a celebrity diet icon, Ted’s family tree shows that one of the best ways to look at history is food. We’ll tell these stories and introduce Ted to a mystery relative. CREDITS Twice Removed is produced by Meg Driscoll, Ngofeen Mputubwele, Matthew Nelson, Audrey Quinn, and Kimmie Regler. Our senior producer is Eric Mennel. Editing by Jorge Just, Alex Blumberg and Caitlin Kenney. Original music and mixing by Haley Shaw. Research and genealogy help from J. Mark Lowe, Angela Walton-Raji, Erica Howton and the folks at Geni. Fact checking by Michelle Harris. Extra thanks to Brittany Luse, Jon Grinspan, Cherie Bush and Lee Mazur. Alex Prud’homme’s new book about Julia Child is “The French Chef In America: Julia Child’s Second Act.” And thanks to Lauri Ditunno at Cake Alchemy for making our sugarworks swan. You can see the pictures of the swan and a graphic of the family tree on our website, Gimletmedia.com/TwiceRemoved. We’re on Twitter, @TwiceRemoved and Facebook @twiceremovedshow. Twice Removed is a production of Gimlet Media. I’m AJ Jacobs. Thanks for listening. Our Sponsors Audible - Start your free 30-day trial by going to Audible.com/twiceremoved Blue Apron - Get your first three Blue Apron meals delivered for free by going to blueapron.com/twice Squarespace - Go to squarespace.com and use the offer code "TWICE REMOVED" at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase

Did you know that the majority of Freedmen's Bureau records are now digitized and available online for free, as well as the records of other institutions that served newly-freed African Americans during Reconstruction? Angela Walton-Raji and Toni Carrier have built a new website called "Mapping the Freedmen's Bureau - An Interactive Research Guide" (www.mappingthefreedmensbureau.com) to assist researchers in locating and accessing records of the Freedmen's Bureau, Freedmen's hospitals, contraband camps and Freedman's Bank branches. Researchers can use the website's interactive map to learn which of these services were located near their area of research interest. If the records are online, the map provides a link to the records that tell the stories of newly-freed former slaves in the American south. The goal of this mapping project is to provide researchers, from the professional to the novice, a useful tool to more effectively tell the family story, the local history and the greater story of the nation during Reconstruction. Angela Walton-Raji is an author, genealogist, guest lecturer and producer of the weekly African Roots Podcast and Toni Carrier is the Founder of LowcountryAfricana, a free website dedicated to African American genealogy and history in SC, GA and FL.   www.mappingthefreedmensbureau.com

Angela Walton-Raji is a nationally known author and African American and Native American genealogist. She hosts a weekly African Roots Podcast devoted to African American genealogy news, methods, and events. She is one of the founders of AfriGeneas.com, the oldest online website for African American genealogy. She is the only genealogist in the nation to present regular genealogy lectures at the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian in both the Washington D.C. and New York facilities. Her book, Black Indian Genealogy Research, is the first and only book to address the documentation of African Americans with ties to Native Americans within the family structure.Recorded On: Saturday, March 21, 2015

Angela Walton-Raji is a nationally known author and African American and Native American genealogist. She hosts a weekly African Roots Podcast devoted to African American genealogy news, methods, and events. She is one of the founders of AfriGeneas.com, the oldest online website for African American genealogy. She is the only genealogist in the nation to present regular genealogy lectures at the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian in both the Washington D.C. and New York facilities. Her book, Black Indian Genealogy Research, is the first and only book to address the documentation of African Americans with ties to Native Americans within the family structure.Recorded On: Saturday, March 21, 2015

Angela Walton-Raji is a nationally known author and African American and Native American genealogist. She hosts a weekly African Roots Podcast devoted to African American genealogy news, methods, and events. She is one of the founders of AfriGeneas.com, the oldest online website for African American genealogy. She is the only genealogist in the nation to present regular genealogy lectures at the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian in both the Washington D.C. and New York facilities. Her book, Black Indian Genealogy Research, is the first and only book to address the documentation of African Americans with ties to Native Americans within the family structure.Recorded On: Saturday, March 21, 2015

Angela Walton-Raji is a nationally known author and African American and Native American genealogist. She hosts a weekly African Roots Podcast devoted to African American genealogy news, methods, and events. She is one of the founders of AfriGeneas.com, the oldest online website for African American genealogy. She is the only genealogist in the nation to present regular genealogy lectures at the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian in both the Washington D.C. and New York facilities. Her book, Black Indian Genealogy Research, is the first and only book to address the documentation of African Americans with ties to Native Americans within the family structure.Recorded On: Saturday, March 21, 2015

Did you know that the majority of Freedmen's Bureau records are now digitized and available online for free, as well as the records of other institutions that served newly-freed African Americans during Reconstruction? Angela Walton-Raji and Toni Carrier have built a new website called "Mapping the Freedmen's Bureau - An Interactive Research Guide" (www.mappingthefreedmensbureau.com) to assist researchers in locating and accessing records of the Freedmen's Bureau, Freedmen's hospitals, contraband camps and Freedman's Bank branches. Researchers can use the website's interactive map to learn which of these services were located near their area of research interest. If the records are online, the map provides a link to the records that tell the stories of newly-freed former slaves in the American south. The goal of this mapping project is to provide researchers, from the professional to the novice, a useful tool to more effectively tell the family story, the local history and the greater story of the nation during Reconstruction. Angela Walton-Raji is an author, genealogist, guest lecturer and producer of the weekly African Roots Podcast and Toni Carrier  is the Founder of LowcountryAfricana, a free website dedicated to African American genealogy and history in SC, GA and FL.   www.mappingthefreedmensbureau.com

Genealogist Angela Walton-Raji has committed herself to sharing information with the descendants of the Freedmen of Indian Territory--which is now Oklahoma. She is the author of  the book Black Indian Genealogy Research: African American Ancestors Among the Five Civilized Tribes. The book serves as a guide to researching the history and lives of the 20,000 Freedmen of Indian Territory, who have been deleted from American history. She is also the author of the http://african-nativeamerican.blogspot.com. The Dawes Commission, named after Henry C. Dawes who chaired the commission, consisted of a process that would lead to a redistribution of land to those who already owned it among the Five "Civilized" Tribes. Understand that land was held in common by the Five Civilized Tribes. The Dawes Enrollment process was created to determine who would be eligible for allotted parcels of land. Eligibility involved providing "proof" that one had been a part of the tribe for several decades, and especially in those years immediately following the Civil War. So one had to prove that one had been a part of the Indian Community since 1866. For those whose ancestors were enslaved by members of the Tribes, (the Freedmen)  they had to often provide proof that their former enslaver was a member of the tribe.

In addition to the latest news, Drew and George share interviews from the recent Southern California Genealogical Society's annual Genealogy Jamboree, with guests: Angela Walton-Raji, expert on African-American and Native American genealogical research, and host of the African Roots Podcast CeCe Moore, genealogical DNA expert and blogger at Your Genetic Genealogist

Genealogist Angela Walton-Raji has committed herself to sharing information with the descendants of the Freedmen of Indian Territory--which is now Oklahoma. She is the author of  the book Black Indian Genealogy Research: African American Ancestors Among the Five Civilized Tribes. The book serves as a guide to researching the history and lives of the 20,000 Freedmen of Indian Territory, who have been deleted from American history. She is also the author of the http://african-nativeamerican.blogspot.com. The Dawes Commission, named after Henry C. Dawes who chaired the commission, consisted of a process that would lead to a redistribution of land to those who already owned it among the Five "Civilized" Tribes. Understand that land was held in common by the Five Civilized Tribes. The Dawes Enrollment process was created to determine who would be eligible for allotted parcels of land. Eligibility involved providing "proof" that one had been a part of the tribe for several decades, and especially in those years immediately following the Civil War. So one had to prove that one had been a part of the Indian Community since 1866. For those whose ancestors were enslaved by members of the Tribes, (the Freedmen)  they had to often provide proof that their former enslaver was a member of the tribe.

Join members of the African American Genealogy Bloggers Circle for a discussion of the PBS Special - The African Americans - Many Rivers to Cross with Henry Louis Gates. Join host, Angela Walton-Raji for a dynamic discussion of  the African American Genealogy Bloggers reaction to the new PBS series. Ms. Walton-Raji is an author, genealogist, producer  of the weekly African Roots Podcast and prolific blogger of the Native American blog - http://african nativeamerican.blogspot.com, and My Ancestors Name - http://myancestorsname.blogspot.com Melvin J. Collier is a genealogist and author of 150 Years Later Broken Ties Mended and Mississippi to Africa- A Journey of Discovery.  His blog Roots Reveals examines the many ancestral discoveries based upon new DNA results. http://www.http://rootsrevealed.blogspot.com George Geder  is a strong advocate for having all cultures and family lifestyles being heard and represented in the genealogy community. He is also an Evangelist for the African Ancestored Genealogy. Nicka Smith's is a genealogist, family historian, lecturer, photographer and her blog can be found at http://blog.atlasfamily.org. Terry Ligon, researcher specializing in Choctaw and Chickasaw Freedmen history and genealogy. Terry has given presentations on researching the history of the Indian Territory Freedmen, the Congressional Record as well as how to create video presentations of family history. His blog, Black and Red Journal is another opportunity to inform the general public about the unique history of the Indian Territory Freedmen and their descendants.  

  Natonne Elaine Kemp and special guest host Angela Walton-Raji will discuss with author and researcher Bob J. O’ Connor  his research on Black Prisoners in Confederate Prisons During the Civil War. O'Connor is a native of Dixon, Illinois and a graduate of Northern llinois University.  He is retired, and lives in Charles Town, WV and is the author of nine books, all on the American Civil War.  His topics include John Brown(abolitionist), Ward Hill Lamon (President Lincoln's bodyguard), and Civil War topics linked to his local area (two brothers who fought against each other twice and a black blacksmith who is seeking his freedom). His interest in studying African American history comes from studying John Brown and Abraham Lincoln and their concerns with slavery. His current research involves studying the black prisoners held in Confederate prisons during the Civil War. The stereotypes that no black prisoner made it to prison are wrong. In fact, he is only partially through the U.S. Colored Troops records and have found 2,182 black prisoners (2078 soldiers and 104 black sailors). An amazing 79 percent of those black POW's survived their incarceration. His research includes the names, regiments, company, rank, date of capture, place of capture, name of the prison or prisons where they were held, if they survived or not, date of death or what happened to them, place of birth and age.

Join The Gist of Freedom as we welcome Historian, Genealogist, and Radio host~ Angela Walton-Raji. Author, lecturer and researcher. Member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, Oklahoma Historical Society, Oklahoma Genealogical Society, Choctaw-Chickasaw Freedman's Association, Poteau Valley Genealogical Association and PAAC-Preservation of African American Cemeteries Mrs. Raji will discuss how African American's can use genealogy as a stepping stone to preserve African american history while simultaneously introducing  the youth to ther rich heritage, from a victorious perspective. Mrs. Raji will  examine  the  very short period in history whereupon our ancestors demonstrated the divine ability to overcome slavery and the barrage of other social ills they were forced to endure.    http://africanrootspodcast.com/