Podcast appearances and mentions of karen batchelor

Nimrod- INFORMAL•NORTH AMERICAN a foolish or inept person. In this episode, I discuss the primaries and why "Nimrod-ah" was never going to be a Republican choice. Can you just be too racist or bigoted? I also break down the DARs shameful history and celebrate Karen Batchelor, the first AA of this historical organization.   Become a Melanated Nerd on Podbean by clicking https://patron.podbean.com/TheTalkingFro https://patron.podbean.com/tnfroisreading Apple Subscriptions New additions added to the Swag Shop for TNFro Is Reading…    https://linktr.ee/tnfroisreading   

Host Scott Fisher opens the show with David Allen Lambert, Chief Genealogist of the New England Historic Genealogical Society and AmericanAncestors.org. The guys begin with swapping stories from their explorations of the past week. Fisher made a great find in an unusual way, and David ran into a cousin at a lecture whose head he caused to explode (not quite literally… but close!) with what he had to tell her. In Family Histoire News, David notes the appearance of Fred Miller on 60 Minutes recently, who bought a house, only to learn it had once been owned by the man who had been the slaveholder of Fred's ancestors. Then, an organization in New York is finding grave stones of Jewish service members whose graves are marked with Christian markers and is replacing them with Star of David markers at no charge to the family. (This sometimes occurred when the cemeteries only had Christian markers in supply.) Fisher then visits with Jenny Ashcraft of sponsor Newspapers.com. Jenny and Fisher both talk about stories they have found in newspapers, and share a few tips for finding more. Next, Karen Batchelor joins the show. A long time “friend of the program,” Karen shares a story from her enslaved ancestry which has been memorialized by her artist brother-in-law, Ron Fortier, in a series of amazing paintings. Hear Ron explain the emotional impact the story has had on him which inspired his efforts. Then, David returns for Ask Us Anything, answering your questions. That's all this week on Extreme Genes, America's Family History Show!

Karen discusses being admitted to the DAR in 1977 as the first known black member by defying resistance within the society; inquiring about admission to the DAR by writing local chapters, upon the suggestion of archivist and friend Margaret Ward; not knowing if there were other black members, reaching out to two Detroit, Michigan chapters, sharing that she was black, but never hearing back; being unable to meet the requirement of attaining the sponsorship of two members since no one would invite her to a chapter; help from James Dent Walker, African-American, head of genealogical services at the National Archives; becoming aware that she was the first known black to apply but would not be the first genetically black member since some white members discovered that their patriots were of color; being the first to say "I am black, I am eligible, I would like to apply”, then President General Baylies reaching out to chapters to ask who would accept her, encouraging that they "would do a great service to the national society"; the Ezra Parker chapter in Royal Oak, Michigan offering to sponsor her; appearing on the front cover of the New York Times, and in over 230 publications in stories about her admission; a California chapter requesting to review her application, not believing a black could be eligible to the join DAR; Mrs. Baylies protecting her by putting the application documents in her desk and closing the file; Mrs. Baylies being recognized, in her obituary, for admitting the first black member; smiling at the portrait of Mrs. Baylies in the DAR headquarters with each visit, "it took a village to get me there and she was part of that village"; learning decades later about having been blackballed by a chapter who voted against sponsoring her, then transferring to that chapter to heal from their rejection and serving as the Regent (leader); Peggy Anderson's 1974 The Daughters account of race in DAR; initiating her application because "I could" and it was a logical conclusion to finding her white Revolutionary War ancestor William Hood, in ten months, a patriot who had never been established with DAR; feeling uncomfortable as the only person of color at her first Continental Congress, her breath being taken away and feeling really American when the flag unfurled from the ceiling in DAR Constitution Hall; being the subject of a Jeopardy television game show final clue; her family joining the DAR; Alex Haley’s Roots, published four months into her research, serving as a major incentive to keep going; later meeting Haley and learning that he was a fan of hers; not being able to find an African forebearer; misconceptions that researchers will never get through slavery to get to a black person's patriot; not all black ancestry traces back to slavery; serving as National Vice Chair of Lineage Research for African American Patriots and Research; Real Daughter Eunice Russ Ames Davis, daughter of African descent Prince Ames, joining the DAR in the 1800's; reconciling the Marian Anderson incident; regretting going inactive for ten years, not finding how DAR was relevant in her life and how she was relevant in the society; "as a black woman, I felt I had to leave myself at the door"; feeling DAR as an organization, "we have made progress but we still have more progress to make"; feeling troubled by the state of racism in America; identifying the opportunity for DAR to educate members about diversity to continue moving forward as a society; rejecting the notion that racism is “political"; the growing number of black members; the need for DAR to be more attractive for black members; "DAR means a sisterhood, a love for history, and being an American". Read Karen's biography at www.daughterdialogues.com/daughtersSubscribe to the newsletter at www.daughterdialogues.com

Karen talks about discovering her white Revolutionary War patriot William Hood, who earned her place as the first black woman to be admitted to the DAR; her white maternal great grandmother Jennie Daisy Hood marrying black Prince Albert Weaver, in 1889 Ohio; Jennie’s mother not allowing her to bring her children with her to visit because they were showing their colored heritage; her paternal ancestor Isaiah Parker buying enslaved Charity Ann from his father's estate, living with her, and purchasing some of the 17 children he had with her, in Harris County, Georgia; Charity Ann being referred to as Mrs. Parker although they were not legally allowed to marry; Isaiah having no relationship with a white woman; her feelings about having slave owning ancestry; oral history passed down from her grandmother about Charity Ann being bought by her third great grandfather in Virginia, taken away in a wagon with two black horses; Charity's mother running after wagon saying "Bye bye my babies, I will see you in the by-and-by"; grandmother "Gram" (Beatrice Parker) being estranged from her father Thomas, son of Charity Ann and Isaiah, who is lost after the 1900 census, leaving his black wife and kids and possibly changing his name to pass for white; Gram's stories about growing up in Georgia always ending with "I saw colored folks hanging from a tree"; Gram marrying at fifteen with only an eighth grade education and not attending her own graduation because she didn't have money for a white dress which girls were wearing for the ceremony; mother not talking about her maternal family because the white side did not want anything to do with them and forging relationships with white relatives later in life; her mother's black father Frederick, of Bermuda, who in 1917 married Hazel, daughter of Jennie and Prince Albert, who lost her U.S. citizenship because of her marrying an “alien"; discovering mother's unknown half siblings while on a family vacation to Bermuda when she was twelve; Jennie meeting and deciding to marry Prince Albert in 1889; Jennie teaching Prince to read and him building a house for them; discovering Prince Albert's mother Cornelia, a free woman of color in 1860, and father Nathaniel, a U.S. Colored Troops soldier, both in Washington, D.C.; her lineage through Jennie to patriot William Hood; William arriving on a rescue mission at Fort Freeland, which was under attack by British and American Indians near the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania, unaware that the settlers had surrendered and surviving the ensuing battle; William later marrying Rebecca Lee and settling in New York; visiting the house Prince Albert built in 1810, having present-day occupants allowing her inside, the locals remembering Jennie, and her white cousins being accepting; feeling incredulous when she discovered that she had a Revolutionary War ancestor who helped fight for the America we hold dear today since she always felt “a little short of American” because of the color of her skin; feeling sad that Aunt Clara passed just prior to the patriot discovery and not being able to share in joining the DAR together so Aunt Clara could feel accepted instead of rejected because of heritage.This is the second in a series of three episodes.In the first episode, Karen shares stories about how her childhood shaped her into a pioneer. In the next episode, Karen discusses being admitted to the DAR in 1977 as the first black member. Read Karen's biography at www.daughterdialogues.com/daughters Subscribe to the newsletter at www.daughterdialogues.comFollow @DaughterDialogs on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter

Karen shares stories about how her childhood shaped her into a pioneer having the courage and resilience to defeat opposition she faced when applying to become the first black member of the DAR; her parents being fervent civil rights activists and requiring her to ride a bus one and a half hours each way to integrate a school "because somebody has to", describing it as the “worst year of my life”; being shaped by growing up in Detroit, Michigan in the 1950's and 60's; growing up reading books about the black struggle in her home library; exploring commercial art, attending operas, visiting museums, learning violin, and being in Campfire Girls as a youth; reluctantly being a debutante and her father founding The Cotillion Club and presenting young black women to society; her father ending up in a convalescent home as a kid from a leg injury going untreated due to lack of access to a doctor; her father reinjuring his leg in the Detroit race riots, as a student, and him deciding to amputate to not let it stand in the way of graduating medical school; keeping her father's poem by Emerson on her wall; her father becoming a doctor and her mother working as a teacher; majoring in anthropology at Fisk University; graduating from Oakland University with a bachelor's in psychology; completing Wayne State University law school as a single mom; going into law to apply research skills developed from doing genealogy; working as a litigator, in-house counsel, and a lobbyist; knitting to honor the practice of ancestors; participating in colonial period reenactments to carry out her interest in living history; her membership in the Associated Daughters of Early American Witches and her ancestors being hung and accused of witchcraft; her membership in and being eligible for numerous New England hereditary societies and feeling "more American than apple pie".Read Karen's biography at www.daughterdialogues.com/daughters Subscribe to the newsletter at www.daughterdialogues.comFollow @DaughterDialogs on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter

Starting off Black History Month with the first black member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Karen Batchelor, Daughter Dialogues returns for season two on the first Thursday of February! Learn what to expect to hear from Karen and from other black members of the DAR who descend from men and women who fought for the independence of the United States of America. New episodes are released every Thursday. Subscribe to the newsletter at www.daughterdialogues.com Follow us @DaughterDialogs on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter

Announcing the end of season one, Daughter Dialogues will return on the 1st Thursday of February at the start of Black History Month. This episode includes observations in review of season one, listener comments and shout outs to social media followers, podcast statistics, announcements of live virtual events to interact with the Daughters and the official acceptance of Daughter Dialogues for deposit into a Harvard library, and a season two preview. Hear the reasons behind the decision to break the series into seasons and how it is not a podcast but instead a research project; how the oral histories shift our thinking about how this nation was formed and to view black people in the United States as more than simply victims of slavery but instead provide a richer narrative to American History; common shared experiences among the Dialogues: feeling the pain of ancestors, painful rejection or denial by white descendants of ancestors, friendships formed with white descendants of ancestors and their enslavers, setting the record straight in their family history, complex struggles with racial identity because of color of skin and the context behind decision to pass for white, white men with black women who were often enslaved in 1700s and 1800s providing a different narrative of how white men took care of their black families and passed down their property to them, white women with black men in the 1800's, people and color owning slaves, free people of color who were pioneers and prominent members of society starting their own schools and churches, descending from and family impact on historical figures, Daughters making history in their own right and accomplishing things not necessarily associated with black women, and Daughters as survivors; media coverage received during season one including NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt, African Ancestry, and WTOP- Washington D.C.'s top news radio interviews; a breakdown of listener groups; comments from white DAR listeners: "widen the lens through which I view the world", "these stories move me to tears…this is the kind of history I want told", "I want to be a part of the work to explode negative stereotypes with unexpected stories", despite their past family history of slavery "these ladies hit the ball out of the ballpark"; comments from non-DAR member black listeners: "these are stories people need to hear’, "there's so much more to them than their patriot", "I like to hear then generational perspectives from the women in their 20s to 90s"; "it’s not just you alone but others have shared experiences"; shout outs to social media followers for the top number of shares of Daughter Dialogues posts; geeking out on numbers: Daughter Dialogues episodes have been downloaded a total of 8,000 times over past 4 months and placing it in top 40% of podcasts among 30+ million episodes available; top cities and countries in which listeners are located; the launch of live events in January during which listeners will be able to meet the Daughters and ask questions live; announcement: Daughter Dialogues has been officially accepted for deposit at Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America at Harvard University’s Radcliffe Institute, arguably the world’s largest archive devoted to history of both individual women and women’s organizations; season two preview: meet the very first recognized black member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Karen Batchelor, who joined in 1977 and was also the subject of a final Jeopardy! clue! Subscribe to the newsletter at www.daughterdialogues.comFollow us @DaughterDialogs on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter

Karen Batchelor will share the many unexpected twists and turns on her 40-year family history journey and how what she has learned from the past has changed her life. Karen started doing genealogy because of a New Year’s resolution in 1976 - before the Internet and computers. By 1977, she became the first known Black woman to be admitted for membership in Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). Since then, Karen has discovered ancestors who were slaves and slaveowners, patriots and Puritans and even a colonial witch or two. Her family history in America goes back to the year 1630.  With a background in the practice of law and over 40 years of experience as a genealogist, Karen founded Story Mountain LLC, where she helps others with family research. She specializes in colonial New England and the Revolutionary War era; preparation of lineage applications; and analysis of historic legal documents. In addition to her client work, Karen serves as a National Vice Chair of Lineage Research for DAR and is a certified instructor of guided autobiography.   Karen continues to research her own family history, making discoveries that have recently led to membership in five other hereditary societies. When not "hot on the trail" of the long-dead but not forgotten, Karen enjoys spending time with family and friends, knitting and has been known to dress up in 18th century clothing on occasion. She lives in a historic 1898 building in Midtown Detroit.

  Host Scott Fisher opens the show with David Allen Lambert, Chief Genealogist of the New England Historic Genealogical Society and AmericanAncestors.org. David opens “Family Histoire News” with a story that Oregon is looking at reversing an 1845 law that outlaws dueling! Then, the Duchess of Cornwall is looking at buying back an ancestral home. Next, there’s woman who is apparently still receiving her father’s war pension… from the CIVIL War! And finally, David discusses his plans to honor those World War I vets who died in the “War to End All Wars.” Listen to find out how you can be a part of his special tribute during this centennial year of the US entering the War. Next, Fisher visits with Karen Batchelor, a Detroit woman, best known as the first African-American to join the DAR back in 1977. Karen is still a passionate genie and is on to a new project. Wait until you hear what it is and why she is doing it! Then, Thomas MacEntee from High Definition Genealogy in Chicago joins Fisher to talk DNA. National DNA Day is upon us, and Thomas talks about the latest trends in DNA, and how to take advantage of discounts on DNA tests that come at this time each year. Then, Preservation Authority Tom Perry, from TMCPlace.com, talks about how you can digitize your own photo negatives. That’s all this week on Extreme Genes, America’s Family History Show!

Fisher opens the first new show of the new year with David Allen Lambert, Chief Genealogist of the New England Historic Genealogical Society and AmericanAncestors.org.  They exchange unique family history resolutions.  Fisher then reveals his first research adventure of the new year... his childhood home is on the market in Connecticut, and photos of the exterior and interior are shown with the listing.  Fisher talks of the fun of finding decades old photos to show side-by-side with how those areas of the home look today. David then tells of a centuries old find beneath a Scottish school yard playground.  You won't believe what has been dug up!  Likewise, in Virginia, a foundation hole for a new hotel was being built when something awesome was found.  You'll enjoy this one too.  David also reveals the release of new World War I records from the British Archives that might include information on your American "Dough Boy" ancestor.  He also has the first new free database of NEHGS for guest users.Then, Fisher spends two segments with Karen Batchelor, the first African-American woman to join the Daughters of the American Revolution.  Karen says she didn't think that would be such a big deal in 1977... but in fact it was!  Hear her story.  She'll also talk about some of the incredible discoveries she's made in her 40 years of research covering slaves, slave owners, Puritans, and pioneers.  As she says... "I want them ALL!"  She's a guest you won't want to miss.Then Tom Perry from TMCPlace.com shares his "Five Steps for Scanning and Storing."  As always, it's great advice from the "Preservation Authority!"It's all this week on Extreme Genes, America's Family History Show!

Gil Mansergh welcomes Christina Goulart, Susan E. Gunter, and Susanna Solomon, three of the talented writers featured in a special 10th anniversary writers anthology collected, edited and published by Redwood Writers. With over 150 members, our local Redwood Writers branch is the largest and arguably the most active of the 21 branches in the California Writers Club. The anthology project began as a labor of love by editors Catherine Farrell, Karen Batchelor and Linda C. McCabe when they found an on-demand publishing house and collected and edited the 2005 anthology entitled Vintage Voices: A Sonoma County Writers Club Harvest. Today’s show begins with readings from the new, 10th Anniversary Edition entitled Journeys: On the Road and Off the Map edited by Amber Lee Starfire, Helen Sedgwick, Kate Farrell, and Michelle Wing.