Learn to trace your family history using FamilySearch, a free online genealogy platform. In this hands-on workshop, site educators will guide you through the process of exploring historic marriage records, with a special focus on the first legally recognized marriages of African Americans after emancipation. Using real 19th-century Brazoria County documents, we’ll walk you step-by-step through how to:
- Navigate and search FamilySearch
- Locate and analyze historic marriage records
- Build and organize your family tree
- Connect records across generations
- Apply these skills to your own genealogical research
Educators and special guest Samuel Collins III will use examples from historic Texas families to demonstrate research tips, common challenges, and methods for verifying family connections.
This program is perfect for absolute beginners ready to explore genealogy for the first time and for experienced researchers interested in working with a new platform or diving deeper into post-emancipation records.
Program Dates:
Sat, Feb 28, 10-12 p.m. at Levi Jordan Plantation SHS, Brazoria
Sat, Mar 21, 10-12 p.m. at Varner-Hogg Plantation SHS, West Columbia
Photo: Sergeant Samuel Smith enlisted in the 119th US Colored Infantry in Camp Nelson Kentucky and his wife Molle and their daughters Mary and Maggie. Library of Congress. Learn more at: Sergeant Samuel Smith, Wife Molle, and Daughter Mary and Maggie — SPXR
This event is presented as part of Texas America250, commemorating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.