Reclaiming Our History

Keynote speaker: Renate Yarborough-Sanders. This session is specific to researching ancestors of color, to include formerly enslaved and free people of color. Participants learn which record types and web sites are most helpful in this type of research and how to extract data about people of color from various document types.

Renate Yarborough-Sanders authors two blogs: “Into the LIGHT” and “Genea-Related;” and produces a “(Mostly) African-American Funeral Programs” online database.

Renate is a member of the National Genealogical Society, the North Carolina Genealogical Society (Publicity Director), the Afro-American Genealogical and Historical Society (member of National Editorial Board and Vice-President and Newsletter Editor for the Hampton Roads Chapter), and several North Carolina local societies. She is also a member of the lineage society, “Sons and Daughters of the United States Middle Passage.” Renate cohosts “Let’s Talk North Carolina Genealogy,” an online platform and YouTube show, presenting genealogy programing and virtual events for North Carolina researchers; and she has served as panelist and guest on numerous web shows and podcasts. Renate has provided genealogy education for George Washington’s Mount Vernon, Norfolk State University, The College of William and Mary and for NASA. Her research has been featured on PBS Radio and in a National Geographic cover story and podcast. Renate provides coaching and consultation services for clients seeking assistance with genealogical research and continues to engage in project work for various organizations and institutions.

Renate lectures on a variety of genealogy topics but specializes in teaching beginning to intermediate research methodology and sharing specific techniques for researching ancestors of color – both pre- and post-Emancipation. She is a retired elementary school educator, mother of two daughters, and grandmother of three beautiful granddaughters (and a grand dog).

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Cara F. Griggs, AM, MS(LIS), CA, is a Reference Archivist at The Library of Virginia. She will give an overview of Reconstruction records and the Library's African American resources. She earned a BA in history from the University of Richmond, an AM in social sciences from the University of Chicago, and an MSLIS with an archival studies concentration from Drexel University. She is a member of the Academy of Certified Archivists, and has been a reference archivist at the Library of Virginia since 2006.

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Ryan Gladden, of Raleigh, NC, will talk briefly about the Meadows plantation then transition into predominantly the family of his ancestor, Charlotte Smith/Boyd, and the property that was given to them by the Robertsons during Reconstruction.

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We will also discuss the Historical Society's Ancestry.com page, how it tracks African Americans who have lived in Washington County, and how it can be used to locate cousins who may have more information to share about Washington County ancestors.

More details to come!