Tracing a family tree can be challenging, especially when birth records are missing or relatives change names through marriage or divorce. Many African Americans face even greater challenges due to a lack of records for enslaved ancestors.
As part of Black History Month, a class in Charlotte is helping people find those lost branches of their family trees.
Inside the Mountain Island Library in northwest Charlotte, about a dozen people sat quietly listening to an instructor, while others joined via Zoom. The class focused on researching ancestors who may have been enslaved, including how to use the 1860 U.S. census.
The census was conducted a year before the Civil War began. At the time, enslaved people were not counted by name, but were recorded as property.
Sitting near the front of the class was 32-year-old Jasmine May, who started taking genealogy classes three years ago after completing a DNA test.
“Just to figure out where I come from and the different make up my background,” May said.
May, who is African American, learned she has West African, Jamaican, Irish and Native American roots. She said learning where she came from has been a privilege, but "some of the stuff can be painful, too," she said.
During her research, May learned that one of her ancestors was enslaved.
“It’s something that you kind of always knew, but just to have the proof,” she said. "When you're in school, you're learning about different Black historical figures, and you're like, ‘Wow, OK, I know this history — but what is my family history?'”
Leading the class is Danielle Pritchett, who pointed out where the group can potentially find important information about their ancestors.
“If they were free people of color, they had to register themselves as free people of color,” Pritchett said. "A lot of counties have those negros registries — some of them are online, or some are in print books like this.”
Pritchett has been teaching genealogy since 2012. She says it can be tough for many African Americans to trace their roots.
“If their ancestors were enslaved, they weren’t considered people. They were property. So they wouldn’t have the same traditional records as other people did,” Pritchett said. "So, you have to be strategic with the types of records; you have to look at property records instead of you know, typical records to find their information.”
Pritchett says when some people learn their ancestors were enslaved, they can get emotional.
“It’s heartbreaking information," she said. "But then again, you just have to understand that was the time. And like I said, don’t focus on just the bad but embrace the good as well.”
She points to formerly enslaved people who opened schools and educated their peers.
A 2022 Pew Research study found more than three-quarters of Black Americans say they have spoken with relatives to learn their history. Interest was highest among Black women, something Pritchett said she sees in her classroom.
“I think it’s just because women, we just talk about things more," she said. "Men, you know, they focus on work and things like that, but they don’t really talk about it as much ... my dad didn’t say how I was related to people, but my mom would take the time to do it. So, I think we’re just more invested, honestly, to share those stories.”
Marlene Claiborne, 76, said her interest in genealogy was initially sparked by a disappearance in her family.
“My dad left the home when I was 10 years old,” Claiborne said. "I wanted to find out what happened to him. He just left one day, and he never came back.”
Claiborne learned from items like newspaper articles that her dad moved to Michigan, where he played music. He died in 1982 from lung cancer. She hasn’t been able to find out whether her ancestors were enslaved, but she’s still looking.
Part of her interest in that history, she says, is to learn stories from the past that can inform the present. She draws a line from her childhood growing up in the Civil Rights Era to today’s protests against heavy-handed enforcement of immigration laws.
“I witnessed my family members protesting. I witnessed them being attacked by dogs and water hoses,” Claiborne said. “They were protesting against being mistreated because of their skin color.”
As for what she hopes her classmates take from the class, Claiborne said: “February is Black History Month. I hope they will go away with a sense of pride to find out more about their ancestry.”
Just as she pieced together what happened to her father, Claiborne hopes other African Americans can uncover missing branches of their family tree.
