Day 2: Primary Resources

On Wednesday morning, we dove into research on Ancestry.com and discussed different types of sources and the reliability of each.

Primary sources - questions to consider

Ancestry.com is full of primary documents that may or may not belong to the person we are researching. Ms. Harrison made a list of questions for us to ask about the primary sources. By questioning the author, intended audience, purpose, and historical context of the source, we can determine whether or not it is reliable information written by or about our ancestor(s). We also were encouraged to ask our parents and/or grandparents about the legitimateness of information we found about them or their relatives. For example, I found my grandfather's naturalization appeal from 1971, but before adding it to my family tree, I sent a picture to my dad. Sure enough, he recognized my grandfather's signature!

Screenshot; verifying a primary source

The second half of the day we spent watching an episode of Finding Your Roots, a PBS show in which Henry Louis Gates Jr. traces the lineage of various public figures. Episode 5 of season 7 (titled "Write My Name in the Book of Life") centered around two African-American celebrities: accomplished artist and producer Pharrell Williams and award-winning directer and actress Kasi Lemmons. Gates took each of them on a journey that granted them knowledge and connection to their blood relatives, something that many people in their community never get. Learning about what their ancestors experienced generations ago as slaves in America brought both guests to tears.

Williams thanks Gates; "I am forever changed."

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Day 6 - A Search for Answers

We began our morning at school, completing our gathering of questions and people to research at the Clayton Library. Once the group and our research questions were assembled we made our way through the Museum District to the library to begin our deep research! Upon arrival we got right to work, most went to the second floor for international research, however, I and a few others remained downstairs to research further into the U.S. I wanted to find some answers to my questions about my Native American heritage. I knew that my great-grandfather is a part of a smaller tribe in Maine, however, he lived with the Cherokee of North Carolina. Thanks to the assistance of the librarians at the Clayton Library and some long reading I was able to find some family names in a Cherokee census, leading me to believe my great-grandfather lived with family within the tribe! After a long morning of research, we set off for the McGovern Centennial Gardens. Ms. Harrison filled us in, upon our arrival,

Day 4 - Ending of the first week

Day 4 - Ending of the first week Morning On the morning of the halfway mark for J-term, we start by sharing new discoveries from yesterday's class on our family trees. After discussion, we dove right into working on our family trees once again. Students who did not get the chance to meet with Ms. Harrison the previous day would now get the chance to. While all the students worked on their family trees some students met one on one with Ms. Harrison to get some help on roadblocks or stumps they may have come across during their time building their family tree. Students are making new discoveries every day and grow ever more excited about learning new things about their families. Near the end of the morning, I was able to sit with Ms. Harrison and talk with her about a serious roadblock I had faced while building my family tree. When sitting down with Ms. Harrison we were able to find some records for my mom's side of the family which I was struggling with. This opened up

Day 3 - Continued Research

Day 3 - Continued Research Morning We began our morning by furthering our research into our ancestors. We looked through further documents, resources, and other primary sources. To keep us on track, each student met with Ms. Harrison to discuss their findings and how they can further enhance their studies. I found that much of my family's history is not located on Ancestry.com and I had to use different sources to track my family's background. Websites such as Family History, Findagrave, Familysearch, and many more are other sources I can use to track the origins of my family. Students using ancestry.com to further their research For the second portion of the day, we watched an episode of finding your roots featuring Nancy Pelosi, Norah O'Donnel, and Zac Posen. All three guests had stories from their relatives that shaped them into the people that they are today. For

"Finding Your Roots" Genealogy J-Term 2022

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