Thread by @blackprogen

One of the most underutilized resources in genealogy and family history are newspapers. While the appeal of the census is alluring, it really only offers a snapshot in time on one day of one year while newspapers and periodicals run monthly, weekly, or even daily. #RootsNChill

We covered newspapers for people of color research in depth during episode 81 of #BlackProGen LIVE: #RootsNChill

Black periodicals have been around for a LONG time in the U.S. In 1827, Freedom’s Journal was founded by Rev. John Wilk & others in New York. The "oldest existing periodical published by African-Americans in the U.S. whose existence dates before the Civil War..." #RootsNChill

is The Christian Recorder was was started in 1852 by the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church). #RootsNChill

Your challenge for this week is as follows:

1. Identify the newspapers and periodicals for your ancestral locations. A great tool is the @librarycongress gress Chronicling America U.S. Newspaper Directory, 1690-present - chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/search/titles/ #RootsNChill #BlackProGen

2. Locate the repository for the periodicals in your ancestral locations. Sometimes we can find them easily on websites like @_newspapers, @GenealogyBank, Fulton History, or @accessarchives or they may only be available through microfilm. Not sure, get to work to find out!

3. Review or CREATE a list of ancestors you're seeking more info for that are not appearing in mainstay sources (ie. census, vital records, etc.). Have you tried to locate them in newspapers/periodicals? If not, get to work! #RootsNChill

4. Review or CREATE a timeline for the selected ancestors. You need to be clear - or attempt to be clear - on where they where and when they were there. #RootsNChill #BlackProGen

5. Be creative in your search tactics. Use alternate spellings for ancestors names and make sure you're looking in the right locations. #RootsNChill #BlackProGen

6. Join us for our weekly wrap ups taking place on Friday at 1:30pm Central. Set your watch reminders 👉🏾: bit.ly/33BJeO0

Be on the look out for additional resources around this topic this week. #RootsNChill #BlackProGen

NEED HELP? We're always available!

SUBMIT YOUR CASE TO ASK MARIAH: goo.gl/uQuBoN

Happy hunting & #FlattenTheCurve!