Center for Family History at the International African American Museum

09/02/2026

You found the record. But did you really read it? 👀

Live URL: https://tinyurl.com/CFHArchiveRecords

Every historical document tells three stories:

📄 What it says
🏛️ Why it was created
🧠 What you bring to it

On September 19, Shelley Viola Murphy and Brian Sheffey explore why separating evidence from interpretation can transform your genealogy research. Untold Stories will introduce a research journey that goes beyond finding records and into how genealogists think.

We’ll also explore confirmation bias, the genealogical imaginary, and how understanding why state, federal, and legal records were created helps us recognize both what they document and what they were never designed to capture. And we’ll examine why African American genealogy so often requires us to look beyond the document in front of us.

And we’ll tackle one question every genealogist should be willing to ask:

What evidence would cause you to change your mind?

🎙️ What Does the Record Really Say?
📅 September 19 | 1 p.m. EST
📍 https://tinyurl.com/CFHArchiveRecords

Maybe you don’t need another record. Maybe you need to read the ones you already have differently.

You found the record. But did you really read it? 👀Every historic...

08/26/2026

NMAAHC's Freedmen's Bureau Project invites you to help commemorate a decade of expanding access to the records of the Freedmen’s Bureau. Transcribe records that document the lives of formerly enslaved men, women, and children and support scholars, genealogists, and communities researching the Reconstruction era. Join us in person or virtually.

Saturday, September 19, 2026
10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
UDC David A. Clarke School of Law
4340 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC 20008

Whether you're a seasoned volunteer or new to transcription, join us as we celebrate 10 years of the project and contribute to making these important records more accessible for future generations.

Come celebrate, learn, and transcribe with us!

Register to attend in-person: https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/019fb9dc0a247e518da598255e41f3d4

Register to attend virtually: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/meeting/register/vST6TtdKSbynHZT98CK_SA #/registration

Join us to commemorate a decade of expanding access to the records of the Freedmen’s Bureau. Help transcribe records that document the lives of formerly enslaved men, women, and children and support scholars, genealogists, and communities researching the Reconstruction era. (This registration form...

08/15/2026

African American genealogy and DNA can do more than help you discover your ancestors. They can help you tell their stories. What if the missing pieces of your family’s story are already waiting in an undiscovered document, newspaper article, or your DNA?

In this inspiring episode, host Shelley Murphy sits down with acclaimed authors Melvin Collier, Michael Willis, Kathy Marshall, and Orice Jenkins to explore how African American genealogy and DNA testing are transforming family history into powerful, published narratives - documentaries, stage plays, books, blog and vlog videos, video reels, and other formats.

If you’ve ever wondered how to turn research into storytelling, this episode gives you the roadmap.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

How to use DNA testing to uncover African American ancestry
Ways to turn genealogical research into compelling stories
Tools for writing or digitally publishing your family history
Why reclaiming Black stories is essential for future generations

Your family’s legacy deserves to be told - not just discovered and not shared.

👉 Join the conversation, share this episode, and start writing your family’s story today.

08/13/2026

African American genealogy and DNA can do more than help you discov...

08/11/2026

Saturday, 15 August at 1 pm EST
Live link: https://youtube.com/live/fAktSOltdRM

African American genealogy and DNA can do more than help you discover your ancestors. They can help you tell their stories. What if the missing pieces of your family’s story are already waiting in an undiscovered document, newspaper article, or your DNA?

In this inspiring episode, host Shelley Murphy sits down with acclaimed authors Melvin Collier, Michael Willis, Kathy Marshall, and Orice Jenkins to explore how African American genealogy and DNA testing are transforming family history into powerful, published narratives - documentaries, stage plays, books, blog and vlog videos, video reels, and other formats.

If you’ve ever wondered how to turn research into storytelling, this episode gives you the roadmap.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

How to use DNA testing to uncover African American ancestry
Ways to turn genealogical research into compelling stories
Tools for writing or digitally publishing your family history
Why reclaiming Black stories is essential for future generations

Your family’s legacy deserves to be told - not just discovered and not shared.

👉 Join the conversation, share this episode, and start writing your family’s story today.

African American genealogy and DNA can do more than help you discov...

08/01/2026

The Bureau of Indian Affairs' archive is in Chicago. In addition to holding all of the Mid-West Immigration and Naturalization records.

08/01/2026

NARA's archival Chicago and San Berno (CA) locations will be permanently closed. This follows the pending closure of its Seattle location. No one knows where the records will be relocated to. This is barely receiving any media coverage.

07/21/2026

We've added hundreds of newly donated African American funeral programs to the Center for Family History's Digital Archive, including significant collections from Freestone County and the surrounding area in Texas, as well as Shelby and Knox Counties in Tennessee.

Funeral programs are more than keepsakes. They are enduring tributes that often preserve family stories, relationships, photographs, and details that may not appear in any official record.

The Center for Family History's African American Funeral Programs & Obituaries Collection offers researchers another pathway to uncovering family connections, enriching family histories, and honoring the lives of those who came before us.

Someone you've been searching for may already be waiting for you to discover them in the collection.

Explore the collection:
https://tinyurl.com/CFHFuneralPrograms

07/18/2026

CFH is BSUY busy today!