Nicka Sewell-Smth: “… the more we dig into our histories, we … see the active measures that our ancestors … took to get us where we are today.”
The institution of slavery robbed African Americans of two things: our connection to our ancestral lands in Africa and knowledge of our enslaved ancestors.
Considered property by slaveholders, from 1790 to 1860, the federal census listed enslaved people but not by name.
According to the National Archives and Research Administration, “Researching African American ancestors who lived before the American Civil War (1861–1865) poses unique challenges. Enslaved individuals rarely had surnames and created few records themselves … Even African Americans whose ancestors were free before1865 may find research challenging if their ancestors moved frequently, worked for others, and owned no land.”
As the unofficial family historian, I hold copies of death certificates, military records, and family documents found on Ancestry.com. I have pages of not-yet-organized notes on what I know or have been told by family members about my maternal and paternal grandparents’ lineage. Most of my information only goes back two generations.
Recently, however, one of my granddaughters traced my maternal grandmother’s family back to Louisiana in1812!
I don’t know anything about my possibly enslaved ancestors, so when I received an email from the Weeksville Heritage Center (WHC) about its virtual three-part genealogical series, “Unearthing The Voices of Our Ancestors: A Virtual African-American Genealogy Series,” I immediately registered for the first session--“Beginning African American Genealogy” earlier this month.
Unfortunately, I missed it.
This week, however, I joined the second session: “The Trifecta – The Secret Sauce of Researching the Formerly Enslaved” to learn “how three crucial record sets (Civil War Records/Pensions, the Freedmen’s Bureau, and Probates/Successions) can become just the wrecking ball needed to obliterate brick walls related to slavery.”
I was not disappointed.
The guest speaker Nicka Sewell-Smith, a professional photographer, speaker, host, documentarian, and member of the Cherokee Nation, amazed me with her encyclopedic knowledge and down-to-earth delivery.
What inspired her interest in genealogy?
According to her bio, “I was at a family reunion in Memphis. A cousin put together the first family tree I ever saw, and it absolutely mesmerized me …While in college, I learned my cousin hadn't updated our family tree in years. I decided to update it and build a website .…
“A co-worker introduced me to the world of online genealogy research. The first record I saw? The 1930 U.S. Census with my grandmother as a 13-year-old. Blew. My. Mind.”
She cautioned us not to presume that our ancestors were enslaved, a thought that never occurred to me.
In addition to her non-stop recitation on how to access, navigate, and utilize information found in Civil War pension records, Freedman’s Bureau records, and probate documents of slaveholders, I realized that researching my familial history would enhance my knowledge of American/African American history.
For example, I learned that 180,000 Black men (“colored troops”) served in the Union Army during the Civil War, including both free and enslaved. The largest number (24,000) were from Louisiana (the birthplace of my maternal grandmother); another19,000 served in the Navy.
My significant takeaway from the seminar is that historical research requires patience, meticulousness, and persistence because oftentimes information in one document leads to tracking down additional documents.
Nonetheless, despite facing wrong turns, false leads, or incomplete data, the journey is worth the effort.
Even before some states and federal institutions banned books or removed artifacts related to African American history and culture, false characterizations of enslaved people’s resilience and resistance saturated the country’s revisionist history texts.
One way to reclaim our family histories and to honor those who endured so we could survive, is through genealogical research. Sewell-Smith urged, “Bring them back to life by speaking their names.”
One wall in her office is covered in sticky notes with the names of enslaved people to “inspire” her.
I urge you to register for upcoming sessions “Through This Soil: Finding and Tracing the Family Land” (Wednesday, June 5) and “Introduction to DNA and Genealogy” (Wednesday, July 23) on WHC’s website. You won’t regret it.
Sewell-Smith is also the host of BlackProGen LIVE, a web show focused on people of color genealogy and family history.
© 2025 wistajohnson.com (Reprint by permission only.) Image: courtesy of Nicka Sewell-Smith