Join Shore History in welcoming genealogists Tyrone Goodwyn and Luke Alexander for a free symposium discussing African American genealogical research methods at Mary N. Smith Cultural Enrichment Center in Accomac Friday, March 15th from 6pm-8pm and Saturday, March 16th from 9am-3pm with a lunch break. Coffee, donuts, and water will be available for attendees.

Friday evening, reflect with Tyrone Goodwyn as he reviews his personal experience tracing his family lineage from North Carolina to the Eastern Shore of Virginia to Angola in Africa. His mother was born on the southeastern tip of North Carolina, where her free people of color landed circa 1750s. As the son of a Pender County Jacobs, he is related to most of the other free people of color surnames across the region and across the South. His father’s line hailed from central Virginia, Dinwiddie County.

Saturday, join Tyrone and Luke in an involved discussion on some of the challenges of researching African American heritage. The institution of racism and slavery resulted in a lack of documentation of colored people, both free and enslaved. Tyrone and Luke discuss overcoming incomplete documentation and interpreting records from the 19th century. Through their assistance, learn research methods that extend your scope of African American genealogical research and progress your family tree.

Registration is required. Please visit shorehistory.org/ticketsales to register for FREE.