Old photos, family Bibles, and keepsakes can hold the clues that records don’t. In this post, I share how one powerful heirloom—The Bull Whip—connects memory, survival, and research, and how your own heirlooms can spark breakthroughs.

Thursday, February 12, 2026 Your ancestors didn’t disappear between census years—records exist to prove they were there If you’ve ever researched Black ancestors in a city, you know the frustration. The census is only conducted every 10 years. Families move. Names change. Neighborhoods disappear. And suddenly, a whole decade of your ancestor’s life feels invisible. That’s where city directories come in. City directories are one of the most overlooked tools in Black genealogy.

February 2, 2026 - Your elders are your best source of information. Conversations about the past matter! Talk to an elder today to capture your family's stories. The most valuable records that you already have are your elders' stories. When people begin researching their family history, they often head straight to online databases. Census records, DNA tests, and digitized documents feel official and reliable. Over time, I learned an essential truth about Black genealogy: som