Jessica Jones wrote her first website post one year ago today. I’m celebrating this anniversary by telling people about her inspiring African American genealogy website. The name of her website is “Reclaiming Our Ancestors”. Jessica shows pictures of her ancestors and their records, in a helpful and interesting tutorial way.
African American genealogical research is particularly challenging. Research success is more likely when we know more about the records, laws, and history of the places our ancestors lived. I attended a few classes at genealogy conferences to learn more about researching African American genealogy, including slave research. Jessica’s posts teach all the same things I learned in the genealogy workshops that I attended, and more! Jessica wrote a post about her Chavis family in Mecklenburg, Virginia. She found the records that show her ancestor transitioning legally from being slave to free. She shows the records and how she made this discovery in this post.
I love these words Jessica wrote about why she does family history and why she created her site: “…though our ancestors may have been enslaved in life, their memory doesn’t belong to the enslavers. They are our families and they belong to us. I want us to know them. To say their names and celebrate their lives.”
Congratulations Jessica, on one year of wonderful, interesting, and inspiring posts! I look forward to reading what you will share this coming year.
Site Note: This post is shared with the permission of Jessica Jones.
Julie's Mecklenburg, Virginia Discoveries 
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