On November 20th I had the honor of delivering a presentation about my book The Washingtons of Wessyngton Plantation to the entire fifth grade class at Gateview Elementary School in Portland, Tennessee. More than 100 students attended. Prior to my visit the students had studied the Civil War, which tied into my program. The students were very attentive and had many questions. Following the presentation many of the students expressed an interest in tracing their genealogy.
Posts Tagged ‘history’
Washingtons of Wessyngton Plantation Presented to Gateview Elementary School Students in Portland, Tennessee
Monday, November 30th, 2009Baker Presents Washingtons of Wessyngton to Greenbrier Historical Society
Saturday, April 25th, 2009On April 21st, author John F. Baker Jr. delivered a presentation on his new book The Washingtons of Wessyngton Plantation: Stories of My Family’s Journey to Freedom to the Greenbrier Historical Society. The program was well received and attended by nearly 40 historical society members and friends.
Genealogy Tips #1
Sunday, March 22nd, 20091. Start with yourself
The first step in tracing genealogy is to start with yourself and work backwards.
Start with what you know such as the names of parents, grandparents etc. then search
for the unknown.
2. Interview older relatives
Older family members can give you personal information about your ancestors
not found in official records. They may also give you information that will lead you
you to other genealogical resources such as the names of extended family members,
locations where family members lived during a certain period, birth, marriage, and
death dates of family members. Always record the interviews if possible.
3. Copy old photographs
Copy all old family photographs and share them with family members. Be sure to
record the names of all persons featured in photographs on the back. We have all
seen old photographs of family members that no one can identify.
4. Share information with family members.
Always share what you find with family members. If you share information others
will likely share with you.
5. Organize your work
Always organize your research and cite sources so the information you find is
useful to others.
Wessyngton Research-Video
Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009I invite you to watch a short video in which I describe my research:
Wessyngton DNA Project-Video
Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009I invite you to watch a short video about the DNA research I conducted: