Memory Monday: Passing the Laptop

On Sunday, November 1, 2009, I traveled home from attending the International Black Genealogy Summit in Fort Wayne, IN. This was a bittersweet day which signaled that my good times had come to an end. My travel partner, Selma and I arrived at the airport early to be sure that we didn’t have to rush and arrived at the gate where we would be boarding our airplane with a lot of time to spare and to relax.

“It’s time for the chat…see if you can get online,” Selma told me after we were seated for a few minutes.

This was some time after 11:30 a.m. and Selma was referring to the genealogy chat of Afrigeneas in which we regularly attend on Sunday mornings and other days of the week.

Connection to the airport’s Internet server went smoothly and within a short time I had accessed the chat.

'Selma and I are waiting in the Fort Wayne Airport for to go home,' I typed in the chat window. The group already knee that we were returning from our trip to the International Black Genealogy Summit because this had been a major topic of discussion for several weeks prior to the conference. The few people who were in the chat that morning had not attended this conference. Several of the other regular chatters were also on their way home from the conference and Selma and I were thrilled to have met so many Afrigeneas chatters at the conference.

I typed in a few other things related to the conference and then passed the laptop to Selma. For the remainder of our time waiting to board our flight home, Selma and I took turns participating in the chat and passing the laptop to each other. In the video below, Selma is sitting in the airport on the laptop participating in the Afrigeneas Chat. Notice the big smile on her face. Ahh! the joys of Technology.

Unleashing the Inner Afrocentric-Wearing African Attire

Many of the conference attendees of the International Black Genealogy Summit "unleashed their inner afrocentric" by dressing in various African styles during the conference activities. Darlene, one of my faithful blog readers, whom I met for the first time at this conference, wore this beautiful African styled ensemble with a bright yellow head wrap on Saturday.

Darlene is beautifully dressed in brown/tan/yellow earthtone colors with a dark brown short sleeve shirt and a earthtone colored wrap skirt. The bright yellow head wrap brings out the colors in her blouse and skirt.

Here is a back view of Darlene's head wrap. I sat about two rows behind her in the "Genealogy File and Time Management" workshop conducted by Shelley Murphy.

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"I like your head wrap,"

I said to Darlene after the workshop ended.

"I got the idea from your blog," she told me.

As a blogger, that made me feel good to know that my blog posting had positively influenced someone. I recognized the style of Darlene's head wrap from a video I had viewed on YouTube , however, I did not post that particular video on my blog. I did, however, post three videos on "How to Tie an African Head Wrap". It was these videos that gave Darlene the idea of wearing a head wrap and African attire to the conference.

"After reading your blog, I searched for more videos and found the
TheTonyaTkoShow ," Darlene also told me.

She wore the head wrap style demonstrated by Tonya in the video below.

3 Ways to Unleash Your Inner Afrocentric: Parts2: Head Wrap

For other Afrocentric videos by TheTonyaTkoShow , visit the links below.

3 Ways to Unleash Your Inner Afrocentric: Part1. Dress

3 Ways to Unleash Your Inner Afrocentric: Part3. Ethnic Jewelry

Images From the International Black Genealogy Summit

Terry Ligon did a fantastic job putting together a video of images from the International Black Genealogy Summit.

It's a Small World!

On this past Sunday, I struck up a conversation with a woman inside the Hilton Hotel in Ft. Wayne before leaving for the airport. We had just attended the International Black Genealogy Summit and were all waiting for the shuttle when I discovered that she was from my father's hometown in Emporia, VA located in Greensville County. The lady lives in another state now. I don't remember how the conversation began--I think she may have asked where I was from and what places I research.

While we were on the shuttle, we talked more about the Emporia connection. During the conversation, I pulled out my cell phone and called a cousin (Carolyn) who is a lifelong resident of Emporia. My cousin asked me questions about the lady's family and I couldn't remember all of the details because I had put my notebook in my briefcase. So I handed the lady (Ethel) my cell phone. Cousin Carolyn and Ethel did not know each other, but both of them knew a lot of the same people from Emporia. Everyone on the shuttle had attended the conference and we all laughed as we listened to Ethel talking to my cousin Carolyn as if they had known each other for years.

Ethel's ancestors and my ancestors attended the same churches (Shiloh Baptist and Antioch Baptist.) One of her family members was also the community barber.

I'm looking forward to discovering more about the relationship between these two families.

Thank God for cell phone technology. Instead of waiting until I got home to call my cousin, I was able to use this technology to call her while Ethel was on the shuttle with me. Nothing replaces seeing her smiling face and hearing her excited voice as she talked to my cousin like they had know each other for years.

Power of Blogging Presentation

THE POWER OF BLOGGING PRESENTATION

International Black Genealogy Summit

Friday, October 30, 2009

Allen County Public Library Room

Fort Wayne, Indiana

PRESENTATION SUMMARY: Workshop will demonstrate the basics of blogging, ranging from the technical aspects of blog creation, publishing and upkeep, to ways to steer traffic to a blog.

Here, I showed my blog awards section of the Find Your Folks blog.

Here, I demonstrated adding a photo to a blog entry.

They all seemed attentive and interested. I was pleased with the turnout for this workshop. Only two attendees had blogs; the rest were interested in learning what blogging was all about.

One Last Morsel of Research

I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to take one more look before leaving town.

Conference attendees of the International Black Genealogy Summit took advantage of the extended Sunday hours (8 a.m - 5 p.m.) of the Allen County Public Library Genealogy Room. I squeezed in a few moments to gather one last morsel of research at the library prior to leaving for the airport. My research focus was on Allen Pair (abt. 1843-aft. 1915), who was a slave in Greensville County, Virginia. By 1880, he moved to Leavenworth, Kansas. (I will discuss my research findings later).

I was not alone in taking advantage of the Sunday hours of the library before leaving the city of Fort Wayne. The ladies in these photos (Cristal, Janis, and Angela) also took advantage of the extended hours and we had lots of fun taking photos with our cell phone cameras and exchanging genealogy busines cards. As you can see from the piles of books on the table and cart, there were quite a few resources at the Allen County Public Library Genealogy Room.

Thanks to the staff of the Allen County Public Library Genealogy Room for all of your hospitality and assistance.

Looking Good! Profiling Our Banquet Outfits

Everyone attending the banquet of the International Black Genealogy Summit looked so beautiful, whether sporting African attire or other beautifully styled outfits. Here, these three ladies and I pose to profile our gorgeous banquet outfits.

Angela in African Attire

Angela Walton-Raji of African Roots Podcast sported her African attire at the banquet of the International Black Genealogy Summit. Isn't she lovely!

African Queen

After weeks of planning my African attire to wear to the banquet of the International Black Genealogy Summit, the day finally arrived for me to wear the outfit and all of the accessories I choose.

“I want to look like royalty,” I told family and friends.

I ordered the caftan from Dupsies, an African attire vendor I discovered through YouTube. The outfit was ordered on a Wednesday and arrived two days later. The outfit came with a matching head wrap, but after my niece hooked me up with a gorgeous hairdo, I decided not to wrap my head. Read more about my hairdo.

Posing to show off my jewelry.

Posing with online friends, Sharon and Jennifer

The smile says it all!


Modeling my outfit at work with matching head wrap.

Happy, Am I

I woke up this morning, my body aching with the stress of this week’s work (job, getting packed and travelling, and with the today’s “Power of Blogging” workshop at the International Black Genealogy Summit. “Happy, Am I,” I thought as I lay in bed procrastinating about rising up to tackle the morning’s numerous tasks.

“Happy, Am I” was a song made famous by the Elder Lightfoot Solomon Michaux (1884-1968) beginning in the 1920s. He is remembered by my maternal grandmother and others as the “Happy, Am I,” preacher. This peppy, hand- clapping and feet-tapping, theme song opened up his radio broadcast and television show and was especially inspirational to listeners during The Great Depression in the late 1920s and early 1930s.


Read more about how I discovered Elder Michaux


After getting out of bed, I watched the video below and clapped and moved to the beat in order to wake up my tired body.





All morning, I have meditated on the “Happy, Am I” and the memory of Elder Michaux. I also began making a list of some things that I am Happy about today.

“Happy, Am I”

For overcoming obstacles that occurred earlier in the week which threatened to prevent my attendance at this conference and conducting the Blogging workshop.

For the opportunity to share my knowledge of blogging with attendees of the conference.

For being in the company, for a few days, of enthusiastic and “OVERLY HAPPY” genealogists.

And most of all, that by 2:00 p.m. today, I can exhale when my presentation is over and enjoy the remainder of the conference.

Good Food, Good Fellowship

Conference attendees of the International Black Genealogy Summit enjoyed an evening reception with good food and lots of fellowship. It was quite exciting for me to meet several Afrigeneaschatters, whom I’ve gotten too know online for about two years. Chatter and chewing filled the reception room last night and a GOOD TIME WAS HAD BY ALL!

A Special “Do” for a Special Occasion

Every once in a while I get a special hairdo for a special occasion. It might be a permed style, texturized, a fashionable wig, or braid style. It was a last minute decision, but I decided on a braided hairdo and asked my oldest niece to do it before I left for the International Black Genealogy Summit on Thursday morning.

I'm all smiles as I sported my new hairdo at work on Wednesday and my makeup which was done by a coworker.

She does not work as a hair stylist/braider by profession, but definitely has the natural gift to do such a job. She has never even attended school or training to do hair, but does it for our female family members and some of her close friends.

After a little over two hours under her creative fingers, my niece transformed my hair into this beautiful style which I love and for which I have received numerous complements since this Wednesday.

Actor and Comedian Chris Rock has already revealed many black hair secrets in his recent film, Bad Hair. However, I won’t reveal the details of how my niece transformed my hair. Neither will I post a “Before” picture which will both scare you and amuse you. (Ha, Ha).

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“My niece braided my hair,” I told a friend during a phone conversation on Wednesday night. I had not yet revealed to her the details about the hair style.


“Is it your natural hair?” my friend asked. We have known each other about ten years so she knows my hair history.


“It’s on my head,” I told her, “and I’ll leave it at that.”


We both chuckled and then I described the details of the hair style.

Here I am on Thursday morning at the Atlanta airport seriously tuning up my presentation.

Burning the Midnight Oil

Conference attendees of the International Black Genealogy Summit are taking advantage of the extended hours (until midnight) of the Allen County Public Library Genealogy Room. Although I would love to do the same, my evening will be better spent getting ready for my presentation that I will conduct tomorrow on “The Power of Blogging.” I did visit the library this evening to check out the room where I will be presenting. While there, I took several photos as seen below.

Five Mo’ Days and Counting!

In five mo’ days, the International Black Genealogy Summit will begin and I’M SO EXITED THAT I JUST CAN’T HIDE IT! I have been planning to attend this conference since late 2008 and now it will occur in just a few days. I’ve been doing the countdown for a few days and either calling friends or saying to coworkers, ___ mo’ days. Most of them say “_____ more days?”

“No,” I correct them. “I said ___ mo’ days.”

These conversations always end in laughter.

I am looking forward to so many things at this conference such as:

1. Presenting a workshop on “The Power of Blogging.”
2. Meeting many genealogists from around the world.
3. Meeting online genealogist face-to-face.
4. Browsing the vendor tables and discovering new genealogy books and other wares.
5. Attending numerous workshops and learning new techniques to further my research.
6. Breaking bread with other genealogists at the Luncheon and Banquet. Conversations over food is always a good thing!
7. Researching at the Allen County Public Library Genealogy Room.
   

Research Plans
At the Allen County Public Library, I plan to research (1) Goodwyn Hunt and (2) Allen Pair, both who lived in Greensville County, VA. I do not know if I am kin to either of these men, however, I discovered both of them through research of my Greensville county family and I have found their lives and migrations interesting. I discovered the places where they migrated through either a census book index (Goodwyn Hunt) or online census index search (Allen Pair)

Goodwyn Hunt
Goodwyn Hunt was a free person of color born about 1797 in Virginia. He and several other Greensville County free persons of color, migrated to the Carthage area of Rush County, Indiana during the 1830s.

Allen Pair
Allen Pair was born around 1843. He was listed on the slave inventory in the estate of Howell Pair of Greenville County, VA In 1864. Allen Pair married Rebecca Jones on November 24, 1866 in Greensville County, VA. By 1880, he had moved to Leavenworth, Kansas.

Tweaking Presentation and Planning Wardrobe
I have spent the last few weeks tweaking my presentation and planning my conference wardrobe.

Earlier this month I did a dry run of the presentation for my local genealogy society. I’m glad that I did this because it helped me to see areas for improvement in the presentation.

African attire is encouraged to wear to the banquet and I have gone all out for this one. About a week ago, I ordered an African outfit online and it arrived in the mail two days later. Since its arrival, I have spent a lot of time buying accessories. I’ve consulted with my coworkers and some close friends on selecting just the right accessories and they are just as excited as me. I’m excited about my African Attire debut at the banquet next Friday night. I’ll share photos with my blog audience on next Saturday.

Five mo’ day and counting!

How to Tie An African Head Wrap

I am busy preparing to attend the International Black Genealogy Summit later this month where I will be presenting a workshop entitled “The Power of Blogging.” Besides fine tuning my presentation, I am working on plans for the trip such as choosing the workshops I want to attend and my wardrobe for the conference. I noticed on the program that wearing African attire is recommended for two events (a banquet and a luncheon). It will be fun to participate in the wearing of ethnic garb so I have been researching the Internet to get ideas for possible African outfits which might either be a caftan, skirt set, or pants set along with an African scarf or head wrap.

Part of my Internet research included searching for videos which demonstrated ways to tie an African head wrap or gele. This video is sponsored by Dupsies, a vendor of African styled clothing, jewelry, and other products.

Below are three videos demonstrating three different ways to tie an African head wrap. My preference is style #2, but I’ll try all three to determine which one looks best on me.



How to tie your African Head Wrap, Part 1


How to Tie an African Head Wrap, Part 2


How to Tie an African Head Wrap, Part 3

Tour of Allen County Public Library Genealogy Room

I am preparing for a trip to Fort Wayne, Indiana to attend the Black Genealogy Summit in late October. While there, I plan to do some research in the Allen County Public Library Genealogy Room. These two videos give an excellent tour of the facilities.

Genealogy Center, Allen County Public Library, Part I




Genealogy Center, Allen County Public Library, Part II

International Black Genealogy Summit

I’m looking forward to attending and speaking at the International Black Genealogy Summit that will be held October 29-31, 2009 in Fort Wayne, IN. The theme of the conference will be “Reconnecting Lost Links.”

My lecture will be entitled “The Power of Blogging” and will demonstrate the basics of blogging, ranging from the technical aspects of blog creation, publishing and upkeep, to ways to steer traffic to a blog.

Not only do I look forward to presenting at this conference and learning new things from the other workshops, but I also anticipate meeting other researchers from around the world. Some of the attendees will be researchers whom I’ve met at other genealogy conferences. Some will be researchers whom I have met online and others will be researchers whom I will meet for the first time.

For a list and description of the speakers and workshops for the International Black Genealogy Summit, download the IBGS Speaker Summaries.