Genealogist and storyteller Nicka Sewell Smith will lead a series of virtual African-American genealogy workshops on behalf of the Weeksville Heritage Center. This unique series will guide participants through the process of researching their family histories, with a special emphasis on centering Black voices, narratives, and ancestral legacies.
Whether you’re just beginning or continuing your research, this series should offer the inspiration and knowledge to dig deeper into your roots — and strengthen the stories that shape us all.
Through the lens of genealogy, participants will learn to navigate historical records, oral traditions, and modern tools like DNA testing. As Nicka beautifully demonstrates, genealogical research combined with oral histories helps us develop a deep understanding of our past, present, and can help us navigate our future.
Nicka Smith is a host, consultant, and documentarian with more than 20 years of experience as a genealogist. She has extensive experience in researching the enslaved and their communities and is a valued expert in genealogy research along the Mississippi Delta.
She’s appeared on TODAY Show, CNN, MSNBC, was featured on an Emmy winning episode of the series Who Do You Think You Are, and has been interviewed by Oakland Tribune, The Undefeated, National Geographic, and TIME. She is the host of BlackProGen LIVE, an innovative web show with more than 130 episodes focused on people of color genealogy and family history.
She is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, a member of two lineage societies (Sons and Daughters of the Middle Passage (SDUSMP) and the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR)), and a past board member of the California Genealogical Society (CGS) and the African American Genealogical Society of Northern California (AAGSNC).
All workshops are free and will take place on Zoom. Please use the links below to register. You must register for each workshop individually.
SESSION SCHEDULE (7 pm EST on Zoom):
Wednesday, May 7th: Beginning African American Genealogy
Interest in family history has grown exponentially over the past decade and has become a national phenomenon. In this session, learn the basics of genealogical research and discover ways that descendants of both free people and those formerly enslaved can trace their ancestors.
Wednesday, May 21st: The Trifecta – The Secret Sauce of Researching the Formerly Enslaved
Genealogists and family historians alike have spent decades looking for a tried and true method for unearthing slaveholders of those enslaved prior to 1865. Learn how three crucial record sets (Civil War Records/Pensions, the Freedmen’s Bureau, and Probates/Successions) can become just the wrecking ball needed to obliterate brick walls related to slavery.
Wednesday, June 25th: Through This Soil: Finding and Tracing the Family Land
Black Americans who emerged from enslavement were eager to take advantage of all the rights and privileges of their newfound citizenship. One of the rights they often pursued was owning their own land. In this session, learn how to identify if an ancestor owned land, how to trace the chain of ownership of land that’s been in a family, and how to break down details mentioned within land records to glean more information on those mentioned.
Wednesday, July 23rd: Introduction to DNA and Genealogy
Genetic genealogy truly bears fruit if multiple family members on multiple lines of the family have tested. Learn the ins and outs of the type of tests, what to expect when you get results, and how to create and manage a project for your family while being mindful of privacy and sensitive issues that may arise.
Register for each session separately online here.
The Weeksville Heritage Center is a historic site on Buffalo Avenue between St. Marks Avenue and Bergen Street in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York City. It is dedicated to the preservation of Weeksville, one of America’s first free black communities during the 19th century.
Read more about genealogy in New York State.
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