Combining research services with community education to bring the stories of Beaufort's Influential Black Past to Life.
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Map My Ancestors is an application that converts GEDCOM files into Keyhole Markup Language (KML) files for viewing with KML-compatible programs such as Google Earth or Google Maps. The application identifies places in the source data and Geocodes them to produce a list of latitudes and longitudes. The user has the opportunity to confirm map locations before viewing the data with Google Earth. It supports GEDCOM 5.5.1 draft's Latitude and Longitude extensions. GEDCOM custom tags created by Legacy Family Tree and Roots Magic are also supported by latitude and longitude data.
For more information on Map My Ancestors or how to use GEDCOM files with the software go to www.familytreeassistant.com.
MEN OF MARK: EMINENT, PROGRESSIVE AND RISING
By Rev. William J. Simmons
Men of Mark: Eminent, Progressive and Rising by Reverend William J. Simmons is a book honoring the achievements of a select group of prominent African Americans in the year 1887. The book was issued by subscription only though and very few known copies survive. Published by Geo M. Rewell & Co., it contains black and white photos, illustrations, biographical information and an introductory sketch by Reverend Henry McNeal Turner.
Amateur and professional genealogists have been sifting through records, listening to stories, reading newspaper articles, and transcribing family bibles for years trying to document the genetic mystery of the Melungeon people. Despite this, DNA Testing of Melungeon descendants have been until this date surprisingly limited. A Melungeon is described as an individual who has haplotypes that show a mix of European, Native American and Sub-Sahara African blood. The Melungeon DNA Project, a study of males and females who have proven Melungeon ancestry, hopes to fill that void. It is a DNA project but its data can be helpful to struggling African American genealogists trying to document an ancestor who mysteriously enough, is no longer African American in records. Melungeon genealogies are sometimes the key to documenting ancestors on your family tree you suspect were passing. The results of a DNA TEST do not often prove a family relationship (parentage of a white man to a black child) but can be quite helpful in guiding research to a particular time, place and person. If you suspect you are a good candidate for the project itself, visit the Melungeon Y Project at FamilyTreeDNA and request to be a part of the *CoreMelungeonDNA Project.*
Note: There is no charge for this service but there is a waiting period.