How I am Starting my Family Archives

If I had to mark the beginning of my genealogy and archival journey, it would be when my father passed. Those items were family heirlooms like my dad's cell phone, his flag and letters from bootcamp while in the Navy, his hairbrush, my Aunt's vinyl collection, my grandmother's fur stole, and a tea set that my grandmother cherished. Most of them were once a part of Aunt Stefy's archive. She held on to pieces of our loved ones life stories in beautiful treasures. She was the family archivist. The keeper of things. Not just any old thing but stories and documentation of the life that each family member while here.

They were a part of our family's archives. A curated collection of family photographs, documents, heirlooms, letters that intricately weaved history. I am now preserving these memories and archival pieces for myself, to learn more about who I am and my purpose in my lineage and for future generations that will come after me.  

Everyone has family archives. Your family may not use the term "archive" but you all have one. It is simply a place that stores old records. Those records could be a family Bible, obituaries, deeds, insurance records, birth and death certificates, letters, payroll stubs, and so much more. Essentially, anything that list a family member's name and give you context to their life story or life records.

Most of the time, especially in Black families, we take these records for granted. We view them as junk or invaluable and throw them away when we are going into a home after a loved one passes. Those letters in your Uncle shoe boxes may tell his story in ways you could never imagine will impact his great great nephew when he shows interest in genealogy. They may become a treasure and the missing puzzle for him to understand who he is and from whom he comes from.

So, where do you start? For me, I began with my Aunt Stefy's massive Bible collection. The first day I went into her condo after she passed, I saw a Bible sitting on the dining table that she sat at daily. A Chanel sticker in the top left hand corner of the cover, her name embossed on the cover, and so many papers tucked within different pages. Normally, I would have allowed time to pass by before going through the Bible. But, I am constantly reminded of her telling me "Year of the Turtle" in a dream. Take it slow.

I then noticed a really thick white Walgreens envelope. I flipped it over and on the other side "Death Certificates" were written on the cover of the envelope in cursive. In it, were my grandmother's, grandfather's, and great grandmother's death certificates. A treasure. I guess Aunt Stefy said, "If NeNe finds these, she had to open the word".

Most families keep really large Bibles to record births, deaths, and marriages in the front or center pages of Bibles. If you find a gem of a Bible, they will have ancestor charts. I learned that in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, most states did not require births and deaths to be registered and recorded. So, many of our families kept record of those in our family Bibles.

Curating my family archives is also guiding me along my genealogy practice as well. Stefy and I worked on our family tree and genealogy tirelessly many nights before she passed. The only way we were able to truly make headway was pulling records from her archival collection. Piecing dates together and connecting life stories and coincidences that will help us document our ancestor's stories and how are lives are tethered with theirs.

A Western Union telegram from 1961 announcing her grandfather's death led us to the funeral home and funeral records in Jackson, Mississippi. Most recently, while going through things Stefy left behind, I discovered Union Protective Assurance insurance records dating back to 1939 of my great grandmother's. One policy was life insurance and the other was on her home which I now own as well.

Surreal is an understatement. Not only do I see the address which means so much to me, but her name, my grandfather's name ( who I adored), and-- my great grandfather signed off as the insurance agent. This is so meaningful and a really significant part of my family's history to show their class, perspective on legacy and wealth building.

In the 1950s, men who worked for or with Universal Life Insurance were upper middle class and many of them leveraged policies and business acumen for other ventures such as real esate which Papa did. He owned 3 properties in the 50s.

Curating your family archives opens the pathway of discovery and meaning. Its like getting clues along the way and trying to intricately weave them together. I want to reassure you that those papers, photogaphs, and random things around the house may hold more value than you could ever imagine. They are full of details and stories.

As I am working towards, a serious archival practive, I will share in more detail what to look for, how some pieces of your archives should be used, and how to record them for better organization.