Book Review: White Slave Children Trilogy by Richard Hayes Phillips, PhD

This year two more volumes in the Without Indentures series by Richard Hayes Phillips, PhD, published by the Genealogical Publishing Company, were released.  This little know index traces children who were transported to Colonial Maryland and Virginia from Europe and other colonies. Phillips new books add to his first book, Without Indentures: Index to White Slave Children in Colonial Court Records (Maryland and Virginia), which was published in 2013.  These new volumes concentrate on different records and specific county research.

I have to admit that while I knew there were indentured children, I was unaware of the amount of underhanded deals which made hundreds of children essentially slaves.  Children who were taken from their homes in Colonial Massachusetts as well as in England who were lost in the records while they were sent to Maryland, Virginia, or the Caribbean.  Through extensive searching of extant documents Phillips has begun the process of finding these children who had, in many cases, simply disappeared from the family unit according to other records.

Each book gives you historical background for the various laws enacted as well as a guide to using the books.  Both of which are essential to read so you can understand the records which are discussed better.  I was fascinated by the historical background information contained in the text.  Through it I was able to I read about the laws which were enacted that lead to the trafficking of white children and then those that were later enacted to stop it. 

In White Slave Children of Charles County, Maryland: The Search for Survivors concentrates on records held  within this specific county. The small biographies in the beginning of the book were particularly informative.  Compiled from court records and other documents that have survived, these biographies covered not only some of the children but those who purchased them as well.  There is also a listing of “Dishonorable Mentions.” These were people who had a record of abusing their servants.  More than three quarters of the book however concerns the children slaves, or servants, who were found in records like orphan’s lists, deeds, estates, petitions for freedom, and runaways who were found.

The second volume White Slave Children of Colonial Maryland and Virginia: Birth and Shipping Records concentrates on records from specific geographical areas.  Each chapter catalogs the birth and shipping records for those from an English County (such as Kent, Devon, or Essex), Country (like Ireland or Scotland), or another colony (Massachusetts).  Each entry lists all of the information uncovered for that person as well as where the information was found. 

Phillips admits that this is a subject in which more work still needs to be done.  This series of books could easily this could turn into a person’s life work as more records are discovered on this subject.  In fact, each county in Maryland and Virginia could be easily be covered through this research resulting in dozens of more books.

Truly a scholarly work, these books are essential for any library on colonial Maryland or Virginia research.  An excellent compendium of information to help discover those who are easily overlooked in typical research methodology.  I hope that you check them out if you do any research these areas.  Not only will you find excellent explanations on historical matters, but you may find a few surprise in the pages.

You can purchase these books though Amazon.com or Genealogical.com

Keynote Speaker from RoosTech Paula Williams Madison

Leading up to RootsTech I purchased the book Finding Samuel Lowe written by one of the Thursday Keynote Speakers, Paula Williams Madison.  Some of you may know from past book reviews that I love a good chasing-my-family story.  I knew I would have the opportunity to speak with her at RootsTech as one of the ambassadors which made me really dig in and read the book quickly. 

Paula has a somewhat unique background growing up in Harlem and rising to the top as an NBC Universal Executive.  The daughter of Jamaican immigrants, her mother half Chinese and half Jamaican, Paula and her brothers did not have an easy life in New York City.  A heritage that she decided to invesitgate more after the death of her mother.  Her book chronicles the journey she took, also filmed along the way as a documentary, to find her Chinese grandfather and the family she never knew.

During the keynote address on Thursday there was barely a dry eye in the audience.  As with any family story we genealogists sat in rapt attention through the audience.  We hung on her every word as she described her first meeting with the aunt and uncle her mother never knew and the emotions that ran deep through her. 

Paula on stage with a picture
of her mother

I was lucky enough to get to be a part of a small group who were able sit down one-on-one with Paula in the media hub at RootsTech.  In this “sofa chat” we were able to get some behind the scenes details, hear more personal thoughts on her journey, and ask questions to the man (Martin Proctor) who filmed the amazing documentary about her journey. 

She was asked what she thought the benefit to a face to face meeting was with relatives you have never met before.  Her words made so much sense, “nothing can replace a touch.”   She is correct, there is nothing in the world that can replace the embrace, caress, hand shake, and so forth of someone who is your flesh and blood.  Paula went on to tell us “no one can anticipate what it will be like” which I think is true as well.  While I have never met close relatives in this way I have met a few distance cousins and the anticipation and excitement even from those meetings were nearly overwhelming for me.  I can only imagine what she went through.

Her camera man, Martin Proctor, also gave us a look into his thought process for documenting her first meeting with her relatives.  Martin stated that “in production you had to roll with it as it evolved – you couldn’t control it… by the end I knew what was going to happen and could get ahead of her” for those powerful and emotion filled shots.  He even admitted that at times he stood there wondering where the shot was going to lead him, how would people react, and how welcoming would they all be.

Paula looking at a published
Chokbo from the Family
History Library

If you document your family history in real time I am sure you can relate to his emotions and thoughts.  I know I have had those thoughts even when dealing with close relatives.  To try and document those people who you have no contact with must have been a challenge full of surprise and apprehension. 

At the end of our chat a member of Family Search came by and surprised us with a bit of on the spot research.  Across the street, and a few blocks away, at the Family History Library there are a number of Chinese Genealogies, or chokbo (there are several different words depending on where the family came from).  Even better, they had several for the Lowe family, the two bound copies were shown to her to let her know that her linage was documented and not that far away.

To say it was an emotional surprise was an understatement.  Martin whipped out his phone and documented the event, along with several other bloggers, proving that just because the documentary was complete the documenting of her family story was not.

Book Review: The Best of Roots and Branches

James M Beidler is best known for his books and lectures on German Genealogy research.  However, did you know he writes a syndicated Family History column for newspapers called “Roots and Branches” which can be read in Pennsylvania?  A column full of advice, quips, humor, and thoughtful insights into the world of family history.

The 4^th edition of his book The Best of Roots & Branches: Pennsylvania’s Only Syndicated Family History Newspaper Column came out in April of this year and is a great read.  The columns are broken into sections by subject so it is easy to find topics you are interested in reading about quickly.  Everything from research and methodology to DNA is discussed in the book.  In addition there is a full index which includes subjects, people, and places that are covered within the articles. 

With nearly 15 years of articles to choose from I am sure it was hard to figure out what “the best” was.  I know I am having a hard time deciding which of the articles I enjoyed the most.  Never one to beat around the bush, Jim’s straight to the point attitude and wry sense of humor on the subjects he writes about comes through loud and clear.  The personal family history discoveries sprinkled through the articles makes the stories personal and come alive to the reader.  Since I enjoy telling my stories on my blog, I can appreciate the excitement felt by these discoveries and the need to share them with the world.

If you want to read his articles as they come out check out the Lebanon Daily News and Altoona Mirror for upcoming articles.  You will not be disappointed!  

Review of Interview With Mary Tedesco From Genealogy Roadshow

On Wednesday 28 January there was a great hangout I listened to which was produced by featuring Mary Tedesco.  The show focused mainly on the New Orleans shows for the new season of Genealogy Roadshow, the 2^nd of which will be shown next Tuesday 3 February 2015.  If you have not have the opportunity to watch the hangout I recommend you do so. 

BayouBuzz.com

BayouBuzz.com is a website that acts as a local news source for Louisiana.  The site is published by Stephen Sabludowsky (@BayoubuzzSteve) who hosted the show.  Co-hosts for the episode were Erin Brady (Miss USA 2013 @OfficialEBrady) and Ben Fisher.  The hangout lasted 43 minutes so make sure you budget the time to watch, it’s not a quickie.

It was really a wonderful chance to have a small behind the scenes peek into what a host, and consequently the show, is really like.  Mary acknowledged the team of researchers (she said it takes a village!) and that a lot of the magic happens later with the production team.  They are the ones who cut, snip and edit the footage into the final stories.  Those powerful stores which have left me grabbing a hankie a couple of times.  Which, by the way, season three casting is underway so go out there and submit your stories!

I particularly appreciated her candor on what it takes to be a good genealogist and pointing out how each story, and really each family, is very different.  That is so true too!  No one family has the same experience and we are such a diverse nation, with so many ethnicities and heritages blending together, it still amazes me what people can discover with a little digging.  We all have a story to share and I think if someone didn’t know a thing about genealogy they might be interested to learn more about their family after watching this video. 

Her emphasis that a grasp of history is important really hit home for me.  I cannot agree more on this subject.  Many people I know use genealogy as a jumping off point to learn more about the history of their ancestors.  Be it social, military, or political histories which is great.  Everyone should investigate what effect their ancestors and why.  However, I come at it from a different view.  The reason a lot of my brick walls were broken down was because I knew the basic history going in.  Maybe not everything I needed to know but I knew enough that I was able to lead my research to the correct countries or figure out from dates and patterns why people were migrating where and when. History (all types) goes hand in hand with genealogy research.

Of course I nearly jumped with glee when Mary was asked about how technology will help genealogy.  She used the words I love saying, and have been given the stink eye for too.  Social media and technology is having an impact on genealogists, we can’t run away from it!  We, genealogists, are crowd sourcing our brick walls.  Halleluiah!  Another person saying what I have spouted for the last several years in blog posts and lectures.  If she was there in the same room with me I would have kissed her.  Really, I would have.

So go check out the video and let me know what you thought.   

New family relationship chart by Crestleaf

How many of you get confused when you are trying to figure out just how are you related to a new cousin you found?  Sometimes my head hurts just trying to figure out all the removes and how many go where.  To be honest, I keep a chart handy for just this type of calculation!

Recently I was shown this great blog post by Crestleaf.  If you have never heard of Crestleaf let me tell you a little about them.  They have a simple philosophy that is expressed in this mission statement “Crestleaf was built to enable people all over the world to capture, preserve and share their family story with living relatives and future generations.”  The website has free public records for you to search, the ability to create a private family tree, as well as the ability to share and preserve the stories of your family.  Sounds interesting huh?

However, it is a cousin chart that brought me there, so let me tell you about this great chart.  Crestleaf updated one that was originally created by Alice J. Ramsay in 1987.  We have all seen versions of this out on the internet, but I like the way Crestleaf color coded and added figures to it.  Of course the “You Are Here” tag was plain cute. 

Needless to say if you are looking for a high quality graphic display of kinship then make sure you check it out!