Ask a Genealogist: Discovering Your Community and Family History Through Genealogy
Genealogist Elizabeth Laney shares information and advice in a Q + A about using genealogy as a tool to uncover your family and community history
By: Elizabeth Laney
May 18, 2024
The Ask an Expert series features Q + A’s with people who are experts in a particular field or who have a depth of knowledge around historic preservation. We ask experts a variety of short answer questions and ask for their advice to Black preservation projects and leaders.
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Q: Introduce yourself! Tell us a little about you. How did you get started in your field? What kind of projects have you worked on?
I grew up in the Lowcountry of South Carolina and remember being drawn to genealogy and history at an early age. I devised my own family survey when I was twelve and sent it out to my extended family. Later, working as a historic interpreter and tour guide at various South Carolina historic sites, I found ways to utilize genealogy as a lens for studying history. Many of the projects I’ve worked on have involved reconstructing marginalized communities. I spent more than a decade at Redcliffe Plantation State Historic Site in Beech Island, SC conducting genealogy for more than 70+ families of African descent and reconstructing the communities they lived in across four plantations and over more than 200 years. I love unearthing the stories that have been hidden or forgotten – they are the most powerful.
Q: What’s your genealogy research superpower? What are you best at?
My genealogy research superpower is utilizing genealogy and history together to help reconstruct communities and show how local and regional history impacted those communities. I’m also good at reading really old, practically indecipherable handwriting!
Q: How does your work in genealogy intersect with preserving African American historic spaces?
Genealogy helps tell the story of how people/families/communities are connected to our historic spaces. On a recent project researching a small community of Black Civil War veterans in Walterboro, SC, I was able to discover that the marriages these out-of-state veterans made to local women led to their families becoming founding members of Hopewell Presbyterian Church – a church that is largely defunct today and with a history that had been lost. Using genealogy to help tell stories like that of Hopewell and its founding families, as well as the community they lived in, have led to being able to reestablish the importance of these communities and their contributions to local history and, in a larger sense, their importance to state and national history as well.
Q: What do African American preservation projects and leaders need to know about genealogy? How is it relevant to them?
Genealogy can help you understand how people are connected to a space over time. It can be powerful for helping research historic homes, churches, cemeteries or businesses which often saw multi-generational use or ownership. But genealogy can also help reconstruct the histories of individuals who helped build or design historic spaces, principals or faculty of schools, founders of historic institutions, etc. A good genealogist can be an invaluable addition to a research team, especially on a project where social history is an important element.
Q: What first steps would you recommend for people who are not professionals in genealogy?
Many libraries may have reference librarians who specialize in genealogy and local history, local history rooms with genealogical and historical resources, as well as free access to online genealogical research sites such as Ancestry.com. You can also begin your own genealogical research for free with non-subscription sites such as FamilySearch.org. You can also search for professional genealogists who may be able to help with your project by reaching out to local genealogical societies, state genealogical societies or searching for certified genealogists through the Association of Professional Genealogists (www.apgen.org).
Q: What is something many people may not realize about your area of work? (a helpful tip, rule, process, or insider knowledge that people new to this type of work might not realize?)
More information is being digitized daily and made available online every year through multiple online repositories. There are many records that have been buried in local libraries, in church basements, in boarded up storerooms in the local courthouse, lost in someone’s attic or just ignored in readily available public records. Never think that there is no information available on the places that you’re hoping to protect or the people associated with it. There is more information out there than you could imagine and it is becoming increasingly accessible to researchers.
Q: If you had to give just one piece of advice to folks who are looking to bring genealogy into their preservation project, what would it be?
Don’t ignore genealogy as an important tool for your project, particularly with a space associated with a community or a number of different families or individuals. I’ve used genealogy as a starting point for many different projects including preservation projects, historical research, tourism projects, educational initiatives, etc. to great effect. Don’t give up if you seemingly can’t find information right away! There are many free resources available online, as well as a number of subscription sites that you can join for a month or two, as well as many local experts who can assist you with your project.
Q: What do you think needs to be done to move the needle forward on preserving Black history?
We need to make sure that local resources regarding Black history are accessible, that Black communities have the tools they need to advocate for their own history and that we agitate for diverse stories and diverse voices to be included when telling the overall history of the State of South Carolina.
