Greetings,

This past weekend I had the opportunity to attend my first National Genealogy Conference hosted by the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society, Inc. (http://www.aahgs.org/).  It was a great conference filled with people from across the country.  There was great knowledge shared by experts who have been working in this field for many years.  There were keynote speakers such as former Governor L. Douglas Wilder, PBS’s “Genealogy Roadshow” host Kenyatta Berry and many others.  I only attend on day, but it was packed with information.

I attended the following workshops and will be sharing more at later time.

United States Color Troops (USCT) Widows Pension Applications by Bernice Bennett (http://www.blogtalkradio.com/bernicebennett).  Turns out Bernice, through DNA testing, is a relative to my wife.  We got to know her better between sessions.

DNA – by Shannon Christmas (http://www.yourgeneticgenealogist.com/2013/06/please-join-me-and-shannon-christmas.html).  Shannon also presented Governor Wilder’s DNA results before his keynote address.

Finding White Fathers of Enslaved Children by Kenyatta Berry (http://www.kenyattaberry.com/).

My investment in this conference has already paid off.  I now have a better understanding of how to use DNA along with paper trails to build a better story about my ancestors.  Next year the conference is in Atlanta and I hope to attend.  More to come……