Family history enthusiasts to form African-American genealogy group

Genealogy enthusiasts will meet Saturday to form what will be known as the Black Historical and Genealogy Research Group of Oklahoma.

The meeting is set for 10:30 a.m. in the board room of the Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive.

Among the organizers are Andre and Jessilyn Head of the Coltrane Group, who recently moved to Oklahoma from Seattle.

“We were surprised to find that there is no genealogy society in Oklahoma that is dedicated to African-American heritage,” Jessilyn Head said. Seattle has several such organizations, she said.

The new group will help researchers document the histories of families whose ancestors included slaves, and will have a goal of eventually forming a state chapter of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogy Society.

There is significant interest in African-American genealogy, Jessilyn Head said, especially now that more of the Freedmen’s Bureau records are available in a digitized and indexed format.

The Freedmen’s Bureau was established to help newly freed slaves transition to citizenship, by providing food, housing, education and medical care and creating written and legal records for millions of people.

The Coltrane Group assists the historical black towns of Oklahoma in their efforts to preserve history, restore significant buildings and revitalize their towns. Andre Head is a native of Boley.

To learn more

For more information about Saturday’s meeting, call (206) 948-8852.

We were surprised to find that there is no genealogy society in Oklahoma that is dedicated to African-American heritage.”

JESSILYN HEAD BLACK HISTORICAL AND GENEALOGY RESEARCH GROUP OF OKLAHOMA