FindingBill

04/29/2026

Have you used Full Text Search on FamilySearch yet? As my few followers know, I’ve been busy with a number of family situations lately and my Finding Bill Project has been low on the priority list.

I got back to it last week and decided to try full text search on some of the Tennessee records that are available there. I had been sifting through them on my own for for a while, but it takes time and it is easy to miss things. I personally get mesmerized when visually scanning 19th century handwritten court records, so I’m sure I miss things.

Well, full text can really be helpful! I’ve unlocked some mysteries that I really believed were in the records, but just couldn’t locate previously.

More info on Bill will be coming soon!

If you’ve used the full text search at Family Search, drop a comment and let me know what you’ve found!

06/20/2025

A late share of this Father’s Day post by Hampton National Historic Site.

05/21/2025

“THE STORY OF HIRAM, James and Wallace Wilson is woven through with threads of folklore, given the sparse records kept at that time, particularly for people born into slavery.”

The stunning vessels from the H. Wilson & Company were forgotten for generations, only to gain new appreciation for the craftsmanship that went into them

03/08/2025

“…the end we seek is a society at peace with itself, a society that can live with its conscience. And that will be a day not of the white man, not of the black man. That will be the day of man as man.” Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

01/20/2025

“Everybody can be great…because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”MartinLutherKingJrDay

02/19/2024

He is an inspiration to us all.

'Finding Your Roots' host Henry Louis Gates Jr. explains to PEOPLE the inspiration behind his popular PBS docuseries, which has had a wide range of celebrity guests including Julia Roberts, Viola Davis, Carol Burnett and Kerry Washington over the course of 10 seasons

02/14/2024

Graveyards and Cemeteries are sacred. They should be preserved, giving respect and dignity to the ancestors buried there.

Experts and advocates say there could be hundreds of historic Black cemeteries that have fallen into disrepair or erased by development.

01/25/2024

This looks like a valuable workshop!

"What does that say?" Each year on we like to share our recorded workshop on Reading Old Handwriting. Originally created for participants of our Making History transcription events (www.virginiamemory.com/makinghistory/events), this video is very helpful for anyone trying to decipher historic handwritten documents to find an ancestor or research a topic. youtu.be/utZN0E4h0sw

11/26/2023

A great article on the renovation of slave quarters in Natchez and the importance of education on all aspects of our history. The Cosey family has provided a special way to learn about the history of enslaved people in Natchez. Joseph McGill of The Slave Dwelling Project also provides insight in the article.

“Why not talk about it? Why not give honor to those people that your ancestors enslaved? Is it that hurtful to you? Are you that embarrassed? And if you are, if you talk about it, I feel it’s good healing for your soul.” - Debbie Cosey

Natchez, Miss., is beginning to highlight the history of its enslaved people—including at a Black-owned bed and breakfast in former slave quarters.

09/19/2023

Great resource! Also, great library for genealogists. I was in the area back in May, but did not have time to stop by. I plan to attend this, and I hope to visit in the near future.

Join us for a FREE virtual program on Oct. 24 at 2:30 p.m. EST!