On Saturday, Feb. 23 the National Archives, Southeast Region, will present a free workshop on locating family history information for African Americans whose ancestors were slaves.

The featured speaker for the event is distinguished author Alan Huffman. Huffman is the author of “Mississippi in Africa” in which he recounts the saga of freed Mississippi slaves who sailed to Liberia in the 1800s to become part of a new American-African colony. He will discuss his research techniques and his quest to uncover the details of the story. Who were the slaves? What really happened to them? Are the stories which have circulated about them true? Through research, interviews and, at times, edgy travelogue, his book reveals a telling human drama that spans two centuries and two continents and culminates with Liberia's recent civil war.

When the book was first published, it received acclaim by numerous reviewers including the Kirkus Review, the San Francisco Chronicle and The Boston Globe.

Huffman is also the author of the photo-essay book “Ten Point: Deer Camp in the Mississippi Delta.” He has contributed to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution; The Los Angeles Times; Lost; National Wildlife; The New York Times; Outside; The Oxford American; The Washington Post Magazine; Preservation; Smithsonian; and numerous other publications. He lives near Bolton, Mississippi, where he is working on another nonfiction book.

The workshop will also include sessions by National Archives staff on original documents in the National Archives that list slaves as passengers on vessels; documents related to the importation of slaves, primarily from Africa in violation of Federal laws; and lists of slaves available in other sources.

The process of locating genealogical records on African Americans in the pre-Civil War period is extremely difficult and tedious. The documentation is scattered throughout a variety of government records, and the lack of last names complicates the process. This workshop will give African Americans ideas and suggestions about places to look and resources available.

A special feature will be a display of original records listing the names of slaves as passengers on ships, living on plantations, and in various other original records – some of which date from the early 1800s.

At 1 p.m., the National Archives Southeast Region will host The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' (LDS) eighth annual celebration of Black Family History Day. This program presents genealogical information on researching African American ancestors and writing family histories. Attendees will receive a packet of materials that will include a copy of the Freedman Bank's CD – released in 2001 through the efforts of the LDS Church. The original records of the Freedman's Bank are housed at the National Archives facility in College Park, Md., and are available on microfilm at College Park, the National Archives Building in Washington D.C. and at regional NARA facilities. During the afternoon session, the LDS Church also will honor Morehouse School of Medicine, Morehouse College, and Hosea Feed the Hungry for their positive leadership roles within Atlanta's black communities.

This event will kick off at 10 a.m. at the National Archives, Southeast Region, 5780 Jonesboro Road in Morrow. To register, call 770-968-2100. All sessions are free and open to the public.

For more info, visit www.archives.gov/southeast.

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