Photo Credit: Diana Kimball
About Us: Our History...
The African-American Genealogy Group of Kentucky was formed in January 2011 by eleven researchers interested in preserving the history of Kentucky’s African American generations and telling the “other” side of the story. We incorporated in April 2011. The rest is history.
The group as initially conceived grew out of the frustrating exceptions encountered when researching Black history. Traditional research was roadblocked by slavery. Record-keeping bowed to the whimsies of Jim Crow. Simply finding the hiding records was and is a major undertaking.
Who knew that a whole race of people could be filed under 'a' for African, 'b' for black, 'c' for colored, 'n' for negro, n*****, or none of the above; occasionally in the back of the book, un-indexed, and sometimes not there at all.
And then, who to tell when you finally unlocked the key, found the missing piece of the puzzle? Who to share with?
Along the way we met like-minded travelers. This is how the AAGGKY came to be, the first of its kind in Kentucky, by sharing.
The group as initially conceived grew out of the frustrating exceptions encountered when researching Black history. Traditional research was roadblocked by slavery. Record-keeping bowed to the whimsies of Jim Crow. Simply finding the hiding records was and is a major undertaking.
Who knew that a whole race of people could be filed under 'a' for African, 'b' for black, 'c' for colored, 'n' for negro, n*****, or none of the above; occasionally in the back of the book, un-indexed, and sometimes not there at all.
And then, who to tell when you finally unlocked the key, found the missing piece of the puzzle? Who to share with?
Along the way we met like-minded travelers. This is how the AAGGKY came to be, the first of its kind in Kentucky, by sharing.
Our Mission...
Our stories are often hidden in unindexed volumes, forgotten on dusty shelves and omitted from the traditional history books of our country. With every passing minute we are losing our histories to death, memory loss, and record destruction.
The AAGGKY is attempting to minimize this loss.
By focusing on aspects of research unique to the Black Community, the AAGGKY provides a venue for researchers and historians, both black and white, to share their strategies and findings.
To facilitate sharing, the AAGGKY meets monthly on the Third Saturday. The meetings are held in varying sites in and around Central Kentucky to maximize involvement.
Our mission is to save our history and pass it on.
Read an article written by founding member Sharyn Mitchell “History Not shared Is Lost"
The AAGGKY is attempting to minimize this loss.
By focusing on aspects of research unique to the Black Community, the AAGGKY provides a venue for researchers and historians, both black and white, to share their strategies and findings.
To facilitate sharing, the AAGGKY meets monthly on the Third Saturday. The meetings are held in varying sites in and around Central Kentucky to maximize involvement.
Our mission is to save our history and pass it on.
Read an article written by founding member Sharyn Mitchell “History Not shared Is Lost"