Ancestry Academy  > Education  >  Historically Black College and University Records on Ancestry

 

In this fun and informative session, Ancestry’s Nicka Sewell-Smith explores the genealogical power of the Historically Black College and University (HBCU) collections found on Ancestry. Nicka opens by sharing her deep personal connection to these institutions—highlighting how the Bayou Classic football game became the catalyst for her family reunions—while defining HBCUs as educational hubs established for Black students often by the Freedman's Bureau, U.S. Colored Troops, or benevolent societies. The key objective of the webinar is to demonstrate how to use Ancestry’s collection of over 800 yearbooks and school catalogs not just to find photographs, but to trace migration patterns and uncover vital biographical details about ancestors.

 

The presentation moves from a historical overview to a practical demonstration of record sets, distinguishing between modern yearbooks and older school catalogs, which uniquely list student hometowns, tuition costs, and faculty names. Nicka leads viewers through two detailed case studies: first, tracing a student named Caroline Hood from an 1872 Tougaloo catalog through decades of census and vital records to map her migration from Mississippi to Detroit. Second, she analyzes a 1930 Tennessee State yearbook photo of President William J. Hale's family, using the image to pivot to census and probate records that reveal complex family dynamics and inheritances.

 

Chapters:

- Introduction to HBCU History

- Navigating the Collection

- The Value of School Catalogs

- Case Study: Tracing Migration

- From Yearbooks to Probate Records

 

Search the HBCU yearbook and catalog collections on Ancestry today to uncover the educational journeys that may have shaped your family's migration and history.