Reparative genealogy is a unique type of genealogy research

It is a living demonstration of the complexity of family history in the United States.

It involves going beyond the typical vital records (birth, marriage and death information) and digging deeper into the lives of our forebears, understanding their businesses or trades, societal roles, and how they made their living. Sometimes that included enslaving African people, sometimes it didn’t.

More importantly – and at its heart – this work is about family, pure and simple.

There is no shame or blame here. We are not responsible for our ancestors’ actions – and, we descendants of enslavers have a critical role to play. We can choose to help repair the damage caused by their actions.

• Your family’s ancestry may hold pieces to the puzzle of another American family whose ancestors were enslaved.
• We can’t change the damage our ancestors may have done – but we can do our part to put the pieces back together.
• Like a box of family heirlooms found in a house we just moved into, the information simply needs to be returned to the rightful owner.

Reparative Genealogy in the News

10 Million Names Project | Daughters of the American Revolution

This collaboration is part of the DAR’s ongoing E Pluribus Unum Initiative to increase awareness of often underrepresented Revolutionary War Patriots and support new scholarship, educational programming, and research tools.

Reckoning with Lancaster Project

A community engagement project at Franklin & Marshall College exploring indigeneity, settler colonialism, and the land question.

At long last, the ‘Dinah’ memorial will be unveiled in Philadelphia’s Logan neighborhood | The Philadelphia Inquirer

Award-winning Philadelphia artist and Temple University professor of sculpture Karyn Olivier’s memorial to Dinah — a woman enslaved at the home of James Logan, secretary to William Penn — was finally unveiled in April 2024. While Dinah has historically been known for saving Stenton from being burned by the British in 1777, the stewards of the historic home intend to tell a fuller version of Dinah’s story. “We want to talk about her life in totality,” said Dennis Pickeral, Stenton’s executive director. “She gained her own freedom by requesting it.” In addition to this article, more information on this project can be found at the Stenton website.

I research a specified family line (or lines), from 1870 back to 1619 or immigrant ancestor, whichever comes first. As completely as possible, I work to identify:

• Any enslavers along the specified family line/s
• Any names of enslaved people and their family members

I then add the enslaved family’s information to the worldwide family tree on WikiTree as part of my volunteer work with the US Black Heritage Project, making the information easily accessible to Black genealogists working on their family trees.

Some of the Tools We’ll Use:

• Family Bibles
• Published family histories
• Documentation from membership in lineage societies, such as Sons or Daughters of the American Revolution
• Online repositories including FamilySearch, Ancestry, WikiTree, state and county archives, local historical societies, and many more

Deeper Connection to Family History and Purpose

• You’ll have new information to share with everyone in your extended family, that can be handed down to the younger ones as they grow
• You will honor other American families, just by having the courage to look at your own

Peace of Mind

• You’ll have a better understanding of the role those ancestors played in slavery, if any
• You will have done your part to unearth and make accessible any information about enslaved people to those who have been searching for it

An Enriched Legacy

• New or updated digital family tree
• Full research report, complete with all source information, articles, and links to images