You are to search an individual born prior to 1940, preferably prior to 1920. Then, using HeritageQuest online, you are to gather as many primary sources about this person as possible.
These should include:
- Census records
- City Directories
- Wills
- Slave schedules (1850, 1860) if appropriate
- Military records if appropriate
Sift through these records for every scintilla of evidence they can provide: occupation(s), spouse, age, parents’ names, birthplace, parents’ birthplace, address, children, did they rent or own property, if they owned – what was it worth? Did parents’ own slaves? Find out. If African American can you determine ancestry to the era of the Civil War? If you can locate a photograph, include that in the completed assignment.
Write up the information in narrative form. For example, “Jane Smith was born in 1887 in Pike County, KY. She married Thomas Miller. They had six children. According to the city directory of Princess, KY, Jane was a hatmaker.”
I encourage you to select someone who you hope to write about for this class. If you get stuck, here are two names to search:
Daisy McLaurin Stevens, Born 1877, Brandon, Mississippi (white)
Mamie Fields, Born in 1887, Charleston, SC (black)