Activities for History Buffs

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  • Genealogy of Enslaved People

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    Jul 12, 2024

    Within this amazing BPN community, perhaps someone has info to answer this question:

    Through the magic of AncestryDNA, I have discovered that not only were some of my forbears tobacco farmers in the antebellum South who owned enslaved Black people, I also have West African DNA myself.  This was a surprise, as I have always identified as Irish-American.

    We have a few data that shed light on these matters:  an 1850 list of Kentucky slave-owners, including my second great grandfather;.a "runaway slave" newspaper ad posted by.him; and the names of enslaved women and their children ,written in the family Bible.  

    I recently heard that a new digital data base has gone live, that helps descendants trace ancestors though the process of slave sales, the Middle Passage, and African countries of origin. 

    Does anyone have information on this?  Thank you.

    Jul 12, 2024

    Try looking through this resource compiled by the National Archives: chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.archives.gov/files/calendar/genealogy-fair/2018/2-kluskens-…

    It's good to remember that not all records are digitized, and if you are searching for something from a specific region, you may need to consult the archives in person. Sometimes archives has a list of local researchers who will conduct research for you for a fee.

    Best of luck 

    Jul 18, 2024

    These resources from an organization called Reparations Generation are focused on genealogy of enslaved persons, but they might be aware of other relevant databases: Restorative Genealogy with guests Lotte Lieb Dula, founder of Reparations4slavery.com, and Kellie Farrish, RepGen Board Member and Professional Genealogist.  They will be presenting a discussion at a virtual meeting of Reparations Generation on July 30.

    Jul 19, 2024

    Ancestry.com very(!) recently released a database Records of Enslaved People.  A short bit about it from NPR: https://www.npr.org/2024/06/18/nx-s1-5002241/this-database-could-help-descendants-of-enslaved-people-learn-about-their-ancestry

    National Geographic also had an article a few years ago A new tool hopes to uncover the lost ancestry of enslaved African Americans about Enslaved.org, another research tool

    Jul 24, 2024

  • Activities for teen who loves history?

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    Jan 18, 2022

    We have a 15 year old who is really into history. We'd love to find a way for him to get more engaged with the passion (beyond reading and watching videos). Does anyone know of any clubs, volunteer opportunities or activities that he might get excited about? Thanks for any advice!

    Jan 18, 2022

    A friend’s son volunteered at the history room at the Berkeley Public Library. My child volunteered at the Bancroft one summer. 

    Jan 21, 2022

    Consider looking at opportunities to volunteer at historical sites inlding Dunsmuir house, Ardenwood, national parks( SF maritime, Rosie the riveter) There are definitely ways to do more engagement. 

    Jan 24, 2022

    This might be a crazy idea but have you looked into LARPing? It's live action role play typically set in the era of knights and other medieval stuff. It sounds like fun to me but I've never done it. I love reading about that era and it seems like super fun to act it out. People go on missions to retrieve things and rescue people. So not real history but immersive fun.

    Jan 24, 2022

    Have you looked into having him volunteer or intern at a local museum? Most museums take on volunteers for help, though I don't know if there might be age restrictions. I would bet you can find one that would be willing to help get him involved in some capacity though. The downside is it's free labor, which I don't particularly agree with, but it is a good way to help nurture his interest. 

    Jan 25, 2022

    Our daughter did the Next Chapter program at the JFCS Holocaust Center her freshman year. It’s a program for high school students where they read historical texts and link up with Holocaust survivors to learn about and spread awareness to prevent genocide. They get 35 plus hours of community service. It’s a pretty fantastic program, and also very important. 

    Jan 31, 2022

    Check out the Manovil Program at Jewish Family and Children's Services in SF. It’s a really high level Holocaust and Genocide Studies program for high school students. The topic is obviously very heavy, but my son had a great experience. He was in the program for 2 years. The second year included a stipend. I think they are on zoom right now. The teachers are PhD level historians. Although it’s run by a Jewish agency, the participants were a really diverse group of (smart) kids. (As a bonus, my son wrote about the experience in his college essays). 

    Jan 31, 2022

    My kid enjoyed touring the USS Hornet museum in Alameda.  

    Old Sacramento or the town of Columbia, CA, or any number of ghost towns and old mines for gold rush / california history

    Renaissance Faire in the fall is not historically precise, but loads of fun

    Ardenwood is pretty nice, and possibly a place to volunteer

    I am looking forward to the other answers! 

    Feb 22, 2022

    Try the ADTP summer program at Cal for critical thinking courses.  As well, your child may enjoy taking a course through Coursera online.  It is interesting that there are few if any summer HS-level courses offered focusing specifically on history.  Also check UK online courses.  Maybe try taking/auditing a city college summer course

    Feb 28, 2022

    My son is in a club on Outschool called Military History Club that meets online weekly. Keith is very passionate and knowledgeable about history. He presents and tells the historical events like telling a great adventure story, very engaging especially for online forums. My son who has a hard time even sitting still loves the club meetings and looks forward to it every week.

    Mar 7, 2022

    He may want to contact Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association or the Berkeley History Society. 

    Mar 9, 2022