A Washington Weekend: Family, Photos, and Old Family Homes

In my last post, I mentioned that I needed to plan a trip back down to Washington, DC to return some family history materials that had been loaned to me for digitization. Well, last weekend, we made it happen!

And who do I mean by “we?” Well, it wasn’t just me and the cousins I’d hung out with on my last visit (Barney, Shelia, and LaVerne) – it turned into a bit of a family affair. Not only did my mom come down with me, but my Aunt Sandra joined us, driving down from NY to Philly and then completing the ride with us. 

My mom and my aunt, on a bench in a park by their old stomping grounds in DC.

 

A Treasure Trove of Family and Community History

Family, I‘ve been in genealogy heaven for a little over a month now, and I have to tell you why! (Or, at least those of you who haven’t already been cornered by me. Sorry/Thanks!)

 

ONE stack of funeral programs from the Willie Mae Davis Allen Genealogical Collection, generously shared by Cousin Barney Allen.

Back in February, I had to head down to DC for a work event. Now, I love visiting DC for so many reasons – the museums, the libraries and archives, the architecture, the history, and just strolling through some of the fun and funky neighborhoods. But one of the best things about visiting the city is that I have family there, and a lot of it. You see, my mom was born in DC, and through her mother, father, and step-mother, there are cousins upon cousins upon first- and second- and half- and step- and twice- and thrice-removed cousins there. So, when I head down, I’ll often make an effort to hang with family.

DNA Testing Update: December 2022

Fam, it’s been 8 months since I sent away my DNA samples and 7 months since I received the results, yet somehow I haven’t posted anything about it! Don’t worry, they weren’t earth shattering - I’ve just been busy. In fact, in many cases, my Ancestry.com test results did just what I hoped they’d do: confirmed connections that I already had in my family tree. And it’s been really cool to see both the family history and my own research corroborated in that way!