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Project Managing the Saga (with Nicka Sewell-Smith) | Episode 52
Manage episode 473785598 series 3570584
When Nicka Sewell-Smith set out to find her great-grandmother Easter's maiden name, she never imagined it would lead to uncovering 10,000 descendants from a single enslaved community...
In this moving conversation, genealogist Nicka Sewell-Smith returns to share how her search for one ancestor evolved into the groundbreaking "Trask 250" project. By meticulously tracking enslaved families from the 1850s through freedom, she's reconstructed a community that remained connected across generations. Nicka reveals how a chance cemetery visit, a cartoonist cousin with perfect recall, and strategic spreadsheet management helped piece together a family narrative that spans from pre-Revolutionary African ancestors to modern DNA connections. Her story demonstrates how determined research can transform overwhelming historical data into powerful family connections that bring pride and healing to thousands of descendants.
〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️
🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to turn your family discoveries into a beautiful conversation piece? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!
Chapters
1. Introducing Stories That Live In Us (00:00:00)
2. Meeting Our Guest: Nika Sewell-Smith (00:01:05)
3. Beginning the Search: An Unnamed Ancestor (00:02:38)
4. Finding Maury: The Family Connection (00:09:04)
5. The Cemetery Discovery: Easter's Grave (00:16:11)
6. Connecting the Dots in Concordia Parish (00:21:50)
7. The Beginning of Trask 250 Project (00:25:50)
8. Uncovering the Enslaver Family History (00:31:23)
9. Connecting Three Distinct Groups Through DNA (00:36:20)
10. Documenting 10,000 Descendants and Counting (00:41:29)
57 episodes
Manage episode 473785598 series 3570584
When Nicka Sewell-Smith set out to find her great-grandmother Easter's maiden name, she never imagined it would lead to uncovering 10,000 descendants from a single enslaved community...
In this moving conversation, genealogist Nicka Sewell-Smith returns to share how her search for one ancestor evolved into the groundbreaking "Trask 250" project. By meticulously tracking enslaved families from the 1850s through freedom, she's reconstructed a community that remained connected across generations. Nicka reveals how a chance cemetery visit, a cartoonist cousin with perfect recall, and strategic spreadsheet management helped piece together a family narrative that spans from pre-Revolutionary African ancestors to modern DNA connections. Her story demonstrates how determined research can transform overwhelming historical data into powerful family connections that bring pride and healing to thousands of descendants.
〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️
🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing the stories that matter most.
🖼️ Ready to turn your family discoveries into a beautiful conversation piece? Visit FamilyChartmasters.com to create a family tree chart that will help your family share stories for generations.
♥ Want more family history tips and inspiration? Follow me @CristaCowan on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes looks at my own family discoveries and practical ways to uncover yours!
Chapters
1. Introducing Stories That Live In Us (00:00:00)
2. Meeting Our Guest: Nika Sewell-Smith (00:01:05)
3. Beginning the Search: An Unnamed Ancestor (00:02:38)
4. Finding Maury: The Family Connection (00:09:04)
5. The Cemetery Discovery: Easter's Grave (00:16:11)
6. Connecting the Dots in Concordia Parish (00:21:50)
7. The Beginning of Trask 250 Project (00:25:50)
8. Uncovering the Enslaver Family History (00:31:23)
9. Connecting Three Distinct Groups Through DNA (00:36:20)
10. Documenting 10,000 Descendants and Counting (00:41:29)
57 episodes
All episodes
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