For over 25 years, oral history led Melvin Collier down the wrong road in the search for the father of his great-grandfather, Albert Kennedy (1857-1928) of Leake County, Mississippi. DNA was indeed providing great clues, but he initially attached them to the wrong ancestor. However, more autosomal DNA analysis, Y-DNA evidence, X-chromosome matching, and genealogy research revealed that the oral history had not been entirely true. This put Collier on the right road to discovery. Travel down this exciting genealogical road as Collier shows how DNA and genealogy led him to the identity and the story of his 2X-great grandfather. Ironically, he was born in northern Virginia, where Collier resides now, and was eventually taken to Sugartown, Louisiana during the Civil War. Lots of genealogy and genetic genealogy tips to be gained from this case.
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About the presenter
A native of Canton, Mississippi, Melvin J. Collier is the author of:
- Mississippi to Africa, A Journey of Discovery (see www.mississippitoafrica.com)
- 150 Years Later: Broken Ties Mended (see www.150yearslater.com)
- Ealy Family Heritage: Documenting Our Legacy
His books have been used by genealogical and historical scholars as great reference sources for genealogical methodologies.
Melvin is a former civil engineer in corporate America for nearly 10 years. His passion for African-American history and historical preservation led to a major and fulfilling career change in the Archivist profession. He is a former archivist at the Archives Research Center of the Robert W. Woodruff Library – Atlanta University Center, where he has worked on the Morehouse College Dr. Martin Luther King Papers, the Maynard Jackson Administrative Papers and Photographs, the Dr. Asa Hilliard III Papers, and other collections, 2006-2013. Currently employed by the federal government, Melvin has been conducting historical and genealogical research for over 20 years, starting at the age of 19. He has given numerous workshops and presentations on historical and genealogical subjects. He appeared on the NBC show, Who Do You Think You Are, as one of the expert genealogists on the Spike Lee episode (2010). Melvin maintains a genealogy blog, Roots Revealed, at www.rootsrevealed.com. He earned a Master of Arts degree in African-American Studies, Clark Atlanta University, in 2008, with additional graduate coursework in Archival Studies from Clayton State University, 2010-2012. He was the recipient of the 2012 Marsha M. Greenlee History Award by the National Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society (AAHGS).
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