The Free Field GuideWho Wrote
Who Wrote
Your Name
Down?
How to trace your family name past the 1870 wall, without being fooled by the one-sentence version.
Most of us got a one-sentence answer about our last name. It is about half true, and building a family tree on it usually sends you to the wrong door. This is the version that works.
What is inside
- Why a last name is a lead, not a verdict
- The 1870 wall, and how researchers get past it
- Your first 30 minutes, with a family sheet to fill in
- 15 questions to ask your oldest relative before it is too late
- A map of the records that actually name Black families
- A worked example, one family and five documents
- The two-record rule, and the traps that fool people
- Where to get human help
Get the free guide
Subscribe free to Prodigal and the guide lands in your inbox.
Free. We'll email you the guide when you subscribe.
Download the 1-page cheat sheet (made for your phone)Notice the pattern. Interrupt it. Starting with your own name.