1
Choose your starting name
Begin with one surname and the relatives, dates, and places your family already remembers.
A practical guide to Black family history
Your Surname Ancestry Guide
A family name can open a path into history. Learn how to follow that path through the records, ask better questions, and tell a family story without mistaking a name match for proof.
Digital book and workbook · PDF email delivery after verified payment · one-time purchase
A surname is a clue. The records help you test where it leads.
Start with what your family knowsTurn names, places, and stories into focused research questions.
Follow records, not guessesLearn what common archives can show—and what they cannot.
Keep your sources togetherUse guided worksheets to track discoveries and open questions.
How it works
A useful guide, ready when you are.
The finished product is a 128-page digital guide you can use at your own pace. No family tree or prior genealogy experience is required.
2
Follow the research path
Use the chapters and worksheets to find relevant records, compare people, and record citations.
3
Build a story you can support
Separate documented facts from family stories, possible matches, and questions still open.
Secure checkout → payment verification → your PDFs by email, with a private download link. No sign-in is required to download your books.
The difference a plan makes
Less searching in circles. More knowing what to check next.
Family research can send you from one hint to another without showing whether the records belong to the same person. The guide gives you a repeatable way to sort clues and decide what deserves a closer look.
Searching without a roadmap
Clues pile up, but the connection stays unclear
- A surname match gets mistaken for a relative
- Names and dates live across scattered tabs and notes
- A DNA result or family story is treated as the answer
- You are unsure which archive or record to try next
A guided research path
Know what the source says—and what it leaves open
- Start from a known person and move back one generation at a time
- Compare names, ages, places, relatives, and dates
- Keep a source citation beside each finding
- Use the next-step worksheet when the trail gets difficult
The guide teaches a research method. It does not guarantee a particular ancestry result, tribal citizenship, or a complete family tree.
Look inside
Built to help you do the research—not just read about it.
These are actual pages from the completed books. The main guide contains 128 pages; the action-guide companion contains 20 pages.
← swipe through the sample pages →
What’s inside
A step-by-step family history field guide.
The completed guide has 13 chapters, 9 historical record scans, 10 diagrams, basic research sheets, and a linked source directory. Dedicated chapters cover Cherokee/Freedmen and Irish family connections.
01
Begin with one name and one known personBegins on page 7 in the finished guide.
02
The names your family carriedBegins on page 15 in the finished guide.
03
Gather the stories before they disappearBegins on page 25 in the finished guide.
04
Turn clues into a research planBegins on page 33 in the finished guide.
05
Follow a household through the censusBegins on page 41 in the finished guide.
06
Find vital, church, and cemetery recordsBegins on page 51 in the finished guide.
07
Research slavery, emancipation, and free Black familiesBegins on page 59 in the finished guide.
08
Follow the community and the journeyBegins on page 71 in the finished guide.
09
Investigate Cherokee and Freedmen connectionsBegins on page 79 in the finished guide.
10
Investigate Irish connections in a Black familyBegins on page 89 in the finished guide.
11
Use military, land, tax, and probate cluesBegins on page 97 in the finished guide.
12
Put DNA clues beside the paper trailBegins on page 105 in the finished guide.
13
Write the family story the evidence supportsBegins on page 111 in the finished guide.
Practical stepsSearch methods you can follow
Research worksheetsPrompts and source logs
Source-aware examplesEvidence and limits shown together
Get your guide
Start with your surname. Follow the records from there.
A practical digital book for families who want a clearer way to investigate names, places, and family history.
Digital guide · one-time purchase
Your Surname Ancestry Guide
Downloadable 128-page PDF guide with historical records, diagrams, and basic research sheets.
- Step-by-step research plan for moving back through generations
- Record-finding paths for major Black family-history sources
- Worksheets for names, places, dates, and source citations
- Clear guidance on leads, evidence, and uncertain matches
- Phone, tablet, or computer access; printable pages
$19 USDone-time · main guide only
Get the guideOne-time payment. Optional companion: +$10, $29 USD total. Check the payment form for any applicable taxes.
TURN THE GUIDE INTO A FOCUSED 30-DAY PROJECT
Add the companion · $29 total →Your 30-Day Family History Action Guide is the optional 20-page companion: a four-week schedule, research tools, and archive-request templates. Printable and fillable editions are included.
A note from Felicia
Every family deserves a place to begin.
Your family may already have names, stories, photographs, and a few records passed from one generation to another. The hard part can be knowing what to do with them. This guide helps you take those clues seriously, find the records that fit, and keep the difference between a lead and a proven connection clear.
It is a starting guide, not a promise that every line can be traced or that one surname can tell the whole story.
Felicia Talks History
Questions, answered honestly
Before you get the guide.
This is a digital PDF guide. No print edition or shipping is included.
No. A surname can help you form research questions, but proof of a particular family connection requires records linking the people across generations.
No. This is a self-guided book. The optional 20-page action guide adds a schedule and reusable worksheets, not personalized research.
No. The guide covers broader Black family-history research, with dedicated Cherokee/Freedmen and Irish chapters and community routes selected by family evidence.
The guide is written for beginners. It starts with relatives and family-held information, then explains how to approach records step by step.
Read the PDF on a phone, tablet or computer, or print selected pages. The main guide is about 12.3 MB. The companion includes printable and fillable PDFs; interactive fields work best in a PDF reader that supports forms.
The main guide is $19 USD. The optional companion adds $10, for $29 total. Payments are one-time. Refund requests within 14 days are reviewed individually; applicable consumer rights are unaffected. See the refund policy for details.
After a successful payment is verified, we email your purchased PDFs and a private download link to your checkout email. Check spam if the email is missing. The confirmation page explains how to get help if delivery is delayed.
Start with a name. Follow the records.
Give your family a clear place to begin.
Your Surname Ancestry Guide · digital book and workbook · PDF email delivery after verified payment