WHY is it so hard to trace my ancestry??

Question

I traced it back and there are a MILLION SEARCYS IN FRANCE!!!! HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW WHICH ONE?

Answer 1

You should look for Searcy's in whatever State your family is from. Based on your background, and the questions you ask, it is VERY possible that your family took the last name of the people who OWNED them. Many slaves did - what else could they do?
Check the County in all slave state records for Searcy's in the 1850's - 1870's and you might have a starting point. Always, the most important asset you have in this sort of thing is your family itself. Check primarily for the wealthy landowners - one's with a good reputation - even though they owned slaves - would help because your ancestors wouldn't have taken their name if they'd been mistreated.
Are your grandparents still living? How about old Aunts and Uncles? ASK THEM!!
And please, quit being so hung up on being wronged. Your attitude won't get you far. Everyone gets kicked in the teeth in their life. You just started out at a disadvantage. Try to use that OBVIOUS intelligence of yours to overcome bias and prejudice.
If you follow my suggestion and some hick white lady (fat, black teeth, drinks 24/7) works in the County Clerk's Office - it won't kill you to do the yes ma'am, no ma'am bit. You'll have to grit your teeth - but you can scream later -- after she's given you the information.
Also check the Church of Latter Day Saints (Mormon) data base. I'll sponsor you when you find out your ancestor fought in the Revolution.
Good luck.

Answer 2

It is rough to hint due to the fact of historic context. Basically, you sound like an traditional Black American with quite a lot of admixture and a mixing of plenty of African tribes, along side White admixture via slave rape. The majority of your African ancestors could had been subjected to the slavery approach and segregation which impacts family tree. Most Black American ancestors had been slaves and just a minority had been loose fame. If you're fortunate ample to discover a loose fame line, there is also extra documents. Tracing traces that lead again to slavery customarily hit the 1865 Slavery Wall. At that factor, ancestors are enormously rough to hint. Often it entails monitoring down the white slaveowners and spot if they have got documents that point out their slaves through identify (regularly only a first identify). Commonly, this could be determined in wills, while slaves had been "handed on" or "inherited" through white household participants. As some distance as tracing deep ancestry, you must do not forget that Africans from many specific ingredients of the continent had been despatched to the Americas. Specific tribal identification was once no longer regularly maintained. You would possibly exhibit affinity to vital or west tribal businesses from alongside the "Slave Coast" discipline, however that is provided that your direct male lineage is African, and this will likely simply be one tiny sliver of your complete ancestry. It could be very usual for Black Americans to have a White paternal ancestor someplace in this line. Something like 30% of Black Americans have a White paternal ancestor correctly. This could exhibit up as European in DNA checking out. I could anticipate your outcome cluster with Caribbean, Latino and African Americans due to the fact those constitute admixed populations with a prime measure of African ancestry. However, Africans shouldn't have any White or Native ancestry that is why you get the populace outcome you probably did and did not cluster with continental Africans. Honestly, I could recommend doing typical family tree way back to you'll. A distinctive household tree alongside all branches of the household you're excited about will let you know plenty approximately "who you're." It is plenty extra paintings than taking a DNA scan, however it's greatly extra distinctive. You most likely already realize the average tips that those scan outcome are telling you. It could be bigger to be trained approximately distinct ancestors and the way they lived, wherein they got here from, and so forth.

Answer 3

when in doubt use "psychic" means. have you ever heard of "pendulum dowsing"? google those very words and be ready to expand your horizons, young lady. since there are so many of them, you might first like to find out which city or town the right one lives in, etc--you could "dowse" a map of france to start with, for example. anyway, it could be a lot of fun. be diligent and creative. best of luck!

Answer 4

I understand completely. My great-grandfather's name was John Jones.

Answer 5

u look black to me!