Char McCargo Bah: An Introduction to African American Genealogy

Churches and Cemeteries have always been an important part of people lives. Many families' ancestors have been in the same church for decades and buried at the same cemeteries near their relatives. 

This lecture -  I Joined, I Prayed, I Received, and I Died - will discuss the many records that one can find in the church and in the cemetery. You will have a better appreciation of the records that your ancestors left behind in their house of worship.

Presenter Bio:

Char McCargo Bah is the CEO/Owner of FindingThingsforU, LLC. She has been a genealogist since 1981; appearing in numerous television interviews and documentaries.

She is on contract with the City of Alexandria Descendants’ Lynching Project, the Virginia Theological Seminary Descendants’ Reparation Project, the Sharon Chapel Church Descendants’ Recognition Project and several other genealogical related projects.

Char has received numerous awards including the 2020 Virginia Humanity Scholar and 2019 Who Who’s in America. She is the author of two books, an anthology and a Virginia Encyclopedia’s article. Her current book is, “Alexandria’s Freedmen’s Cemetery: A Legacy of Freedom.” She is a freelance writer on local history for the Alexandria Times Newspaper. In addition, she is a member of numerous societies including historical societies, genealogical societies, writers’ organizations and authors’ guilds. She is a member of the Virginia Genealogical Society.