Lawson teaches genealogy course

VICKSBURG, Miss. (VDN) — Historian and Genealogist Joyce Dixon Lawson lead a course at the Vicksburg-Warren Training and Development Center Thursday, June 18. The event was presented by the Beulah Cemetery Restoration Committee.

The course entitled “Uncovering Our Roots: A Beginning Genealogy Presentation”, aimed at helping beginners learn how to track their ancestry. Attendees gained skills to research their family tree and understand family history.

“I would start out by saying genealogy and DNA are two separate things,” said Lawson. “Each has their own track. Start with your genealogy first and then do your DNA.”

Lawson has been a teacher of genealogy for more than 30 years. She is a graduate of Jackson State University. Additionally, she is a former manager of research and genealogy at Mississippi Civil Rights Museum. She is a contractor and freelance researchers for Mississippi Department of Archives and History.

According to a social media post from the Beulah Cemetery Restoration Committee, the study of family history and lineage using historical documents is aligned with the preservation of Beulah Cemetery and the memory of the thousands of people buried there since its founding in 1884 by community members, some of whom gained their freedom as a result of the Emancipation Proclamation, the ending of the US Civil War and the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution. The workshop will focused on providing basic research procedures and strategies for genealogical research including strategies for African American genealogy in celebration of Juneteenth.

The workshop was made possible due to a grant from Visit Vicksburg and the gracious provision of training space by the Vicksburg-Warren Youth Development Center.

The Committee has tax exempt status and donations may be made to Vicksburg Tabernacle #19 Beulah Cemetery Restoration Committee, P.O. Box 822846, Vicksburg, Mississippi 39182-2846.