More and more African Americans are chiseling their way through the infamous 1870 "brick wall" and digging up their ancestral roots. Today, at least 19 states have chapters of the Afro-American Historical Genealogical Society (AAHGS).

"If you have those enslaved ancestors, as most folks who identify as African Americans — whose families have been here for awhile — what is known is that we were not treated as people. We were treated as possessions," explained Bessida Cauthorne-White, who is the president of the Middle Peninsula African-American Genealogical and Historical Society. 

1870, five years after emancipation, is the first time formerly enslaved African Americans were listed on the federal census. Before that, the names of slaves were scattered throughout historical documents listed amongst the property of their enslavers.

For 30 years, Newport News genealogist and genealogy educator Renate Yarborough Sanders has combed through thousands of documents connecting the dots between back then and now. 

"1870, where people refer to it as this brick wall... instead of seeing it as this brick wall, I see it as the place where we can determine which road we go down with our research. Are we looking for someone who was likely enslaved or are we looking for someone who we have found to be a free person of color?"

Newly digitized records living on the internet have made the genealogical journey much more accessible. 

You can read more in an article by Janet Roach published in the 13newsnow web site at: http://tinyurl.com/39aa594j.