Michael A. Willis

06/29/2025

For all that attended my presentation today--Thank you!!!!

It was wonderful to engage you all! I hoped you learned something that will help you!

06/28/2025

For those having trouble registering for my presentation at 1:30 TODAY, here is the link to register:

https://engage.saclibrary.org/event/11814094 #

Speaker Michael Willis will give a Zoom presentation on African American genealogy.

06/09/2025

Did you know that Civil War pension files are one of the BEST sources of genealogical information on African Americans of the Antebellum and Reconstruction Eras? Did you know the files didn’t exclusively pertain to military history, but also included personal and intimate details on the soldiers’ families? This presentation examines African American families of the Civil War, their life experiences and personal challenges—particularly the widows of soldiers as they struggled to qualify for veterans’ benefits.

06/09/2025

In this workshop entitled “Shed Light on Those Magnolias: Case Studies in Louisiana Research,” Michael aims to empower the audience with the tips, methodologies, and case studies that show, not only how Louisiana researchers can thrive in some of the most comprehensive record collections in the country, but also how Louisiana’s historical uniqueness increases their probability of locating their enslaved ancestors—their magnolias....

In this workshop entitled “Shed Light on Those Magnolias: Case Studies in Louisiana Research,” Michael aims to empower the audience with the tips, methodologies, and case studies that show, not onl…

05/19/2022

For Patreons Only: If you are new to genealogical research and want to know how to get started, this video is definitely FOR YOU!

For Patreons Only: If you are new to genealogical research and want to know how to get started, this video is definitely FOR YOU!

02/24/2022

The 16th Annual African American Genealogy Seminar will be virtual on Saturday, March 12, 2022 from 8:30am-2:30pm.

In addition to classes on Beginning Genealogy, Census Records, Researching at the Sutro Library and the California Archives, we are pleased to present new classes on

- "Identifying Ancestors Through DNA and Genealogy" by Nicka Sewell Smith
- "Hidden Treasures in the FamilySearch Catalog" by Michael Willis
- "Coming to The Table" Experience by Kanika Marshall
- "Black History and Juneteenth" by George Palmer
- "African American WWI Records" by Linda Jack
- "Captured Roots" by Marinda Johnson Sessoms
..and many, many more.

The attached flyer provides information on curriculum and registration which provides you full access to all the classes, e-syllabus and entry into a drawing for a DNA test kit.

For more information on contact Sharon Styles on the website, www.aafhs.com, or by calling (916) 275-8084.

02/24/2022

Between March and May, NARA will be offering live instruction, Q&A, videos, handouts, and more to prepare researchers for the release and review of the 1950 U.S. Federal Census! For more information and schedule copy the following URL in your browser:

Between March and May, NARA will be offering live instruction, Q&A, videos, handouts, and more to prepare researchers for the release and review of the 1950 U.S. Federal Census!For more informa…

02/24/2022

(Continued from previous post...) Next, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) website will be releasing the digitized 1950 US Federal census images and providing FREE access to search by name and location, and by Indian Reservation for form P8 Indian Reservation Schedules. Similarly to Ancestry®, NARA will use the artificial intelligence / optical character recognition (AI/OCR) Textract tool develop by Amazon Web Services to extract handwritten names from the images and develop a name index. Additionally, NARA is seeking volunteers to help with quality control because the transcription tool will not be 100% accurate.

(Continued from previous post…)Next, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) website will be releasing the digitized 1950 US Federal census images and providing FREE access to…

02/24/2022

For those who remember the release of the 1940 US Federal Census on April 2, 2012, it took weeks, if not months to completely transcribe and index records so that users could search their ancestors by name. In the meantime, NARA made the images searchable online, but the servers repeatedly crashed due to high internet traffic upon release. For the upcoming release of the 1950 US Federal Census on April 1, 2022, two pivotal events are in the works to avoid these issues:...

For those who remember the release of the 1940 US Federal Census on April 2, 2012, it took weeks, if not months to completely transcribe and index records so that users could search their ancestors…