Ep. 88 - "Genealogy Road Show" Star Kenyatta Berry On Slaves And Slaveholders

Fisher opens the show with comments received about his mother's 1947 (mis?)adventure, stowing away on a luxury liner to Hawaii. Then, he'll have a remarkable tale out of St. Louis about a man who has allegedly hijacked a family's heritage for attention and profit. Who is this man, what has he been doing, and how has his story been falling apart? Fisher will explain. Guest Kenyatta Berry, one of the hosts of the PBS Series "Genealogy Road Show" joins Fisher in segment 2, talking about the upcoming revamp of "Roots." She explains how she wound up on "Genealogy Road Show" almost by accident, how it has changed her life, and her favorite experience with the show so far. Kenyatta then speaks to the great misconception that African-American records begin with the census of 1870, the first after the Civil War and Emancipation. She talks about records that often date back long before that involve both the slaves and the slaveholders, and how slaveholder descendants are often helpful in the search for black ancestors. She also talks about the powerful effect on people discovering records showing their ancestors in bondage, and how she has had to manage those emotions herself. Then, Tom Perry, the Preservation Authority from TMCPlace.com, returns for more on preservation of damaged photos, film, slides, and negatives. Can they be saved? As always, Tom has great advice. That's this week on Extreme Genes!