African American

African American ancestry and heritage — enslaved ancestors, Freedmen's Bureau records, slave schedules, freedmen communities, and family stories of resilience.

Thank you, State of Iowa!
African American

Thank you, State of Iowa!

To the descendants of people who lived in Iowa in 1906, thank you for your tax dollars! Now you may be wondering why I said that. Simple, your ancestor's legislation on March 30, 1906, granted $500.00 (about $20,000 in today's money) for "Erection of Monument Over the Grave of George Perkins."[1] George Perkins is my fifth great-grandfather, who was born in South Carolina and served in the militia of both South Carolina and North Carolina![2] The monument was in memory of and to mark those men w