By Norman Cain, Philadelphia, PA, 02/04/2021 — For years, I have been actively researching my family history. I have relied on oral history that I heard from relatives in South Carolina and Philadelphia. I have also attained information from extended family members at Robinson Roots Family Reunions. Those reunions are held yearly in various cities throughout the nation. They are held during Labor Day Weekend.
Because of the 2020 pandemic, The 34th reunion was held via Zoom.
I also gained information from a book written by my cousin, Charles Robinson, which was entitled Frederick and Louvenia Robinson of Florence County South Carolina Genealogy, 1996. That publication traces the histories of hundreds of family members who reside throughout the nation. The third area of my research was conducted through my association, for 3 years, with a professional genealogy instructor who taught at the Pascep Evening School. The school was under the auspices of Temple University. For affordable tuition, it offered a variety of courses for members of the Philadelphia community.
Our instructor, Tamera Baggett, volunteered for 19 years before moving to the West Coast. She taught the basics of Genealogy research. Finally, but not lastly, for seven years I have been a recipient of Ancestry.Com, an excellent online genealogy research tool. It displays family trees, hints searching tools, photos, tutorials, and much more. I have been able to trace my maternal line to 1812 and my paternal line to 1875.