| Frazine K. Taylor just released her new book, | | | | Frazine K. Taylor is a former Peace Corps volunteer |
| Researching African-American Genealogy in Alabama: | | | | and administrator who served in the Fiji Islands and |
| A Resource Guide thru New South, Inc. This is an | | | | traveled extensively in the South Pacific before she |
| exciting new resource material for those researching | | | | obtained her Master in Information Studies degree |
| African Americans in the Alabama area. New South, | | | | from Atlanta University. She has over twenty years |
| Inc. relates this regarding her book: | | | | experience as a librarian, archivist, lecturer and writer |
| "Over the past two decades, in workshops and | | | | and has received numerous awards during her career |
| personal consultations, thousands of persons have | | | | including Employee of the Year from the Alabama |
| received the expertise and knowledge of author | | | | State Employee Association. She is the Head of |
| Frazine Taylor about Alabama genealogical research. | | | | Reference for the Alabama Department of Archives |
| In addition, she has taught the art to hundreds of | | | | and History (ADAH) and is an expert on Alabama |
| students. As Dr. James Rose notes, all genealogists | | | | records at ADAH. Ms. Taylor is a member of the |
| looking for the family tree in Alabama sooner or later | | | | Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society and |
| come across Frazine. | | | | serves on the Editorial Board of the Journal of the |
| And now they have her book, Researching African | | | | Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society. |
| American Genealogy in Alabama: A Resource Guide. | | | | She is the President of the Elmore County Association |
| In the book, she provides the information and guidance | | | | of Black Heritage, Chair of the Black Heritage Council |
| to help locate the resources available for researching | | | | of the Alabama Historical Commission, a member of |
| African American records in archives, libraries, and | | | | BBAAGHS and of the Society of Alabama Archivists, |
| county courthouses throughout the state. The idea for | | | | and serves on the Board of Directors of the Alabama |
| this guidebook rose out of her lecturing throughout the | | | | Historical Association. She researched Tom Joyner's |
| country and having noticed that reference guides on | | | | and Linda Johnson Rice's family roots and ties to |
| African American family history resources seemed to | | | | Alabama for the PBS series, African American Lives |
| exist for every state except Alabama. This was | | | | 2. She is also the coordinator for African American |
| regrettable not merely for researchers on African | | | | studies at Samford's Institute of Genealogy and |
| American history in Alabama. In fact, Alabama's | | | | Historical Research in Birmingham, Alabama. |
| records play an especially important role in U.S. family | | | | Personally, I have researched for a dear friend of mine |
| history research because of the migration patterns of | | | | in Alabama a few years ago, and there was a limited |
| Alabama's freedmen, first to urban areas of Alabama | | | | amount of resources I knew about. I am looking |
| and then to northern cities, a trend that continued | | | | forward to re-opening this family file to see if I can find |
| throughout the first part of the twentieth century." | | | | further ancestors using Frazine Taylor's new book. |