NGS Announces Inaugural Cohort of the James Worris Moore Leadership Academy

The National Genealogical Society (NGS) has announced the inaugural cohort of participants in the newly established James Worris Moore Leadership Academy.

 

The Academy honors the legacy of James Worris Moore (1934–2007), a pioneering African American archivist whose career spanned forty-two years at the United States National Archives. In 1960, Moore's membership application to NGS sparked controversy when he and other African Americans were denied admission to what was then an all-white organization. NGS has since acknowledged and apologized for this wrong.

 

Despite barriers, Moore rose to senior leadership at the National Archives, where he tirelessly championed the preservation of, and public access to, genealogical records—particularly underutilized collections. In recognition of his groundbreaking contributions, he was inducted into the National Genealogy Hall of Fame in 2025.

 

The Academy was founded to carry forward Moore's vision and values. Its mission is to mentor and develop future leaders, enhance diversity and inclusion, encourage practical engagement, and build strong professional networks.

 

Please join NGS in congratulating and welcoming the following eight people who recently started their cohort journey.

 

Dr. kYmberly Keeton (Texas)
Director and chief library curator of the Art Library Gallery, Keeton holds a doctorate in information science and interdisciplinary studies. She has served as faculty librarian and African American community archivist and organized Growing Your Roots, Austin’s first African American genealogy conference. Founder of ART | Library Deco and the Black COVID-19 Index, she blends genealogy, storytelling, and digital innovation as a form of scholarship and activism.

 

Denise Miller (Michigan)

A Black, queer leader with a strong background in nonprofit leadership and genealogy education, Miller serves as director of education at the Institute of Public Scholarship. She has created programs and curricula focused on genealogy, co-founded two nonprofits, and designed intergenerational forums for Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities. Her work fosters collaboration and historical reclamation through inclusive genealogical education.

 

Oyuga George Nyaure (Nyanza, Kenya)
Nyaure is a genealogist and community leader who digitized and preserved key historical records in Kenya, making them publicly accessible. As a facility administrator for a Kenyan orphanage, he improved workflow and morale while training volunteers in archival methods and community engagement. His work has empowered families and researchers alike and left a lasting impact on local genealogical access and education.

 

Kassidy Price (Utah)

An active member of NGS, Association of Professional Genealogists (APG), Utah Genealogical Association (UGA), and International Society of Genetic Genealogy, Price serves on the UGA Board of Directors where she has driven growth in social media engagement. With a background in leadership and management, she has led genealogical initiatives in her church congregation and focuses on accessible, community-based genealogy. Her thoughtful approach to organizational change continues to strengthen genealogical outreach and education.

 

Luís Rívera (New York)

Rívera is a member of the Sociedad Puertorriqueña de Genealogía, NGS, and APG. His genealogical journey began with tracing his Puerto Rican roots and expanded into pro bono research tracing Jewish ancestry across Eastern Europe. A Posse Scholar, he spent nine years as a foreign language educator, serving as Spanish department curriculum leader and DEIJB committee co-chair. He is committed to using genealogy as a tool for cultural identity and justice.

 

Dayna Terrell (Ohio)
A passionate genealogist and experienced leader, Terrell has served in key roles with NGS, Mahoning County Genealogical Society, and the Ohio Genealogical Society. She has organized four large family reunions incorporating deep genealogical research. Her work exploring schools, neighborhoods, and cemeteries fosters stronger family connections. Skilled in overcoming research challenges with DNA testing, she is eager to expand her own history and support others.

 

Alexander Trapps-Chabala (Louisiana)
Founder and director of KinConnector, Trapps-Chabala is advancing African American and Afro-Indigenous genealogies through public research and education. He is the lead genealogist for the Sold Down River project at Norfolk State University and has served as an archivist at the African American Museum and Library at Oakland. He has presented nationally via PBS and KQED and is committed to descendant-centered research and equitable access to genealogical resources in the Gulf South.

 

Terri Ward (Florida)

An accomplished genealogist and cultural historian, Ward specializes in African American genealogy and Coastal Georgia history. She has presented for the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society, Georgia Genealogical Society (GGS), and Coastal Georgia Historical Society. As director of publicity for GGS, she has significantly increased membership and engagement. Through her business, The Front Porch Genealogist, she launched creative initiatives like 'Harmonizing the Heritage' and 'Journaling the JAMZ,' blending music and genealogy. She is a recipient of Midwest African American Genealogy Institute and Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research Frazine K. Taylor scholarships.

Hispanic Heritage Month Resources

The National Genealogical Society (NGS) is pleased to join the celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month (15 September–15 October) honoring the "histories, cultures, and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America."

 

We hope the resources listed below will help anyone exploring Hispanic/Latino roots in their family tree.

• Hispanic Family History Resources page on the FamilySearch Wiki
• Documentary Relations of the Southwest from the University of Arizona Institutional Repository
• HOGAR de Dallas (Hispanic Organization for Genealogy and Research)
• Early California Population Project by the Huntington Library
• LLILAS Benson Digital Collections and Content of the University of Texas Libraries
• Research Resources from the New Mexico Genealogical Society
• Texas Colonial Period Subject Guide by the Briscoe Center for American History
• Diccionario geográfico-estadístico-histórico de España y sus posesiones de Ultramar by Pascual Madoz
• Guia de los Archivos de la Iglesia de España by the Diocesan Archive of Barcelona for the Association of Church Archivists in Spain with the collaboration of the Ministry of Education, Culture, and Sports
• Portal de Archivos Españoles (PARES) / Spanish Archives Portal
• Diccionario geográfico, histórico y biográfico de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos by Antonio García Cubas
• Guadalajara Dispensas includes names from the archives of the Catholic Diocese of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
• Valladolid Dispensas with indexes to the FamilySearch microfilms related to the "Antiguo Obispado Catolico de Michoacan"
• Mexican Genealogy Resources by Moises Garza
• Resources and Links from the Cuban Genealogy Club of Miami, Fl., Inc.
• Great New Mexico Pedigree Database from the Hispanic Genealogical Research Center of New Mexico

Join our Culture Conversation with Michael O'Malley

 Join our Culture Conversation with Michael O'Malley on Wednesday, 8 October, 2025 at 8:00pm Eastern. 

Michael O'Malley is a Professor in the Department of History and Art History at George Mason University, and is the author of The Color of Family: History, Race, and the Politics of Ancestry. 

In The Color of Family, O’Malley teases out the various changes made to citizens’ names and relationships over the years, and how they affected families as they navigated what it meant to be “white,” “colored,” “mixed race,” and more. In the process, he delves into the interplay of genealogy and history, exploring how the documents that establish identity came about, and how private companies like Ancestry.com increasingly supplant state and federal authorities—and not for the better.

In addition to David Morrow, the host of Culture Conversations, O'Malley will be joined by Andre Kearns, a member of the NGS Board of Directors, who is mentioned in the book. 

Register NOW for this live Zoom event!

They Came Through Ellis Island…Right?

 

Your grandparents were very clear about it in the stories told around the family table. Your ancestors came in through Ellis Island. As my grandpa told it, it was true—partially. His father did indeed come through Ellis Island, but that wasn’t his first arrival. On his first trip to America, he arrived at the Port of Baltimore alongside his future brother-in-law. His second trip took him through Ellis Island a few months later, with four other men from his hometown in Hungary, all destined to work in the coal mines of southeastern Ohio. 

In several other cases I’ve worked on, I’ve heard the Ellis Island story, but in reality, the arrival ended up being before the famous immigration port was opened, or the arrival in question was through a completely different port.  

As the famed entry to the United States within sight of the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island has unsurprisingly made its way into many family stories. An estimated forty percent of Americans can indeed trace our ancestry to at least one immigrant entry at Ellis Island, which operated from 1892 to November, 1954 (with the exception of a few years when it was closed due to a fire). But there were many ports of entry—by sea and by land—through which our ancestors arrived.  

Prior to the opening of Ellis Island when the federal government centralized control of immigration through the Immigration Act of 1891, immigrants arriving through the port of New York were processed through Castle Garden. Other major ports on the East Coast—not to mention crossings from Canada and Mexico—also formed paths that different branches of our family may have traveled on their way to becoming Americans.  

Where your ancestors ended up and when can provide clues to how they arrived in the US. In 1852, the Baltimore & Ohio (B&O) Railroad’s expansion connected Baltimore to Wheeling, Virginia. This made Baltimore an attractive arrival port for immigrants destined for the midwestern states. 

Boston and Philadelphia were other popular northeastern ports that took in large numbers of immigrants. Some settled in those same cities, while others used them as a launching point for points further west.  

Philadelphia’s port is unique in that it’s located 100 miles from the Atlantic. Still, more than 1.3 million immigrants made the sometimes hazardous journey around Cape May, New Jersey, up the Delaware River to the port between 1815 and 1895. 

The port at New Orleans was attractive financially at times, as exports of cotton and other agricultural products left the South for Europe, and captains offered cheaper passage rates on the return trip to the US. While it was a longer sea route south and around Florida to New Orleans, from there it was easy passage to the interior provided by the Mississippi River.  

The port at Galveston, Texas, and other nearby Gulf ports welcomed Scandinavian and German immigrants during the 1830s and 1840s. Later, in the early 1900s, groups of Jewish refugees escaping Russian pogroms arrived in the US via Galveston. 

West coast ports welcomed arrivals from Asia and the Pacific Islands, as well as some hardy souls who braved the hazardous water routes from European and other eastern American ports. One route took passengers around the treacherous Cape of Good Hope, while some skilled captains chose to navigate the narrow passages of the Straits of Magellan to get to the Pacific. Another pre-Canal route took travelers to Panama, where they disembarked and traveled by canoe and by foot through the danger-frought Panamanian jungle.  

However they arrived, your ancestors’ journey is worth remembering. Passenger arrival lists survive for most ports, as well as other records. Commercial entities like Ancestry, MyHeritage, and FindMyPast have robust immigration collections, and most of these records are also available for free on websites like FamilySearch and EllisIsland.org.  

Prior to 1820, ships weren’t required to keep manifests, and any lists that have survived from the earlier years are scattered and not uniform in nature. Look to publications that may have compiled lists from a particular area, time period, or ethnic group. 

After 1820, lists were kept, but they were not very detailed. Information provided typically included ports and dates of departure, the ship and captain’s name, immigrants’ names, ages, occupation, and country of origin. Sometimes you’ll see births and deaths on board noted.  

Following the Immigration Act of 1891, forms began being standardized and they included more information, with new details added throughout the 1890s and early 1900s. 

When searching for your ancestor’s arrival record, try to narrow the time frame using other records and timelines as reference. Gathering as much information as you can on this side of the pond. For more tips on locating arrival records, see the March Upfront article in “Finding Irish Origins.”