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The Santa Barbara County Genealogical Society invites community members to its upcoming General Meeting on Saturday, February 17. Saturday’s presentation, titled “Exploring Records of the Freedmen’s Bureau,” will be provided by professional genealogist Renate Yarborough Sanders.
The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands was a United States government agency that assisted freedmen (formerly enslaved people) during Reconstruction following the Civil War. Though the nickname “Freedmen’s Bureau” suggests a focus limited to the formerly enslaved, this presentation highlights information about ancestors of all backgrounds.
About the Event
This free event will take place at the First Presbyterian Church at 21 E. Constance Avenue in Santa Barbara. Join us at 9:30 a.m. for refreshments, meeting with the Society’s Special Interest Groups to chat about everything from beginning genealogy to writing your family history, and perusing genealogical books for sale. Following a short business meeting at 10:30 a.m., Renate’s presentation will begin at 11:00 a.m. The business meeting and presentation will also be available via Zoom. Please register at SBGen.org to attend online.
About the Speaker
Renate Yarborough Sanders is the descendant of formerly enslaved ancestors, enslavers, and free people of color. She authors two blogs, “Into the LIGHT” and “Genea-Related,” and produces a “(Mostly) African American Funeral Programs” online database.
Renate is a member of the National Genealogical Society, the North Carolina Genealogical Society (Publicity Director), the Afro-American Genealogical and Historical Society (member of National Editorial Board and Scholarship Committee, and Vice President and Newsletter Editor for the Hampton Roads Chapter), the Wake County Genealogical Society, and the Tyrrell County Genealogical and Historical Society. She is a member and Deputy Registrar of the lineage society “Sons and Daughters of the United States Middle Passage.” Renate cohosts “Let’s Talk North Carolina Genealogy,” an online platform and YouTube show presenting genealogy programming and virtual events for North Carolina researchers. She has also served as a panelist and guest on numerous web shows and podcasts.
Renate provides genealogy education for conferences, societies, employee groups, and institutions of higher learning, and her research has been featured on PBS Radio and in a National Geographic cover story and podcast. She is currently engaged in a research project for Wake Forest University, seeking to find descendants of enslaved persons who were sold for the benefit of that institution. Renate is an instructor for the Midwest African American Genealogy Institute (MAAGI), and will join the faculty of the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburg (GRIP) in Summer 2024. She provides coaching and consultation services for individuals seeking guidance with genealogical research, and she continues to engage in project work for various organizations and institutions.
Renate lectures on a variety of genealogy topics but specializes in teaching beginning to intermediate research methodology and sharing specific techniques for researching ancestors of color both pre- and post-Emancipation. She is a retired elementary school educator, mother of two daughters, and grandmother of four beautiful granddaughters (and a granddog).
About the Genealogical Society
The mission of the Santa Barbara County Genealogical Society is to help people discover, document, preserve, and share their family histories in California, the United States, and around the world. The Society is an all-volunteer organization with over 500 members, and a 5,000 square foot genealogical research library featuring over 19,000 books and a computer lab with access to nine genealogical subscription websites. Annual memberships start at $40, please visit SBGen.org to learn more about membership benefits, events, presentations, or to become a member.
