The Reference Desk
Bring me one question. I'll go find the answer.
Every Thursday I sit down with the questions that came in that week and work through them on camera — so that when I answer yours, the next person searching for the same thing finds their way too.
- Service
- Genealogy reference — African American & West African ancestry
- Archivist
- Aisha Abdul Rahman, MLIS
- Frequency
- Weekly — Thursday, 7:00 PM PT
- Access
- Open. No restrictions.
Why this exists
Most people aren't stuck for lack of trying
They're stuck because nobody ever told them which records exist.
For millions of us the paper trail runs out around 1870. Before that, our people appear in ledgers as property — a number, an age, a dollar value, and no name.
I know that wall from the other side of it. I traced my own family back to the 272 people sold by Georgetown University in 1838, and eventually to a photograph of my ancestor Joseph Daggs sitting in a stranger's collection in Louisiana. It took years. Most of what it really took was knowing which records existed and where they were kept.
That last part is what a reference archivist is trained to do. It's also the thing most people are missing — not effort, not commitment. Just someone who knows where to look.
So I'm opening the desk. One question at a time, in public, so that when I answer yours, three hundred other people find their way too.
How it works
Four steps, one week
Submit any time. I work through the queue before each session.
Step One
You submit a question
The form asks for context — your ancestor's name, where they were, what you've already tried. That isn't busywork. It's what lets me give you a real answer instead of a general one.
Step Two
I do the research
Before each session I work the queue and dig into what you've asked. Sometimes that means pulling records. Sometimes it means finding out the thing you're looking for burned in 1901 — and here's what to use instead.
Step Three
I answer live on Thursday
About six questions per session, in depth. You don't have to attend, and you never appear on camera. I read the question out; your name stays out of it unless you want it in.
Step Four
You get your answer
I'll send you the clip of your own question. It goes up publicly too, so it keeps working for the next person who asks it.
Scope & content
The desk is for questions about the records
Here's the test: if the answer would help someone with a completely different family, it belongs here.
Bring these to the desk
- My ancestor is in the 1870 census but not 1860. What does that mean?
- What's actually inside the Freedmen's Bureau records, and how do I search them?
- Why don't slave schedules list names?
- How do people generally identify who enslaved their family?
- My AncestryDNA says 23% Nigeria. What does that number really mean?
- Where do I find probate records in Georgia?
- The courthouse burned. Is there anything else?
- How should I store my grandmother's photographs?
These need more room
- Here's my tree — where do I go next?
- I have three documents that contradict each other. Which one is right?
- Can you look at my DNA matches and work out how this person connects?
- I've been stuck on this line for five years.
- I need to prove descent from an enslaved ancestor. What's my path?
Reference tells you where the records are. Research goes and gets them.
That's an old distinction in my field, and I'd stand behind it. The questions on the right are real and they deserve real answers — they just depend entirely on your documents, which no public session can do justice to.
That's what a Discovery Call is for: sixty minutes, one to one, where we look at what you actually have and map where you go next.
If your question crosses that line, I'll still answer the general version publicly. I'll just tell you plainly that yours needs more room.
Book a Discovery Call — $50Submit
Ask your question
Fill in what you know and leave the rest blank. "Somewhere in Alabama, sometime before the war" is still useful.
One question per person, per week — it keeps the queue fair and lets me go deep on each one.
Access & use
Questions about the questions
Everything people ask before they ask.
Is it really free?
Yes. No catch, no card, no upsell required. I make my living from consultations, courses, and my book. The desk is how I do the part of my job that shouldn't cost anything.
Do I have to be on camera?
No — you never appear. I read the question out and answer it. Your name is only used if you tell me that's fine.
Can I ask privately?
Yes, there's an option on the form. Private questions get a shorter answer by voice note rather than a full session slot, since the public ones are doing double duty for everyone watching. If you'd rather keep it between us, that's completely fine.
What if I don't know the answers to the form questions?
Put what you have and leave the rest blank. Partial information is normal — it's the whole reason you're asking.
How many questions do you take?
About six a session. If yours doesn't come up, it stays in the queue. I don't clear it out.
What if you don't get to mine?
It stays in line. Some questions also take longer to research than a week allows, especially when I need to request records. I'd rather answer it properly late than badly on time.
Can I ask about a living relative?
Please don't include living people's details — names, dates, addresses, or medical and legal information. I don't discuss living individuals publicly. For anything within roughly the last hundred years, keep it general.
Do I need to watch live?
No. Every session is recorded and posted. Watching live means you can follow up in the chat, but it isn't required.
I'm not sure my question is good enough.
It is. The questions people apologise for asking are almost always the ones a hundred other people have too. Send it.
What if I need more than this?
Then we should talk properly. A Discovery Call is sixty minutes, one to one, $50 — built for exactly that.
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Join the communityStart with the book
Tracing Our Roots, Reclaiming Our Legacy is the step-by-step version of everything I answer here — research, brick walls, DNA, and preservation.
Get the bookSessions air every Thursday at 7:00 PM PT — watch here