A Cost-Free Update

That’s right. This update costs you nothing while also pertaining to Black Sheep’s new pro-bono initiative. (You may recall our announcement back in March.) The idea is to provide genealogical services for those who would not otherwise have access to them. We received more than 130 applications and in April created our first family-history report. It traced our client’s Culpeper County family all the way back to a man who (most likely) was baptized in 1629 at the church above: St. Mary’s, in the village of Winterborne-Zelston, County Dorset, England. The man came to America as an indentured servant and eventually bought land in Virginia.

It’s an amazing story full of fascinating documents, and I’m thrilled to have been able to provide it at no cost. It’s ironic, though. What led me to create this program was the frustration of having to turn down four potential clients during my first year of business because they could not afford to pay. Now, if I stick to my every-other-month pro-bono plan, I’ll be saying no to 124 people over the next year.

Is that moving forward or backward?

Whatever it is, I have a plan. The idea is to create a Family History Collaborative—a group of trained genealogists who will conduct research for these hundred-plus families, in the process compiling a history of Central Virginia that focuses on these otherwise untold stories. I am pursuing grant funding in order to compensate those doing this work.

If you are interested in learning more about the grant work, email me at bsheepgen@gmail.com.

Learn more about receiving free services. And remember, if you have already applied, you will continue to be eligible. You don’t need to re-apply.

Photography above taken by Dave Newman, August 13, 2010 (Flickr).