Genealogy Face2Face - Presented by Clayton Library Friends

This is a weekly roundtable discussion for Clayton Library Friends members and the general public related to genealogy research. 

Speaker: Melvin E. Edwards, Author of “The Eyes of Texans”

Melvin E. Edwards is a former award-winning newspaper reporter and columnist, who became a speechwriter for the highest officeholders in Texas government by the time he was 30 years old. His new book, “The Eyes of Texans: From Slavery to the Texas Capitol,” tells personal and reimagined stories from six generations of his family, going back to Isaac Bladen, an enslaved man brought from Maryland to Texas in 1844.

His book highlights the unique difficulty that African Americans face when doing genealogical research and how family stories can sometimes make that research more – not less – challenging. He will speak for 30 minutes, then answer questions for 30 minutes about the book, and about the writing and publishing processes, in general.

We encourage you to read Edwards’ book for yourself, then discuss it with him. It is available in paperback and Kindle eBook on Amazon. The audiobook will be available in mid-January. Despite the book’s serious content, it has moments of lightheartedness that will leave you feeling optimistic about the future of Texas and America.

You do not have to be a CLF member to attend the meeting.

Registration in advance of the meeting will be required. Pre-register now by following this link.