Grand Prairie Memorial Library, 901 Conover Dr. Inspire Room, Grand Prairie, TX
Manuscript collections can be a goldmine of information for family history researchers. Learn about where to find collections, how they are organized, how to use a finding aid, and the variety of interesting items that can be found in the collections.
ARI WILKINS, a graduate of Louisiana State University, has been actively researching family history since 1998. Ari worked with the esteemed genealogist, Dr. James Rose, for many years on his final project Generations: The WPA Ex-Slave Narrative Database. She is the owner of the genealogical consulting company, Black Genesis.
Ms. Wilkins also works as a contributor for Proquest’s African American Heritage database. Ms. Wilkins has spoken nationally at the National Genealogical Society, Federation of Genealogical Societies, Texas State Genealogical Society, Ohio Genealogical Society, Samford Institute of Genealogical and Historical Research, Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, American Library Association, RootsTech, and a multitude of local societies.
Ari has been a Library Associate at Dallas Public Library since 2007. She teaches a series of basic research classes using popular genealogical websites. She specializes in African American research.
