'I Couldn't Have Done It Alone': Library Resources Help Turn Hobby Into a Career
Local historian and educator Gaynell Brady credits much of her success as a genealogist to the New Orleans and Jefferson Parish public library systems, calling them “the perfect resource” for professionals and novices alike.
“Genealogy is an expensive hobby, but the Library makes it accessible for everybody,” she said. “And that is a huge blessing.”
Brady became interested in genealogy in 2007 after creating an Ancestry.com account to build her family tree as a way of healing from the pain of Hurricane Katrina.
“I’ve always been that kid that asks a lot of questions about where my family came from; tough questions,” she said. “I was always curious, and I just wanted to know where I came from. And then especially when I became a mom, I really wanted to know. Not just for me, but for them.”
With two young children and a third soon to come, Brady chipped away at her family tree, eventually turning to the Library for help with her research around 2009.
“I had a rough start. My ancestors were enslaved, so it was hard for me to navigate our genealogy, and I couldn’t have done it alone, without the resources that the Library had,” Brady said.
By 2013, she turned her project into a career with the opening of Our Mammy’s, an education-based business focused on telling the stories of Louisiana’s African Americans through hands-on activities, presentations, and more. Brady chose the name Our Mammy’s to honor the legacy of those who sacrificed their lives to take care of others and to reclaim a phrase often used in derogatory caricatures of Black women.
Even now, Brady said she still uses the Library’s resources and never misses a chance to tell others about them.
Brady said she was particularly impressed with how the Library shifted during the pandemic in order to continue to provide valuable resources and services in a safe and accessible way, including transitioning from in-person to virtual programming.
Before the pandemic, Our Mammy’s often partnered with the Library to host genealogy programs and seminars, and Brady said she was excited to be invited back to participate via Zoom. Most recently, Brady hosted a workshop in January called “Finding Isabelle London Jefferson: A NOLA Family Matriarch.”
Dozens of people attended that program to hear Brady provide a blueprint to African American genealogy through the lens of one of her own ancestors, Isabelle London Jefferson. Attendees tuned in from near and far, including Lynn Dosty, who lives in northern California but has familial roots in New Orleans and throughout Louisiana.
“The line I’ve been tracing connects to New Orleans and is very well documented, as they were primarily free people of color. So their information is out there and easier to access,” Dosty said.
Dosty’s other line, however, traces back to the St. Francisville area, where her ancestors were enslaved. While she’s always been interested to dive into that research, Dosty said she never knew exactly how to start. So, when she heard about Brady’s presentation through LA Creole — a family research and educational organization she connected with when starting her research in 2019 — she knew she had to attend.
“When I saw Gaynell, especially how she was dressed for that era, it really inspired me,” Dosty said. “So now, I’ve kind of taken a detour, and everything I’m doing now is focused on looking into that enslaved side. And Gaynell really inspired me to do that.”
And beyond all else, that is Brady’s goal.
“The point of the presentation was to simplify some of this stuff and make it easy for people who don’t do professional-level genealogy to understand, but, more importantly, to inspire,” Brady said. “In my mind, if your kids know where they came from and know who they are, things will be a lot different.”
In addition to inspiring Dosty to dig into the other side of her family tree, Brady inspired her to do something else: apply for an out-of-state Library card.
“I truly believe in all of the services you guys have to offer, and I always like to emphasize the importance of having a Library card,” Brady explained. “I really just love New Orleans, I just love my city so much, and I see the Library as an important resource, especially to African American genealogists, and I feel obligated to spread that knowledge.”
Another thing Brady said during her presentation gave Dosty a hunch the two might share ancestors. So, using some of the tools and techniques Brady described, Dosty did some digging, which ultimately confirmed her suspicions.
“It was amazing, I could not believe it,” Dosty said.
While this connection came as a shock to Dosty, Brady said it happens to her all the time. However, Brady said while not uncommon for her, these types of interactions and realizations are a primary reason she believes genealogical research is so valuable.
“We all live in this shared space, and it’s so important for us to understand that we’re all more alike than not alike, and we’re more connected than we are disconnected,” she said. “It’s just bringing people back together, and that’s the piece that I really love too, how it unites us.”
Brady said these connections are even more important today, during a time of fierce political division and social isolation.
“I think right now, we need more understanding and appreciation of each other, and more compassion, and more empathy,” she said. “There are some really tough things going on. There are so many people dying in the pandemic, and I really want to make sure that people’s stories are told.”
To access the Library’s archival and research tools, visit archives.nolalibrary.org.