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.”
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 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 as a professional genealogist, Brady said she still uses the Library’s resources and never misses a chance to tell others about them.
“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.”
Brady is a longtime Library partner and has lead countless workshops and programs with the City Archives and Special Collections. On Saturday, she will be a featured panelist in a discussion on considering legacy at the Library’s first GenFest, a day-long genealogical festival at Main Library.
Library archivist Amanda Fallis is GenFest’s lead organizer and said bringing Brady on board was a top priority.
“We are thrilled to have our long-time partner Gaynell Brady of Our Mammys presiding over our GenFest panel, “Considering Legacy.” Gaynell has been a City Archives programming partner for over a decade, gave us the idea for GenFest, and has led incredible history and genealogy education at 100s of events and locations across the state,” Fallis said. “Her breadth of expertise and knowledge in Louisiana genealogy research makes her the perfect professional to lead our panel.”
Other GenFest panelists include Ja’el “Ya Ya” Gordon from the AAHGS and the Bonnet Carre Historical Society; Winston Ho, a historian researching Chinese American History in New Orleans; Kenneth Hoffman, the executive director of the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience; William de Marigny Hyland, the direcor of Los Isleños Museum Complex; Kathryn Coleman Labat from the Louisiana Creole Research Association; Frank Perez, the executive director of the LGBT+ Archives Project of Louisiana; Jay Schexnaydre, president of the German-Acadian Coast Historical & Genealogical Society; historical consultand Katy Morlas Shannon; and Katherine Vest from the Archdiocese of New Orleans Office of Archives and Records.
In addition to the panel discussion, GenFest attendees can browse tables from over 30 Southeastern Louisiana genealogical, preservation, historical, and cultural organizations, and four different presentations about genetics, collecting and preserving images, and cemetery history and records.
The Friends of the New Orleans Public Library will also host a large book sale with a focus on genealogy, featuring affordable used books. Shannan Cvitanovic, executive director of the Friends said they are “thrilled to support this event.”
“The Library’s archivists feel the urgency of preserving family histories, particularly those of marginalized groups,” Cvitanovic said. “GenFest gives family historians, both new and experienced, the tools they need to preserve our stories before they are lost. We cannot wait to feel the energy of so many story tellers and story gatherers in one place. It will be both educational and emotional.”
In 1902, the New Orleans Public Library received a $250,000 grant from Andrew Carnegie to build four new Library locations, including one Uptown, known then as the Napoleon Library. More than a century later, that little Library is still serving its community today, but under a different name: the Children’s Resource Center Library.
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