Reclaiming our Ancestors’ past
and immortalizing their legacies!
Review Menu for Research Tools & Tips
Our Mission
Our current campaign, the Headstone and Monument Project, aims to replace headstones or install a monument for the formerly Enslaved, Black and Indigenous People of Color (“BIPOC”) that are either missing or beyond repair, due to years of neglect, vandalism, weathering, or age. As a non-profit organization, Black Pearls of Genealogy strives to recognize and preserve the history, heritage, and legacy of those who sacrificed so much for us. Our site will also provide research tools to help find historical information of the member laid to rest.
Currently, there are an estimated 145,000 known cemeteries and burial sites throughout the United States. Of these, approximately 9% have been identified as sites where BIPOC are interred. As many as 56% of their grave markers are in a state of total ruin. In addition to working with the African American community, we will work with Native American communities. “In recognizing the humanity of our fellow beings, we pay ourselves the highest tribute.”
-Thurgood Marshall
We cover all 50 states
Our supplier has two strategic distribution centers and six regional managers to assist in every step of the way. We feel that each family deserves peace of mind, and every ancestor is worthy of recognition, dignity, and honor.
We have secured the resources and capabilities to ensure every headstone arrives at the correct location. Once installed, the headstone will be tagged and images uploaded to “Google Maps,” “BillionGraves,” and “Find a Grave” for identification, pinpointing the resting spot of the deceased. This will provide a permanent record of our ancestors’ burial locations, ensuring every gravesite will not be lost to history. BPOG will deliver a beautifully customized memorial stone, capturing the spirit of a family's loved one. Our organization will bestow a sense of closure and deliver a captivating gravesite worthy of our ancestors’ legacies.
BPOG will cater to all 50 states, consistently delivering high-quality granite memorials which exhibit exceptional craftmanship combining meticulous design, sandblasting, laser engraving, and etching. Prompt timelines are attained, without compromising the quality of the stones.
Grave Markers
Why do we use a cross for our monuments for the unknown?
My intent is to have the monument stand as an enduring symbol of our shared belief that all here are sacred, and in a sacred place. Regardless of what state or country you may belong to or visit, a cross is a symbol that signifies that a person has passed away.
Unknown Grave
This monument is 5 feet tall and will be installed on the resting place of those that can't be identified. This monument will be used when there are multiple unmarked graved in a single location.
Upright Headstone
Will be placed in an area that may not easily seen from a distance, for example in a wooded area.
Flat Headstone
These headstones will be placed in a cemetery or church grounds.
Headstones and monuments will be tracked with Google Maps and Quick Response Code (QR Code)
-
Each QR Code will direct the user to a Wikitree profile.
-
Wikitree is a community of genealogists connecting the human family on one FREE and accurate tree using traditional genealogy and DNA testing.
-
The QR Code allows family members as well as researches to add additional information to their profile.
Show your support through financial donations and help preserve our history.
“We need your help to continue pursuing our mission. Your individual donating will help by bringing closure to family members.
While we are making great strides with this important, large-scale undertaking, there is still a lot to accomplish. We respectfully request your contribution to this noble effort. Our 2023 goal is to raise $10,000.
Your donation or endowment will not simply provide grave markers. Your contribution will help locate, identify, catalog, and restore the last footprint of our ancestors’ existence.
“We need your help to continue pursuing our mission. Your donation will help bring closure to family members.”
- David Anthony Taylor, Executive. Director
Donations Total = $2,970 of $10,000
What type of documents can I find on this site?
We provide free tools to assist in locating and document family members.
- Freedman Bank Records and Freedmen's Bureau Records. The Freedmen’s Bureau, formally known as the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands, was established in 1865 by Congress to help millions of former black slaves and poor whites in the South in the aftermath of the Civil War.
- Military Documents to include Revolutionary War, Civil United Staes Colored Troops, American Indian Home Guard, War Pension Records and more.
- Dawes Rolls. What was the purpose of the Dawes Roll?The Dawes Commission was organized in 1893 to accept applications for tribal enrollment between 1899 and 1907 from American Indians of the Five Civilized Tribes who resided in the Indian Territory, which later became the eastern portion of Oklahoma.
- Research tools, tips and examples of original documents.
- And More
Yes... YOU CAN find your People Before 1870!!!