Public Speaking, Presentations, Writing and Editing

I am happy to lecture and present case studies on how I was able to identify and prove ancestors.

Skills

Nikki Williams Sebastian

About

Education

I am a charter member of the Sons and Daughters of the United States Middle Passage (SDUSMP) lineage society; a member of Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War 1861-1865 (DUV-CW), in memory of my Mississippi ancestor Private Thomas Smith, Co. H, 50 Reg't U. S. Colored Infantry; and also a member of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR) . I am also a participant in the Daughter Dialogues project, which explores the lives of women of color in the NSDAR.

The life of another ancestor, Ellen Johnson Mathews Fisher, is documented in The Black O'Kelley's Book of History, the second edition of a compilation of the Black O'Kelley's history published at FamilySearch.org.

My research over the years led to the exciting discovery of my 4th great-grandfather known as "Old Hark" of Virginia, a well-known 19th century professional thoroughbred (bloodhorse) race horse trainer.
I was able to identify and learn about the incredible life of trainer Hark West, his famous winner Lecomte, who in 1854, was the fastest horse in the history of U.S. racing. I learned about their epic saga, the Great State Post Stakes of 1854, through a combination of census records, books, archives, newspaper articles, thoroughbred pedigree reports and also through scanning Google.com for images.

I graduated from Rosati-Kain High School for Girls in St. Louis, Missouri. Graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in American history from Tulane University of New Orleans. Received my Master of Public Health (MPH) in Public Health Informatics from Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health in Atlanta, Georgia.

I support several genealogical societies including the Dred Scott Heritage Foundation in St.Louis, Missouri; the National Genealogical Society (NGS); the St. Louis Genealogical Society (StLGS); and the Old Darlington District Chapter (ODDC), South Carolina Genealogical Society (SCGS). I am also a member of the Atlanta Writer's Club.

Nikki Williams Sebastian

Historian / Genealogist