AlexandriaAlexandria Gazette Packet Arts ❖ Entertainment ❖ Leisure TheThe officesoffices ofof AdamsAdams andand AssociatesAssociates areare homehome toto aa beatenbeaten biscuitbiscuit machinemachine andand otherother historicalhistorical items.items. The Way We Tours,Tours, PagePage 33 Once Lived www.ConnectionNewspapers.com Alexandria Gazette Packet ❖ September 18-24, 2008 ❖ 1E History Genealogist to explain how she is uncovering the secrets of the Working Backwards Freedman’s Cemetery. By Michael Lee Pope connected to the cemetery. Gazette Packet here was not a former slave, possibly two. What kinds of challenges does this We are talking about the Lumpkins and the native of Alexandria, Char kind of work present? Beckhams. They were free prior to the Civil McCargo Bah is a genealogist Mostly in genealogy you take the present War. One would assume that you would A who is conducting genealogical and work backward. With this project I’m have people flooding in during the war that research for the city of Alexan- taking someone who died in the 1860s and many of them would have been runaway dria on the Freedman’s Cemetery. She has trying to locate their descendants. So I’m slaves. But some of them were not. So you lectured throughout the East Coast, and she really working backwards to forwards, can’t assume that everybody in the cemetery belongs to more than a dozen genealogical which is very different from how most ge- was a former slave. and historical societies. On Sept. 20 from nealogists work. Another challenge is that 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., she will deliver a special many of the descendants may not know a Is this an ongoing project? lecture about how she traced descendants whole lot about their family. So I have to Yes, and I just started this in April. And of people buried at Freedmen’s Cemetery. use a lot of primary resources like marriage there are 1,700 to 1,800 people buried The lecture, which will take place at the licenses and statistical records to be able to there. I would love to try to do them all. Alexandria Black History Museum, is free confirm who the descendants are. Some- But that would depend on the city and how and open to all. times I may not be able to find that docu- they would want to handle that. So far, ment that says they are. But if they have a they’ve been very pleased with what I’ve What kinds of topics will be ad- surname that is unusual, chances are that been able to provide to them. dressed in your lecture? they are related to someone who was bur- Char McCargo Bah It’s going to be based on my research on ied at the cemetery. What’s the goal of the project? the Freedman’s Cemetery. I’ve been able to My purpose is to locate descendants, and locate about 22 families that connect to the What kinds of tactics have been What do you do when you reach a that’s what I’ve focused on. We want to cemetery. Because I was born and raised in successful for you during this dead end? make them a part of the memorial, which Alexandria, I’ve been able to connect to project? In normal genealogy, you know you are is going to be unveiled in 2010 or 2011. some of the African-American organizations I’ve been focusing mostly on unusual going to eventually have a dead end when like the Parker Gray alumni, which goes names. People with last names like Jack- you’ve gone back as far as you can. But I How did you get into this line of back to 1963 and the time of segregation. son or Johnson would be more challenging have a specific date I’m working with be- work? So there are still quite a few of those who because they are so common. But I’ve had cause the cemetery was open from 1863 to I have a passion for it, and it doesn’t re- are still living. Then I went to several much more luck with the unusual names 1868. In the world of genealogy, that’s a ally seem like work to me. I’ve been doing churches and found the oldest member and like Shanklin and Ware and Wanzer. Those very small amount of time and it’s not con- this for 27 years, and I started by doing my talked to them. I also went to the Elks to are unusual names, and so when you find sidered very old. In some cases I have found own family. That led to me doing other find out who might still be around who one you can be pretty sure you’ve got the people who are a fourth-generation descen- people’s genealogy. So I’ve been helping might have information. I have a list of right family. We have a great number of dant. So that’s not really a long time ago others since 1990. The lecture that I’m go- people who are actually buried at the cem- African Americans coming in from other when you look at it that way. ing to give at the Black History Museum is etery, which is close to 1,700 to 1,800 de- parts of Virginia, and I’ve seen a lot of going to focus on the people I’ve discovered, ceased people who are buried there. So people from Stafford and Fredericksburg. What have you learned about the but I’m also going to be explaining to people when I talked to people I would ask them if So for each of the families I’ve been able to people who were buried there? how I tackled this assignment. So people they knew anybody with the last name Bell locate, I’ve been able to give them much You might assume that because this was can use these same techniques if they want or Drayton. If they did, I would ask if they more information about their own family during the Civil War that most of these to research their own families. One thing were able to give me any contact informa- than they knew before. Many of them have people would be slaves, but at least one of I’m trying to show is how I was able to use tion. Then I would research back to see if it been very appreciative of that. the people I’ve researched who was buried the community to flesh out the descendants. Local Artist Makes Big Screen Debut hand form jewelry from sheet and wire. I Eric Margry’s jewelry appears in also carve wax for lost wax casting. I do new Coen brothers film. flush set stones and other hand made set- tings for engagement rings. Hand Engrav- Alissa Figueroa ily crest rings. I am trained in the traditional ing is my special skill. This is a craft that Gazette Packet methods of creating a family crest ring, not many people in America practice. I used which were developed in the Middle Ages. a sharpened piece of steel to carve patterns directly into precious metal. or the past two decades jeweler Eric I use the same techniques that were used Photo contributed Margry has created hand engraved then to make this ancestral heirloom. F Are there any other jewelers or The ring that Eric created. pieces from his Torpedo Factory stu- artists working in precious metals dio. He crafted a custom ring for Tilda What inspired you to start work- Photo by Louise Krafft/ Swinton’s character in the Coen brothers ing in this medium and style? that you particularly admire? Gazette Packet comedy, “Burn After Reading,” which came I have been making jewelry since I was I have an affinity for other jewelers work- ON THE COVER: Bud Adams out Sept. 12. Margry spoke about his unique 14 years old. This inspired me to go to ing in the Netherlands such as Gijs Baker works in his office. style, working with the Coens and life in school to learn more. I studied in Holland, and Ruudt Peters. Alexandria. my homeland, where they have a school just for jewelry techniques and hand engraving How did you get connected to the Could you tell us about the kind of was one course of study. Coen brothers? The wardrobe designer was looking for a Staff work you produce? Editor: Rebecca Halik The work I produce includes all types of What materials and techniques do Family Crest Ring for Tilda Swinton to wear. Photo Editor: Louise Krafft wearable jewelry. The two forms I special- you use? They wanted one made by authentic tech Staff Writers: Michael Lee Pope, Chuck Hagee, Rebecca Halik, David Schultz, ize in are engagement and wedding rings I work in gold, silver, platinum, palla- Brad Hathaway, Mary Anne Weber. sets made specifically for a couple and fam- dium, titanium, brass, copper and rubber. I See Artist, Page 11 2E ❖ Alexandria Gazette Packet ❖ September 18-24, 2008 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com Tours Homes Tour: A Walk Through The Past Artisan Show adds to However, in order to convert it from a pri- been adapted to vate home to an office it needed a lot of office functions the day’s adventure. work since it is 150 plus years old. We had such as the 18th to meet all the office code requirements,” century Adams said. architect’s desk By Chuck Hagee “In making the renovations we tried to with its ratchet Gazette Packet invoke the type of architectural work we mechanism, to do for our clients,” he said.