Lineage: Genealogy and the Power of Connection in Early America

Historic Rock Ford’s America250 Lecture Series welcomes author Karin Wulf as she presents “Lineage: Genealogy and the Power of Connection.” This lecture is based upon her book of the same name and explores how genealogy was a powerful force in 18th-century America, shaping society, law, and identity for all people, not just elites. The book argues that family records, created in diverse forms from documents to artifacts, were crucial for individuals and institutions to claim status, define freedom (especially in relation to slavery), and navigate legal and social structures, connecting personal emotion with political power. Wulf shows how genealogy was a universal practice, used by everyone from enslaved people seeking freedom to founding fathers seeking status, making it central to understanding the American past. 

This presentation will be held in the Langmuir Education Room located on the first floor of the Rock Ford Barn. Please note that admission is for the lecture only and does not include the Snyder Gallery.