About
Nicka Sewell-Smith
Who am I exactly? Why am I so obsessed with tracking down dead people?
Grab a chair. Here’s a glass of sweet tea. Read more about me below.
The Timeline
1985
When the bug bit me
I was at a family reunion in Memphis. A cousin put together the first family tree I ever saw and it absolutely mesmerized me. It was one of the first things I remember reading by myself.
1999
When my curiosity piqued
While in college, I learned my cousin hadn't updated our family tree in years. I decided to update it and build a website to match and the rest is history.
2003
The point of no return
My co-worker introduced me to the world of online genealogy research. The first record I saw? The 1930 U.S. Census with my grandmother as a 13 year old. Blew. My. Mind. Source: FamilySearch
2010
Hey, I've got
something to say
I took the big leap and began to teach others how to research their families and started my blog. Five years later, I began my YouTube channel with the show BlackProGen LIVE.
Today
And the rest is history...
Now, I'm sharing my love of genealogy and family history research all over the world, with folks from all walks of life.
just in case you want/need
The official bio
Nicka Smith is a host, consultant, and documentarian with more than 20 years of experience as a genealogist. She has extensive experience in researching the enslaved and their communities and is an expert in genealogy research in the Mississippi Delta.
Nicka has diverse and varied experience with a background in audio, video, and written communications. She’s appeared on TODAY, Good Morning America, CNN, MSNBC, an Emmy winning episode of the series Who Do You Think You Are, was featured in the groundbreaking short film, A Dream Delivered: The Lost Letters of Hawkins Wilson, and has been interviewed by National Geographic, TIME, USA Today, and New York Times. She is the host of BlackProGen LIVE, an innovative web show with more than 130 episodes focused on people of color genealogy and family history.
She is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, a member of two lineage societies (Sons and Daughters of the Middle Passage (SDUSMP), National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR)), and a past board member of the California Genealogical Society (CGS) and is an honorary life member of the African American Genealogical Society of Northern California (AAGSNC). Nicka served as the chair of the Outreach and Education Committee for AAGSNC, and is the former project manager for the Alameda County, CA Youth Ancestral Project where more than 325 youth were taught the value of family history.
Additionally, Nicka is the family historian and lead researcher for the Atlas family of Lake Providence, East Carroll, Louisiana and guides and coaches an active group of family historians at the Who is Nicka Smith Patreon community.