In a message dated 1/23/07 10:26:38 PM, [log in to unmask] writes:


> I don't want to violate a copyright by giving the entire article, but here
> are several statements from the article in today's Winchester Star.
> 
> 
> 
> Oprah's Roots' debuts on PBS
> Area genealogist assists with research for book, program
> 
> By Kathryn Parker
> Special to The Winchester Star
> 
> Winchester - Jane Ailes, a professional genealogist who lives in White Post,
> has been helping Harvard University professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. to tell
> the story of African-American roots for millions of PBS television viewers.
> 
> The first program, "African American Lives," aired in February 2006. The
> sequel, "Oprah's Roots," will premiere at 8 p.m. on Wednesday. It is about
> Oprah Winfrey, her ancestors, and the methods used to discover them. Ailes
> appears in both shows.
> 
> 
> 
> Genealogist Jane Ailes looks through a record book in the Frederick County
> Circuit Court clerk's office in Winchester. She assisted with a genealogy
> program, "Oprah's Roots," which will premiere at 8 p.m. on Wednesday on PBS.
> 
> (Photo by Rick Foster)
> 
> "What moved people in 'African American Lives' was the genealogy," said
> Gates in a recent phone interview.
> 
> Audiences were so affected by the conversations between Gates and Winfrey
> that the second of the series focuses totally on Winfrey.
> 
> "If you have ever wondered why Oprah is Oprah, look at her family tree. Look
> at Constantine Winfrey, her great-great-grandfather," Gates said.
> 
> Constantine's story is told in "Oprah's Roots."
> 
> Gates and Winfrey also discuss the fact that slavery was never mentioned by
> their families and the probable reasons in this very personal program.
> 
> Gates calls Ailes, who helped with the research, one of the finest
> genealogists in America. "She's a genius. I hired her to do my own
> genealogy."
> 
> Born and raised in Romney, W.Va., Ailes is an eighth-generation descendant
> of early Hampshire County settlers. She studied biology at Bridgewater
> College and the University of Virginia and genealogy at the University of
> Toronto.
> 
> As a professional genealogist, Ailes knows what she is seeking and how to
> find it. She has experience with database design and is used to dealing with
> large sets of data.
> 
> ...more to the story plus a list of valuable references and sources.
> 
> 
> 
> Wilmer L. Kerns
> 
> 

Dear Wilmer:

Cool!   Thanks for the info, will tune in tomorrow!

Anita

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