William & Mary Project Connects Descendants to Past

William & Mary's Lemon Project is dedicated to assisting African Americans in discovering their family histories and the integral part their ancestors played in the development of the college, Williamsburg, and early America. Launched in 2009, the project initially aimed to investigate the university's historical ties to slavery, recognizing that its founding campus was built by enslaved individuals.

The project actively works to overcome the difficulties in researching Black ancestry, which are often hampered by lost or incomplete records. To address this, the Lemon Project employs a multi-faceted approach, leveraging resources such as historical church congregations, cemetery records, and official documents like those from the Library of Virginia and the Freedmen's Bureau. This effort is crucial for descendants seeking to affirm their contributions, especially when historical narratives have omitted or minimized their impact.

In addition to institutional records, the project collaborates with various groups, including the Bray School Lab and the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society of Hampton Roads. This collaborative spirit, along with the dedication of students and faculty, has been instrumental in the project's success. By piecing together fragments from payroll documents, death certificates, and oral histories, the Lemon Project helps to reconstruct familial lineages and demonstrate the enduring labor and community-building efforts of Black individuals throughout history.