Every Record Has a Story: A Genealogical Journey with Dr. Saundra Yancy McGuire

Dr. Saundra Yancy McGuire
Photo Credit: Dr. Antoinette Harrell

During our first conversation, I learned that her family has deep historical connections to St. Helena Parish, Louisiana, and Amite County, Mississippi.  The same parish my, Wicker, Burton, Richardson, Vining, and Harrell families connected to.  She shared that her primary family surnames are Gordon and Yancy, two families whose roots run deep in the history of both communities. 

As a genealogist, I often tell people that understanding the history of a place is just as important as understanding the history of a family. The two are intertwined. Communities shape families, and families help shape communities. 

St. Helena Parish was established on October 27, 1810, making it one of Louisiana's oldest parishes and one of the original Florida Parishes. At that time, Louisiana had not yet become a state. In fact, statehood would not come until 1812. The creation of St. Helena Parish followed the West Florida Rebellion, when the region transitioned from Spanish rule to becoming part of the United States.

Her 3rd Great Great maternal ancestor were enslaved on the Gordon  Plantation. His life would eventually lead us to a much larger story about slavery, family, survival, and freedom. But it wasn't time to take her there just yet. That is a journey deserving of its own blog post. Stay tune and follow us on this beautiful and powerful genealogy adventure. 

Dr. Saundra Yancy McGuire
St. Helena Parish Clerk's Office 

As our research unfolded, it became clear that this would be more than a search for names and dates. It would become a journey through generations of family, community, resilience, and history, one that would uncover records, stories, and connections that had been waiting to be rediscovered. 

One of the things I appreciate most about the St. Helena Parish Clerk's Office is its commitment to preserving these historic records and the friendly and helpful staff.  They will guide you to the records like a tour guide at a museum. Walking into the records vault is like stepping back in time. Shelves lined with original record books and files have been carefully maintained for generations. Many of the documents I use today are the very same records created by the clerks who served the parish more than 150 years ago. I expained to her that in many cases this the first time that some of the records have been looked at since the first day they was filed away. 

I can still recall our first research trip together to the St. Helena Parish Clerk's Office. I wanted Dr. McGuire to experience more than simply finding names in an index. I wanted her to see her ancestors names recorded in the marriage index books, leading us to the original marriage certificates. There is something empowering about reading documents your ancestors signed with their own hands, or in some cases, made their mark with an "X." It creates a connection to the past that cannot be explained until you experience it for yourself. The look on her face said it all. She expressed how happy and pleased she was to discover the records. It was one of those moments that reminds me why I love genealogy. 

Dr. Saundra Yancy McGuire
Photo Credit: Dr. Antoinette Harrell

The process required us to pull old record files from the vault. The young man working in the office had not yet learned how to retrieve records from the vault. I asked him if I could show him where the files were kept, and he gladly agreed. I invited Dr. McGuire to accompany us into the vault. She was surprised to see that the records were still carefully organized and preserved by the St. Helena Parish Clerk's Office.They resembled the rows of files you might see in a sheriff's office in an old Western movie. The vault itself has the appearance of the late 1800s, preserving not only the records but also a sense of history. 

We carried the files back to the table where we were working. I explained what to look for and reminded her that every record deserves to be read carefully because you never know what valuable information it may contain. As she searched through the records, she found the marriage certificate of Robert and Effie. Her excitement was unmistakable. She paused for a moment, carefully reading the document that recorded the marriage of her ancestors. It was more than a certificate—it was a tangible piece of her family's history. Watching her hold that document and reflect on the lives of those who came before her was a reminder that genealogy is about much more than names and dates. It is about reconnecting families with their stories.

Dr. Saundra Yancy McGuire, a retired Professor Emerita of Chemistry and internationally recognized authority on learning strategies, has embarked on a new kind of scientific study. This time, her laboratory is the courthouse, the archives, and the records vault. Together, we are exploring the chemistry of genealogy—discovering how names, documents, places, and generations bond together to reveal the remarkable story of her family.

Robert E. Yancy, Sr. and Effie Jane Gordon 
Marriage Certificate
St. Helena Parish Clerk's Office