By Vernon M.
Herron and Linda Hinton Butler
In
1993, the Comprehensive Genealogy Services (CGS) was organized by Dr. Vernon
Herron while living in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania and sponsored with the
support of the Shiloh Baptist Church of Philadelphia, PA. and the Institute for
Non-Traditional Ministries of Washington, D.C. After retiring, Dr. Herron returned
to Charlotte, NC and organized the Comprehensive Genealogical Services December
13, 1997 at the Beatties Ford Road Library. CGS was Incorporated in NC in
October 1999 and has been a vital source of information for history, genealogy
and culture of the African ancestral population.
The
first board chairperson was Norman Mitchell who served for one year, from
December 1997-December 1998. The
second board chair was Linda Hinton Butler who served for 13 years, from 1998-2011,
after which Konrad Broussard became the chair. Not only was Vernon M. Herron the
founder of CGS but he served as its first CEO for ten years, 1997 to 2007. He
was followed in that office by Beatrice Cox and Iris Chandler.
The purpose, mission, and
program emphasis of this unique organization can be found in its name,
discussed in reverse order: Services, Genealogy, and Comprehensive.
CGS is an organization of
services including information, collaboration, inspiration and affirmation. The
nature of its work is genealogical, i.e., it deals with the scientific study of
family life. It recognizes that accurate and historical facts are necessary due
to an enslaved heritage, lost and unrecorded records and a period of family
disruption.
The scope of its work is
comprehensive, assisting individuals, families and other non-profit
organizations in research and development including:
Enslaved genealogy
Pedigree development
Family history
Family reunions
Family organization
Family communiqués
One of the super programs
of CGS is its Cemetery Work. According to the social statistics of the 1860
census, there were 6,541 enslaved persons in Mecklenburg County, NC. Here, they
lived and died, but where they were buried is another story. Today, there is a
continuous effort of the Comprehensive Genealogical Services and others, to
seek the location and identification of the burial grounds of enslaved persons
willed to obliteration. The Township of Huntersville was in the middle of
building a new road near Bethesda which would have gone through a cemetery and
destroyed many unmarked graves, but CGS arrested the case.
In 2001,
Mecklenburg County gave CGS a Grant for 3 years to research enslaved cemeteries
with documentation.
The history
of CGS is defined; its present status is unique; its future is uncharted!
Historical Portraits in Review
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