A+E Networks & Ancestry Partner for Mini-Series

A+E Networks® TODAY announced a marketing partnership with Ancestry® to create a custom branded mini-series that tells the unique stories of formerly enslaved African Americans.

Through conversations with descendants and by exploring archival data on Ancestry, A+E Networks produced the branded mini-series that illuminates diverse perspectives and celebrates African American stories. The Ancestry branded content series will be featured on digital and social platforms and make its broadcast premiere February 20 during the broadcast of The HISTORY Channel's original documentary, "Abraham Lincoln."

Each story features a relative of formerly enslaved African Americans and reveals unique connections to the legacy of President Abraham Lincoln. Executive Director of the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation in Williamsburg, VA, Christy Coleman, who also contributed to the "Abraham Lincoln" documentary, introduces each story to provide historical context. Through conversations with Professional Genealogist Nicka Sewell-Smith and using the recently added Freedmen's Bureau records on Ancestry, descendants of formerly enslaved people in the U.S. discover surprising and deeply-moving historical family connections.

"We're delighted to again work with Ancestry on this important and compelling content that illuminates African American history," said David DeSocio, EVP Ad Sales Marketing & Partnerships, A+E Networks. "This partnership speaks to the hearts of audiences, showcases Ancestry and A+E's values, and most importantly, invites viewers to take action and embark on a journey of exploration to uncover their own family stories. We're so proud to underscore our commitment to DEI by ensuring these stories were brought to life through the creativity of the African-American-led production team and crew, HollandWestProductions, LLC."

"Free access to the Freedmen's Bureau collection will enable meaningful Black family history discoveries for generations to come," says Nicka Sewell-Smith, Professional Genealogist. "Finding your ancestors' names and stories on Ancestry is possible and unearthing them can shine a light that helps guide us going forward. Learning about the resiliency of those who came before us and the obstacles they overcame inspires us to know we can do the same."

To enable more family history discoveries, Ancestry recently unveiled the world's largest digitized and searchable collection of Freedmen's Bureau and Freedman's Bank records to date, with more than 3.5M records available for everyone to search for free at Ancestry.com/Freedmens. This collection is likely the first time newly freed African Americans would appear in records after Emancipation, and these records inform some of the stories explored in the custom branded mini-series, including:

The New Lincolns - Many formerly enslaved people were either without a last name or identified by the last name of their former owners. After the Emancipation, some recently freed persons chose 'Lincoln' as a surname, in part to honor the President who championed their freedom, but also as a statement about liberty and the reclamation of dignity and humanity.

The United States Colored Troops - Freedom was fought for in part by those who were formerly enslaved, beginning with the 1862 first Kansas Colored Infantry that would later become the 79th regiment of the United States Colored Troops. Supported by the Freedmen's Bureau records, this story highlights the enlisted men's efforts to bring about freedom, democracy and equality.

The Emancipation of Washington, D.C. - The Compensated Emancipation Act was the very first act of emancipation that effectively freed 3,100 enslaved Americans in the nation's capital while it compensated owners up to $300 for each freeperson. This 1862 legislation freed many people months before the Emancipation Proclamation.

The custom Ancestry branded mini-series will air during the HISTORY Channel's three-night documentary event, "Abraham Lincoln" premiering Sunday, February 20 and during the broadcast of the new one-hour documentary, "Black Patriots: Heroes of the Civil War" on Monday, February 21. The custom branded mini-series will also be featured across The HISTORY Channel digital and social platforms.

Ancestry worked with The Content Collective, the entertainment and content marketing division of Omnicom Media Group and OMD to negotiate and structure the HISTORY Channel partnership. A+E partnered with production team HollandWestProductions, LLC to bring the mini-series to life.

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