The Middle Peninsula African-American Genealogical and Historical Society will hold a virtual meeting at 11 a.m. Saturday. Dennis Richmond Jr. will speak on the topic, “Almost to the Revolution: Rediscovering the Felmetta Family.”
Richmond will share his recent find about the Felmetta Family—descendants of his sixth great-grandfather Jeffrey “Jeff” Felmetta—uncovering stories preserved in a rare family photo album with images from the 1800s. Richmond said that “after 17 years of research, I traced my father’s family from New York back to Greenwich, Connecticut in 1785. My 6th great-grandfather, Jeffrey “Jeff” Felmetta, was a free Black man—paying taxes and owning property just years after the American Revolution.”
He will also reflect on his career as a middle school teacher, connecting the lessons of history to the importance of inspiring today’s youth.
Richmond is a New York-based educator, historian, author and reporter. A graduate of Claflin University and Sarah Lawrence College, h...