Accomplished historian and renowned genealogist Frazine Kennett Taylor, born on March 21, 1945, was the second child and only daughter of Professor John L. and Martha 0. Jones. At Alabama State University, Taylor spent decades as an archivist, sifting through documents where humans are only identified by numbers, names that are misspelled, and racially segregated records, which leave holes in family trees. She specialized in the histories of Black Americans, especially those whose ancestors had been slaves. While many people would think searching through archives an overwhelming task, Frazine Taylor approached it like a detective, knowing that small clues reveal the story of a person. She noted: "I used to like detective stories, that's what family history is…you having a little piece here and a little piece there." Taylor hoped to impart on young people the importance of knowing your family history, commenting "Self-worth. That's important. You know, like I can sit here and tell you about my family all the way down to some parts of slavery. I feel proud of that." She also noted that "In doing family history, we start with ourselves and work backwards." She was featured as an archivist on PBS, in Southern Living Magazine, and in the Christian Science Monitor as well as The New York Times, The Washington Post, Rolling Stone Magazine, and NBC National News. In 2008, Taylor authored a book entitled “Researching African American Genealogy in Alabama – A Resource Guide.” In addition to being an author, she was an active board member for many local, county, and statewide organizations; professor of colloquia and classes across the state of Alabama; creator of genealogy workshops across the US; and worked part-time at Alabama State University Levie Watkins Learning Center. An intellectual academic, Taylor was able to connect to all people, not just academics, and was known to have a “folksy” way about her. She was as comfortable with people who had never attended college as those with PhDs. Taylor spoke to CBS News in early 2024 as she was undergoing chemotherapy and had partially retired, but her passion for teaching was untouched. Up until her death, she continued to encourage the next generation to keep looking at the past, through her book and classes on how-to search the archives. At Alabama State, she worked with young librarians and shared her knowledge with archivists. Taylor died on July 24, 2024 at 79 years old after a battle with cancer. By her estimates, she helped nearly 10,000 people connect with their past.