Samuel C. Still III flipped through the pages of "The Underground Railroad" by William Still, a figure on the top of his knowable family tree. He's frustrated so many people don't know about William Still's work to help slaves escape to free states.
When he was a child, his parents passed on literature from his ancestors to him, Samuel Still said.
"It grounded us to who we were," he said.
And Still is still searching for more stories.
He travels from his home in New Jersey to Maryland in search of distant family members through historical archives.
He presented his family's story at the Broadneck African-American Heritage Project's Black History Month gathering on Saturday at the Mount Olive Community Life Center in Annapolis.
Families shared pictures, artifacts and stories from generations that span centuries.
Joyce Camper, a professor at Howard University and Strayer University, encouraged everyone to write their stories to preserve their histories.
She taught dozens of attendees how to organize a family history book, cite sources and tell stories.
Camper, the guest speaker for the event, showcased the work of people who put their family stories on paper without the help of a publishing company.
Black community members said it's important to record their own stories because they sometimes get left out of history books.
JoAnn Hall, 62, of Deale, showed off black and white photographs of her family and a Bible with pages coming out of the bind, a family heirloom that has survived generations.
Her aunt recently gave the Bible to her.
She also collected posters of black artists and prints of money from different African countries.
"It's just a part of me," she said, referring to the histories of families and countries.
At another table, Still, a construction manager, shows off pictures of his ancestors who lived in Maryland centuries ago.
He has a copy of his ancestors' "Early Recollections and Life of Dr. James Still" by James Still and "The Underground Railroad" by William Still, who were brothers.
In his free time, Still runs the Dr. James Still Historic Office and Education Center in New Jersey, and searches for his family's stories in Caroline and Dorchester counties.
Still wears a shirt with the words "I will die before I submit to the yoke!" attributed to one of his ancestors circa 1790.
He's proud of his family's history of fighting slavery. And he works hard to uncover more stories.
"My drive has always been trying to find the truth," he said.