Pam wrote: My Grandmother's father, according to her death certificate was J. C. Drake of Drakes Cove Alabama.  I can only assume that because Mr. Drake was white that they instead chose to print J. C. Duke.   I guess I fail to understand why some still can't respect Afro Americans enough to at least let history reflect the truth in 2003.  I understand why family members di not speak of what happene! Sorry, my mistake. She did write death certificate and not birth certificate. When in Alabama were death certificate issued? My first Alabama death certificate goes back to 1936. I can only assume that because Mr. Drake was white that they instead chose to print J. C. Duke.   This sound like a racist remark to me. If a white person said that to a black person , the NAACP would be after them. But then again, white people aren't able to speak their mind. We have to watch every word we speak about the black. Genealogy isn't a place for racists. It's a place to work together any age any color to find our ancestors. Blacks aren't the only people who run into Brick Walls, Whites do to. Blacks coming on the list and being racist and falsey accusing isn't going to help them find their ancestors and their herritage. Pam, maybe the next time a Russell County History Book is written maybe you can have all you ducks in a row along with other blacks and then stay on top of it to see if the information you sent in is copied in and if the pictures you sent in is acceptable. This is what I would have done. Pam, you don't break into Genealogy over night. It's years of belonging to lists and making friends, if done proper, no one will know if you are black or white or will care. Mostly they will seek from you will be information about their ancestors, if yours and theirs are in the same family and locations. Genealogy is seeking information from one another. I wish you luck, and the best way to correct the errors is to stay active on the lists and keep your ancestors information on the lists. This is how I found the death of my gr grandpapa after researching for almost ten years. I have been on the Georgia and Alabama lists for years and I have never seen your name or ancestors mentioned. Pam, first you must plant seeds and then weed them and watch them grow. Someone , somewhere has heard of your ancesters. But by being rude and accuse the whites of being racist, no one will ever speak up and you will loose out. Genealogy.."We are Family." Good Luck. Sandra