La Salle County Genealogy Guild to host descendent of enslaved ancestors, enslavers, Indigenous people

The La Salle County Genealogy Guild will host speaker Neil “Doc” Hightower at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 15, at 115 W. Glover St., Ottawa.

Hightower is the descendent of formerly enslaved ancestors, enslavers and Indigenous people.

He is a genealogical researcher and writer who has been exploring his family roots for more than 20 years.

His main areas of interest are African American and Native American family research. He also has an interest in German and Irish family lines from his wife’s family tree. He enjoys uncovering interesting stories about his family’s ancestral connections to slavery and Indigenous people.

Hightower is an active member of the Walker County Texas and the Central Texas Genealogical Societies. He retired in 2016 as the radiation protection manager at Clinton Nuclear Station after a 34-year career with Commonwealth Edison. When he and his wife are not researching their family lines, they enjoy spending quality time with their five grandchildren.

The public is invited to attend. Refreshments will be served. Research will not be allowed during the program.