The Multicultural Genealogical Center of Southeast Ohio welcomes Ty Mayle who will speak about the genealogical history of the Ward family and their journey from enslavement in Virginia to emancipation in Southeast Ohio. This story begins with their enslavement on a Virginia plantation in the late 1700s, covers their mass emancipation and migration to Ohio, their involvement with Abolitionism and the Underground Railroad, and their eventual settlement and community building in Washington County.

Ty graduated with degrees in Informational Technology and Geography from Marshall University.  He is a curatorial assistant who is also engaged in research and public outreach for the Belpre Historical Society and Farmers Castle Museum.  His area of focus is the Underground Railroad Gallery and on expanding the work of the late historian Henry R. Burke. Ty is a current resident of Belpre, Ohio and a descendent of the multiracial community of Washington County through the Mayle and Ward families.