Bennie Phifer's genealogical journey began long before he started his research in 1993. It began as the result of his family’s yearly two-week trip to Arkadelphia, Clark County, Arkansas to visit his father’s side of the family. Bennie remembers that he had nothing but fond memories of meeting family members and his experiences while visiting. However, he recalls, the same relatives never visited his family in Troy, Ohio. He wanted to know more about his Arkansas relatives so he began his genealogical quest to find out more about them and their lives. Today, Bennie is a volunteer at the FamilySearch Center of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, OH and a major contributor to the AfriGeneas Death Records Database.