YOUNGSTOWN — Research on famous Youngs-town-area African Americans brought together a local historical group and the grandson of one of the area’s first black doctors. Kimberly Adams, an historian and genealogist, said Dr. Charles Augustus Pettiford, who was the grandfather of local resident Lawrence Pettiford, was a prominent physician in Youngstown. Pettiford also was one of the first doctors in the area to do a lot of work for the community. Lawrence Pettiford said he was shocked with the information local historian Steffon Jones and Adams gathered on his grandfather since he knew very little. “They knew more about him then I did. I was elated with what they told me. I learned a lot about my grandfather and what he did,” he said. Adams said she was equally enthusiastic about meeting Pettiford. According to the research, Pettiford was the first black physician in Youngstown.