African American Introduction
| African American Genealogy Wiki Topics | |
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| Beginning Research | |
| Original Records | |
| Compiled Sources | |
| Background Information | |
| Finding Aids | |
Introduction
African American genealogical research for recent years follows the same procedures as for any other ethnic group. However, there are specific strategies for tracing African American roots prior to 1870. Most of the records are available through the FamilySearch Library and through FamilySearch's home page.
Research Guides and Source Lists
For guides to African American family history research, see:
- Getting Started with African American Research, for a step-by-step guide.
- Quick Guide to African American Records, a Wiki article including some pre-1870 sources and strategies.
- Finding Records for Your Ancestors, Part A-African American 1870 to Present, These instructions will show you how to search nine kinds of records in a helpful step by step guide.
- African American Genealogy FamilySearch Wiki shows a list of records, databases, indexing projects, presentations and other guides.
- Finding a Place Called Home: An African American Guide to Genealogical and Historical Identity, by Dee Parmer Woodtor, New York, New York, Random House, 1999. FS Library book 973 F2wd; at various libraries (WorldCat). This book explains the basic as well as complex research techniques required for African American research.
- FamilySearch Library bibliography of African-American sources: as of 1994, by Marie Taylor. Salt Lake City: FamilySearch Library, 1994. FS Library book 973 F23tm. This book lists 3,320 African American sources, including Canadian records. It also includes articles from historical and genealogical periodicals.
The following records can help determine if an ancestor was born free or enslaved.
For records of the Underground Railroad, go to The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
To make a slavery connection, you must first identify the enslaver, and then study the enslaver's records for clues to family information. About 15 percent of formerly enslaved persons took their last enslaver's surname. Sources for identifying the enslaver include Records of Ante-Bellum Southern Plantations from the Revolution Through the Civil War: Series A through N, FS Library Film nos. 1,534,196 - 1,534,236.
The Freedman’s Savings and Trust Records include birthplace, place brought up, residence, age, complexion, name of employer or occupation, spouse, children, father, mother, brothers and sisters, remarks, and signature. These records are found in Registers of Signatures of Depositors in Branches of the Freedman’s Savings and Trust Company, 1865—1874. FS Film nos 928,571 - 928,591.. An additional guide for Freedmen’s Bureau field office records is Preliminary Inventory of the Records of the Field Offices of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands: Record Group 105, by Elaine Everly and Willna Pacheli. FamilySearch Library Book. Part 1 includes Alabama-Louisiana and is titled, Preliminary inventory of the records of the field offices of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands : record group 105; pt. 01. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library. Part 2 includes Maryland and South Carolina and is titled, Preliminary inventory of the records of the field offices of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands : record group 105; pt. 02. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library. Part 3 includes Tennessee and Virginia and is titled, Preliminary inventory of the records of the field offices of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands : record group 105; pt. 03. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
Many of the Freedmen’s Bureau records are available online at:
- Freedmen's Bureau Records at FamilySearch
- Freedmen's Bureau Records at Ancestry
Individual Freedmen Bureau records by state can be obtained by going to Mapping The Freedmen's Bureau. This map marks the sites of Freedmen’s Bureau Field Offices and Contraband Camps. Many of these records link directly to images on FamilySearch.org.
Another helpful source of information for locating African American ancestors is the Records of the Commissioners of Claims 1871—1880: FS Library Film nos. 1,463,963-1,463,974 Nearly 22,300 cases are filed by individual names, family groups, churches, and businesses. Records include testimony of neighbors, relatives, and former slaves to support a claimant’s assertions, taken during the Civil War because of loyalty to the Union. A master index to these case files is found in The Southern Claims Commission Loyalists in the Civil War, by Gary B. Mills, Baltimore, Maryland, Genealogical Publishing Company, 1994. FS Catalog Book 975 M2s; At various libraries (WorldCat).