African American Resources for Missouri

United States Missouri African American Resources for Missouri

A list of resources for researching African American ancestors who lived in Missouri.

Online Resources for Missouri

•  African-American Genealogy State Historical Society of Missouri
•  Missouri Newspaper Index
•  Missouri Death Certificates 1910-1958
•  Black Archives of Mid-America
• Black Archives of Mid-America
• Desegration of Armed Forces, The Trueman Presidential Library and Museum
• The Amistatd Trials of 1839-1840, University of Missouri, Kansas City School of Law
• The Dred Scott Case, Washington University Library
• The Trials of the Scottsboro Boys, 1931-1937

Online Resources for St. Louis, Missouri

• Emancipation's, 1817-1865 - information taken from St. Louis Circuit Court Record Books at the Civil Courts Building at Tucker and Market Streets, and the examination of papers at the Missouri Historical Society
• Freedom Licenses Database, 1835-1865 - St. Louis City and County, records at Missouri Historical Society
• Freedom Suit Case Files, 1814-1860 - database and images by St. Louis Circuit Court Historical Records Project
• Freedom Suits, 1804-1865 index - St. Louis Court records
• Urban life for African Americans during 1804-1865 - as taken from St. Louis court records
• Civil War Slave Compensation Claims: includes index U.S. Colored Troops who served in the following regiments:
  • Artillery: 1st Regiment,4th Regiment, 8th Regiment, 12th Regiment, and 13th Regiment, Heavy Artillery Regiments, U.S Colored Troops
  • Cavalry: 5th Regiment, and 6th Regiment, Cavalry Regiments U.S. Colored Troops
  • Infantry: 4th Regiment, 7th Regiment, 18th Regiment, and 19th Regiment, U.S. Colored Troops

Slavery

Family History Library

• Blattner, Teresa, People of Color:Black Genealogical Records and Abstracts from Missouri Sources" (Bowie, Maryland:Heritage Books, c1993,c 1998) At various libraries (WorldCat);FHL Book 977.8 F2bt volume 1 and 2

• Brown, William Wells, Narrative of william W. Brown, a Fugitive Slave (NY, NY: Johnson Reprint, 1970) At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL book 921.73 B815b

• Eddlemon, Sherida K. and Marlene A. Towle, Missouri Genealogical Records and Abstracts (Bowie, Maryland:Heritage Books, c1990-2001) At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL book 977.8 R4e Volumes 2–6; CD-ROM no. 2762 v. 3

• Mallory, Rudena Kramer, Claims by Missourians for compensation of enlisted slaves:records of the U.S. District Court of Kansas, Slave Compensation Records, November 3, 1866 to February 21, 1867, Record Group 21, National Archives-Central Plains Region, Kansas City, Missouri (SLC, Utah:Genealogical Society of Utah, 1992) FHL film 1597959 item 4

• Lee, George R., Slavery North of St. Louis (Canton, Missouri:Lewis County Historical Society, Missouri, [200?]) At other libraries (WorldCat); FHL book 977.8 H6L

• State Slavery Statues (Bethesda, Maryland:University Publications of America, c1989) FHL fiche 6118911

• United States Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands and Washington Reginald, Records of the field offices for the state of Missouri, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1972:NARA, RG 105, M1908 (College Park, MD:NARA, 2004) FHL films 2426982–2427005

Other Books

• McLaurin, Melton Alonza, Celia, A Slave (Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1991). Discusses the trial in 1855 of eighteen-year-old slave Celia for the murder of her abusive master Robert Newsom in Callaway County, Missouri.
• Greene, Lorenzo Johnston. Missouri's Black Heritage. Gary R. Kremer, Anthony F. Holland; forward by Julius K. Hunter; Saint Louis, Mo.: Forum Press, c. 1980. 195 p. E185.93 M7 G73

Slave owners

• James Cox:This was posted on the Missouri Genealogy Research Community on Facebook: Record of a slave girl named Malinda, born about 1824 and was hired out to work for W. S. Pollard and C. Bustes (sp) during 1860. Her owner, James Cox, had died in 1858 in Kingston Twp, Caldwell, Mo. See post. 

National Archives and Records Administration in Washington, D.C.