African American Resources

African American Genealogy Wiki Topics
Beginning Research
Introduction Research Steps	Record Finder Search Strategies
Original Records
Bible Records Business Cemeteries Census Church Records Compiled Genealogies Court Records Freedman's Bank Freedmen's Bureau Funeral Homes Land and Property	Military Records Newspapers Obituaries Occupations Online Records Oral History Probate Records Slavery and Bondage Southern Claims Commission Taxation Vital Records
Compiled Sources
Biography	Periodicals
Background Information
History Melungeons	Migration Periodicals
Finding Aids
Archives & Libraries Family History Centers] Further Reading	Internet Sources Resources Societies

United States

African American Genealogy

Resources

Online Resources

• See African American Online Genealogy Records for more resources.
• African American Research at FamilySearch
• Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society
• Best African-American Genealogy Resources
• African American Genealogy: A Guide to Finding Your Ancestors Online
• National Archives: Black History
• ogy.com/black-genealogy Access Genealogy: Black Genealogy
• The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database
• Beyond Kin
• Digital Black History

Books

• African American Digital Bookshelf - a growing list of digital books on FamilySearch and other websites
• Newman, Debra L. List of Black servicemen compiled from the War Department collection of Revolutionary War records. Washington, D.C. : National Archives and Records Service. General Services Administration, 1974. (Digital version here)
• Newman, Debra L. List of free Black heads of families in the first census of the United States, 1790. Salt Lake City, Utah : Digitized by FamilySearch International, 2015. (Digital version here)
• Ross, Joseph B. Tabular analysis of the records of the U.S. colored troops and their predecessor units in the National Archives of the United States. Washington, D.C. : NARS, 1973. (Digital version here)

African American Genealogy Presentations

Many presentations from the 2006 AAHGS Conference (Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society) are now available to download and view for free. These are large files (200-400 MB each) and must be downloaded before viewing. Files are optimized for viewing with the free Quicktime media player available at http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download. To download a presentation, please right click the link and select 'Save Target As' or 'Save Link As'.

Dr. Quintard Taylor, Jr., Author and Professor of American History, University of Washington
Presentation: Roots West: African American History in the Trans-Mississippi West
http://broadcast.lds.org/familysearch/aahgs/AAHGS_Feb2007_QuintardTaylor.mp4

Mary Hill, Author and accredited genealogist for Southern and Eastern States
Presentation: Finding Records of Your Ancestors: 1870 to Present
http://broadcast.lds.org/familysearch/aahgs/AAHGS_Feb2007_MaryHill.mp4

Beth Wilson, Reference librarian for land records, African-American genealogy, and documentation research
Presentation: Trails Back: Tracing Ancestors in Slavery through Census, Probate, and Land Research
http://broadcast.lds.org/familysearch/aahgs/AAHGS_Feb2007_BethWilson.mp4

Dr. Spencer Crew, Director of the National Museum of American History, Washington, D.C.
Presentation: National Underground Railroad Freedom Center: Activities and Accomplishments
http://broadcast.lds.org/familysearch/aahgs/AAHGS_Feb2007_SpencerCrew.mp4

Angela Walton Raji, Author and avid African–Native American genealogist
Presentation: Beyond the Dawes Rolls: Black Indian Ancestry East of the Mississippi
http://broadcast.lds.org/familysearch/aahgs/AAHGS_Feb2007_AngelaWaltonRaji.mp4

Adele Marcum, Professional genealogist and content specialist
Presentation: Where Should I Start? Beginning Research on Ancestry.com
http://broadcast.lds.org/familysearch/aahgs/AAHGS_Feb2007_AdeleMarcum.mp4

Howard Dodson, Chief, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture at the New York Public Library
Presentation: Beyond Victimization: The Triumph Over Slavery
http://broadcast.lds.org/familysearch/aahgs/AAHGS_Feb2007_HowardDodson.mp4

Introduction

The first Blacks were brought to the United States in 1619 by Dutch traders. Contrary to popular belief, not all Blacks labored as enslaved persons in the fields of the large Southern plantations. Many worked for smaller landowners, some worked as servants in the cities, and some were free. By the Civil War period, the descendants of less than 400,000 transplanted Africans numbered over 4 million.

Researching nonplantation Blacks or enslaved persons requires great patience and luck as those who were enslaved were not considered citizens of the United States and were not permitted to engage in legal transactions. Marriage contracts between Blacks were legally forbidden until 1868. Since enslaved individuals were considered the property of their slaveholders, most records (such as deeds, wills, etc.) are interfiled with those of the slaveholder's family. Sole ownership of all enslaved children legally resided with the slaveholder of the child's mother, thus research is often limited to the maternal lines.

Blacks were seldom addressed by a surname; instead, they were usually listed by a first name, or as a "Black Male" or "Black Female." Once slavery ended and usage of surnames became legal, formerly enslaved persons were free to use either their previous name (usually known to them, but not used in records) or to choose a new one. Obstacles arose when several members of one biological family adopted different last names.
African American historical research can be undertaken in both military and civilian records; however, the documentation is scattered through a variety of correspondence of government and private citizens and government reports. One's success in researching African American ancestry in the years prior to the Civil War will depend largely on what one's status was, enslaved or free. Learn more at this National Archives website.