African American Resources for Florida: Difference between revisions

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'''Online Resources'''
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| link2=[[African American Genealogy|African American Genealogy]]
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<div id="fsButtons"><span class="online_records_button">[[African American Online Genealogy Records]]</span></div>
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==Introduction==
A list of resources for researching African American ancestors in Florida.


[http://lowcountryafricana.net/ Lowcountry Africana&nbsp;]&nbsp;([http://twitter.com/LCAfricana @LCAfricana]) is dedicated to documenting the family and cultural heritage of African Americans in the historic rice-growing areas of South Carolina, Georgia and extreme northeastern Florida.
==Online Resources==
'''Record Collections'''
<li>'''1830-1993''' {{RecordSearch|1803936|Florida Marriages, 1830-1993}} at FamilySearch — [[Florida Marriages - FamilySearch Historical Records|How to Use this Collection]] </li>
<li>'''1865-1872''' {{RecordSearch|2575789|United States Freedmen's Bureau Miscellaneous Records, 1865-1872}} at FamilySesarch — [[United States Freedmen's Bureau Miscellaneous Records - FamilySearch Historical Records|How to Use this Collection]] </li>
<li>'''1865-1872''' {{RecordSearch|2721171|United States Freedmen's Bureau, Records of Freedmen, 1865-1872}} at FamilySearch — [[United States Freedmen’s Bureau, Records of Freedmen - FamilySearch Historical Records|How to Use this Collection]] </li>
<li>'''1865-1874''' [https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/1417695 United States, Freedman's Bank Records, 1865-1874] at FamilySearch — [[United States, Freedman's Bank Records - FamilySearch Historical Records|How to Use this Collection]] </li>
<li>'''1867-1945''' [https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=1506 Florida, State Census, 1867-1945] at Ancestry ($)</li>
<li>'''1877-1939''' {{RecordSearch|1595003|Florida Deaths, 1877-1939}} at FamilySearch; index — [[Florida Deaths - FamilySearch Historical Records|How to Use this Collection]] </li>
<li>'''1880-1935''' {{RecordSearch|1674799|Florida Births and Christenings, 1880-1935}} at FamilySearch; index — [[Florida Births and Christenings - FamilySearch Historical Records|How to Use this Collection]] </li>
<li>'''1880-1935''' {{RecordSearch|1946805|Florida Death Index, 1877-1998}} at FamilySearch; index — [[Florida Death Index - FamilySearch Historical Records|How to Use this Collection]] </li>
<li>'''1885''' [https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=7605 Florida, State Census, 1885] at Ancestry ($)</li>
<li>'''1900-1921''' {{RecordSearch|1674803|Florida Deaths and Burials, 1900-1921}} at FamilySearch; index — [[Florida Deaths and Burials - FamilySearch Historical Records|How to Use this Collection]] </li>
<li>[[African American Digital Bookshelf]] - a growing list of digital books on FamilySearch and other websites</li>
<li>[http://www.discoverfreedmen.org/ Discover Freedmen] - this site searches all of the Freedmen's Bureau record collections on FamilySearch altogether (and redirects there)
*[https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/lantern/ The Lantern Project (Legal Records Documenting Enslaved Persons)] at Mississippi State University Libraries — index & images ($)
</li><br>
'''Lists of Sources'''


*[http://beyreuth.net/FLAFAMH/index.html Florida African American Heritage]
<li>[http://www.accessgenealogy.com/cemetery/florida-african-american-cemeteries.htm Florida African American Cemeteries] - list of cemeteries and tombstones</li>
<li>[http://lowcountryafricana.net/ Lowcountry Africana] is dedicated to documenting the family and cultural heritage of African Americans in the historic rice-growing areas of South Carolina, Georgia and extreme northeastern Florida.</li>
<li>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170207094646/http://beyreuth.net/FLAFAMH/index.html Florida African American Heritage]</li>
<li>[http://www.accessgenealogy.com/african/florida/index.htm Access Genealogy: Florida African American Genealogy]</li>
<li>[http://www.genealogycenter.info/africanamerican/results_afram.php?subject=FL Genealogy Center: African American Gateway] - contains links to societies, transcriptions of manuscripts, and a good bibliography of Florida books concerning African Americans.</li>
<li>[http://www.usgenwebsites.org/AAGriots/ African American Griots] has links to military, cemeteries, censuses, vital records, etc.</li> <br>
 
==Research Strategy==
*[https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/618437 Delbra D. McGriff, comp. ''The Black experience : a guide to Afro-American resources in the Florida State Archives.'' Tallahassee, Florida : Florida Department of State Division of Library and Information Services, 1991. FS Library 975.9 A1 no. 122]
 
==Historys==
 
<li>Florida Memory, [http://www.floridamemory.com/Collections/blackexperience/ The Black Experience]: A Guide to African American Resources in the State Library and Archives of Florida (accessed 6 April 2012).</li>
<li>Brown, Canter, Jr. ''Florida's Black Public Officials, 1867-1924'', (Tuscaloosa, Alabama:University of Alabama Press, c1998). {{FSC|740787|item|disp=FS Catalog book 975.9 D34b}}</li>
<li>Richardson, Joe Martin. ''African Americans in the reconstruction of Florida, 1865-1877''. ( Tuscaloosa;: University of Alabama Press, [2008]). [http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/227191777&referer=brief_results Find at a library near you].</li>
 
==Resources==
===Biographies===
<li>Access Genealogy. [https://web.archive.org/web/20130124171502/http://www.accessgenealogy.com/african/florida/florida_slave_narratives.htm Florida Slave Narratives]. (accessed 6 July 2012). Interviews with former slaves done during the 1930s.</li>
<li>[http://genealogytrails.com/fla/SlaveNarratives.htm Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves] at Genealogy Trails
 
===Cemeteries===
 
*[http://www.accessgenealogy.com/african/florida/florida_cemeteries.htm Access Genealogy: Florida African American Cemeteries]. This is a list of African American cemeteries in many of the counties in Florida. Some have links to transcripts of the tombstones in the cemetery.
*Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Society. [https://web.archive.org/web/20120601041246/http://www.melfisher.org/exhibitions/lastslaveships/cemetery.htm Key West African Cemetery].  This report details the evidence of an African cemetery at Higgs Beach in Key West, Florida, and describes how it was located. Includes facsimiles of historical records, maps, and photos. In 1860, the U.S. Navy intercepted three American-owned slave ships taking Africans to Cuba. Now refugees, the Africans were taken to Key West before being sent to Liberia. Many died and were buried at Higgs Beach.
 
===Census Records===
 
*[https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=1506 Florida, State Census, 1867-1945] ($) - information usually includes name, residence, age, gender, race, relation to family, marital status, birthplace and parents' birthplace, occupation, and degree of education
*'''1885''' {{RecordSearch|1457854|Florida State Census, 1885}} at FamilySearch — [[Florida State Census, 1885 - FamilySearch Historical Records|How to Use this Collection]]
*'''1935''' {{RecordSearch|1457856|Florida State Census, 1935}} at FamilySearch — [[Florida State Census, 1935 - FamilySearch Historical Records|How to Use this Collection]]
*'''1945''' {{RecordSearch|1457855|Florida State Census, 1945}} at FamilySearch — [[Florida State Census, 1945 - FamilySearch Historical Records|How to Use this Collection]]
*'''1880''' Census African Born Blacks and Mulattos [http://files.usgwarchives.net/fl/statewide/census/1880afri.txt USGenWeb] - lists name, relationship, year born, sex, race,and birth place.
 
*[https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/1046870 Florida State Genealogical Society. ''Census" Department for the South, November 1864, for Jacksonville, Fernandina and St. Augustine, Florida : ordered by the Department of the South, Hilton Head, South Carolina.''Bowie, Maryland : Heritage Books, Inc., 2002. FS Library 975.91 X2f]
 
===Church Records===
*[https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/1049193? Larry Eugene Rivers and Canter Brown. ''Laborers in the vineyard of the Lord : the beginnings of the AME Church in Florida, 1865-1895.''Gainesville, Florida : University Press of Florida, c2001. FS Library 975.9 K2r]
 
===Emancipation Records===
===Funeral Homes===
*[https://app.air.inc/a/borzvL1af/b/8dc76b25-27b0-42b5-a889-6c7027db068f CAAGS Obituary and Funeral Home Collection] at California African American Genealogical Society - index & images
 
===Genealogies===
===Land and Property===
====Plantation====
[https://sankofagenus.com/florida/ Sankofagen: Florida plantations and slave labor sites]
 
=== Law and Legislation ===
*[https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/723107 State slavery statutes: Florida, ca. 1822-1865 (16 fiche) FS Library 6118905]
 
===Obituaries===
*[https://app.air.inc/a/borzvL1af/b/8dc76b25-27b0-42b5-a889-6c7027db068f CAAGS Obituary and Funeral Home Collection] at California African American Genealogical Society - index & images
 
===Oral Histories===
===Other Records===
*[https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/1046870? ''"Census" Department for the South, November 1864, for Jacksonville, Fernandina and St. Augustine, Florida : ordered by the Department of the South, Hilton Head, South Carolina.'' Florida State genealogical Society. FS Library 975.91 X2f]
 
===Military Records===
 
*''Documents Relating to the Military and Naval Service of Blacks Awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor from the Civil War to the Spanish-American War'', (Washington [District of Columbia]:The National Archives, 1973), on 4 microfilm reels (now digitized) - {{FSC|588836|item|disp=FS Library films 1601548-1601551}}.
 
===Newspapers===
*[https://informationwanted.org/ Last Seen: Finding Family After Slavery]
 
===Probate Records===
Garrett-Nelson, LaBrenda. ''Gleaning Information about Enslaved Ancestors from Probate Files'' NGS Magazine 48 #2 (April-June 2022): 23–27. FS Library 973 D25ngs
 
===Reconstruction Records===
====Freedman’s Bank====
An excellent source is the Freedman’s Savings and Trust Company (visit the [[African American Freedman's Savings and Trust Company Records]] page to learn more). This company was created to assist African American soldiers of the Civil War and freed slaves. Freedman’s Savings and Trust Company signature cards or registers from 3 March 1865 to 25 July 1874 may list the name of the depositor, date of entry, age, birthplace, residence, complexion, name of employer or occupation, wife or husband’s name, death information, children’s names, name of father and mother, brothers’ and sisters’ names, remarks, and signature. Early books sometimes contained the name of the former master or mistress and the name of the plantation. Copies of death certificates were sometimes attached to the entries. The collection is organized alphabetically by state, then city where the bank was located, then date the account was established, then account number.<br>
 
Online collections of Freedman's Bank records:
 
*'''1865-1874''' [https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/1417695 United States, Freedman's Bank Records, 1865-1874] at FamilySearch — [[United States, Freedman's Bank Records - FamilySearch Historical Records|How to Use this Collection]]
*'''1965-1871''' [https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=8755 U.S., Freedman's Bank Records, 1865-1871] at Ancestry ($)
*'''1866-1872''' Registers of Signatures of Depositors, 1866-1872 ({{FSC|709439|item|disp=FS Library film 928575 item 4}}) - Freedman's Savings and Trust Company (Tallahassee, Florida)
 
====Freedmen's Bureau====
The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands was created by the US government in 1865 until 1872 to assist former slaves in the southern United States. The Bureau created a wide variety of records extremely valuable to genealogists.  Such documents include censuses, marriage records, and medical records.  These records often include full names, former masters and plantations, and current residences.<ref>"African American Records: Freedmen's Bureau," "African American Heritage," ''National Archives'', accessed 11 May 2018. </ref> For 1865 and 1866, the section on abandoned and confiscated lands includes the names of the owners of the plantations or homes that were abandoned, confiscated, or leased. It gives the county and location, a description of the house, the number of acres owned, and the number of cabins of former slaves. These films do not appear to contain the names of former slaves. 
 
To find Freedmen's Bureau records:
 
*[http://www.discoverfreedmen.org/ DiscoverFreedmen] - the search on this site will utilize all of the Freedmen's Bureau records on FamilySearch, including:
**{{RecordSearch|2432941|United States, Freedmen's Bureau Claim Records,1865-1872}} — [[United States, Freedmen's Bureau Claim Records - FamilySearch Historical Records|How to Use this Collection]]
**{{RecordSearch|2432992|United States, Freedmen's Bureau Hospital and Medical Records, 1865-1872}} — [[United States, Freedmen's Bureau Hospital and Medical Records - FamilySearch Historical Records|How to Use this Collection]]
**{{RecordSearch|2475025|United States, Freedmen's Bureau Labor Contracts, Indenture and Apprenticeship Records, 1865-1872}} — [[United States, Freedmen's Bureau Labor Contracts, Indenture and Apprenticeship Records - FamilySearch Historical Records|How to Use this Collection]]
**{{RecordSearch|1414908|United States, Freedmen's Bureau Marriages, 1861-1872}} — [[United States Freedmen’s Bureau Marriages - FamilySearch Historical Records|How to Use this Collection]]; extracts also at [http://genealogytrails.com/fla/freedmenmarriages.html Genealogy Trails]
**{{RecordSearch|2431759|United States, Freedmen's Bureau Ration Records,1865-1872}} — [[United States, Freedmen's Bureau Ration Records - FamilySearch Historical Records|How to Use this Collection]]
**{{RecordSearch|2515868|United States, Freedmen's Bureau Records of Persons and Articles Hired, 1865-1872 }} — [[United States, Freedmen's Bureau Records of Persons and Articles Hired - FamilySearch Historical Records|How to Use this Collection]]
**{{RecordSearch|2515865|United States, Freedmen's Bureau, Freedmen's Court Records, 1865-1872 }} — [[United States, Freedmen’s Bureau, Freedmen’s Court Records - FamilySearch Historical Records|How to Use this Collection]]
**{{RecordSearch|2515867|United States, Freedmen's Bureau, Land and Property Records, 1865-1872 }} — [[United States, Freedmen's Bureau, Land and Property Records - FamilySearch Historical Records|How to Use this Collection]]
**{{RecordSearch|2492627|United States, Freedmen's Bureau, Records of Freedmen's Complaints, 1865-1872 }} — [[United States, Freedmen's Bureau, Records of Freedmen's Complaints - FamilySearch Historical Records|How to Use this Collection]]
**{{RecordSearch|2427894|United States, Freedmen's Bureau, Records of the Superintendent of Education and of the Division of Education, 1865-1872}} — [[United States, Freedmen's Bureau, Records of the Superintendent of Education and of the Division of Education - FamilySearch Historical Records|How to Use this Collection]]
 
Other FamilySearch collections not included:
 
*{{RecordSearch|2575789|United States Freedmen's Bureau Miscellaneous Records,1865-1872}} — [[United States Freedmen's Bureau Miscellaneous Records - FamilySearch Historical Records|How to Use this Collection]]
*{{RecordSearch|2721171|United States Freedmen's Bureau, Records of Freedmen, 1865-1872}} — [[United States Freedmen’s Bureau, Records of Freedmen - FamilySearch Historical Records|How to Use this Collection]]
*{{RecordSearch|2427901|United States, Freedmen's Bureau, Records of the Assistant Commissioner, 1865-1872}} Images — [[United States, Freedmen's Bureau, Records of the Assistant Commissioner - FamilySearch Historical Records|How to Use this Collection]]
 
===School Records===
===Slavery Records===
 
*Access Genealogy. [http://www.accessgenealogy.com/african/florida/florida_slave_narratives.htm Florida Slave Narratives]. Interviews with former slaves done during the 1930s,
*[https://www.americanorigins.org/leon-county-florida-slavery Florida: Leon County Enslaved Persons and Slaveholders] is a database of enslaved persons extracted from Leon County inventories and appraisal books 1853-1865.
*[http://genealogytrails.com/fla/news_seafaring.html Seafaring News Stories (including slave news)] at Genealogy Trails
 
===Vital Records===
====Birth====
 
*{{RecordSearch|1674799|Florida Births and Christenings, 1880-1935}} at FamilySearch; Index — [[Florida Births and Christenings - FamilySearch Historical Records|How to Use this Collection]]
 
====Marriage====
 
*{{RecordSearch|1803936|Florida Marriages, 1830-1993}} at FamilySearch — [[Florida Marriages - FamilySearch Historical Records|How to Use this Collection]]
 
The Freedmen's Bureau (1865-1872) was created by the US government to assist former slaves in the southern United States. One of their responsibilities was to record the marriages (past and present) of the former slaves. These records can be found in the collections below and include the lists of marriages that occurred previously, marriage certificates, and marriage licenses.  The information contained on the records may include the name of the husband and wife/groom and bride, age, occupation, residence, year or date of marriage, by whom, number of children, and remarks.
 
*[https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/1414908 United States, Freedmen's Bureau Marriages, 1861-1872] at FamilySearch — [[United States Freedmen’s Bureau Marriages - FamilySearch Historical Records|How to Use this Collection]]
*[https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=1231 U.S., Freedmen’s Bureau Marriage Records, 1846-1867] at Ancestry
 
====Death====
 
*{{RecordSearch|1946805|Florida Death Index, 1877-1998}} at FamilySearch; Index — [[Florida Death Index - FamilySearch Historical Records|How to Use this Collection]]
*{{RecordSearch|1595003|Florida Deaths, 1877-1939}} at FamilySearch; Index — [[Florida Deaths - FamilySearch Historical Records|How to Use this Collection]]
*{{RecordSearch|1674803|Florida Deaths and Burials, 1900-1921}} at FamilySearch; Index — [[Florida Deaths and Burials - FamilySearch Historical Records|How to Use this Collection]]
 
====Divorce====
===Voting Records===
 
*[https://www.floridamemory.com/collections/election1867/ Voter Registration Rolls, 1867-68. Florida Memory. State Library & Archives of Florida]
*[https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/537206 Florida. Secretary of State. Voter Registration Rolls, 1867-1905. 2 rolls]
*[https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/618466 Tallahassee Genealogical Society.Florida voter registration lists, 1867-68. Tallahassee, Florida: Tallahassee Genealogical Society, 1992. FS Library 975.9 N4t] Includes the counties of Hernando, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Marion, Nassau, Orange, Polk, Putnam, St. Johns, Santa Rosa, Sumter, Suwannee, Taylor, Volusia, Wakulla, Walton, and Washington counties.
 
==Archives and Libraries==
'''African-American Research Library and Cultural Center'''<br>
2650 Sistrunk Boulevard<br>
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311<br>
Phone: (954) 357-6282<br>
Website: [http://www.broward.org/Library/LocationsHours/Branches/Pages/AA.aspx Library and Cultural Center]<br>
There are branches in various locations. They have resources with information on local history and books from Africa, the Caribbean and North and South America.<br><br>
 
'''Africana Heritage Project'''<br>
University of South Florida (USF)<br>
4202 East Fowler Avenue<br>
Tampa, Florida 33620<br>
Email: info@africanaheritage.com<br>
Website: [https://web.archive.org/web/20160109104639/http://www.africanaheritage.com/ Africana Heritage Project]<br>
Their mission "is to rediscover precious records that document the names and lives of former slaves, freed persons and their descendants, and share those records on this free Internet site."<br><br>
 
'''Carol E. Mundy African American Cultural and Diasporic Research Center'''<br>
University of Central Florida<br>
Building: CNH110<br>
4000 Central Florida Blvd<br>
Orlando, Florida 32816<br>
Phone: (407) 823-0026<br>
Email: africana@ucf.edu<br>
Website: [https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/collections/show/74 Cultural and Diasporic Research Center]<br>
The research center promotes the study of African American history and research the history that pertains to the central Florida area.<br><br>
 
'''Meek-Eaton Black Archives'''<br>
Florida A&M University<br>
445 Gamble Street<br>
Tallahassee, Florida 32307<br>
Phone: (850) 599-3020<br>
Website: [http://famu.edu/index.cfm?MEBA Meek-Eaton Black Archives]<br>
The majority of the archival holdings are records about the history of Africans and African Americans, especially their institutions and organizations, with an impressive holding of manuscripts, rare books, journals, magazines, maps, newspapers, and photographs. <br><br>
 
'''State Library and Archives of Florida'''<br>
R.A. Gray Building, Second Floor<br>
500 South Bronough Street<br>
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0250<br>
Phone: (850) 245-6600<br>
Website: [http://dos.myflorida.com/library-archives/about-us/about-the-state-archives-of-florida/research-at-the-archives/ State Library and Archives of Florida]<br>
The Archives is the central repository for the state government. It collects historically significant records, including private manuscripts.<br>
 
*[https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/618437 Delbra D. McGriff, compiled. ''The Black experience : a guide to Afro-American resources in the Florida State Archives'' Tallahassee, Florida : Florida Department of State Division of Library and Information Services, 1991 FS Library 975.9 A1 no. 122]
 
==Societies==
'''Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society'''<br>
Central Florida Chapter<br>
P.O. Box 1347<br>
Orlando, Florida 32802-1347<br>
Email: centralflorida@aahgs.org<br>
Website: [https://www.aahgs.org/ Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society]<br><br>
 
'''Florida African American Heritage Preservation Network'''<br>
P.O. Box 4261<br>
Tallahassee, Florida 32315<br>
Telephone: (850) 681-7881<br>
Website: [http://faahpn.com/ Heritage Preservation Network]<br>
"Its mission is to promote the preservation of African American landmarks and legacies...". It has a directory of Florida African-American museums with links to their websites.<br>
 
==References==
<references />
 
{{African American|African American}}
{{Florida|Florida}}
 
[[Category:Florida, United States]]
[[Category:African American Records]]
[[Category:Florida Cultural Groups]]

Latest revision as of 11:57, 30 January 2025

Florida Wiki Topics
Florida flag.png
Beginning Research
Record Types
Florida Background
Cultural Groups
Local Research Resources

Introduction[edit | edit source]

A list of resources for researching African American ancestors in Florida.


Online Resources[edit | edit source]

Record Collections

  • 1830-1993 Florida Marriages, 1830-1993 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
  • 1865-1872 United States Freedmen's Bureau Miscellaneous Records, 1865-1872 at FamilySesarch — How to Use this Collection
  • 1865-1872 United States Freedmen's Bureau, Records of Freedmen, 1865-1872 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
  • 1865-1874 United States, Freedman's Bank Records, 1865-1874 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
  • 1867-1945 Florida, State Census, 1867-1945 at Ancestry ($)
  • 1877-1939 Florida Deaths, 1877-1939 at FamilySearch; index — How to Use this Collection
  • 1880-1935 Florida Births and Christenings, 1880-1935 at FamilySearch; index — How to Use this Collection
  • 1880-1935 Florida Death Index, 1877-1998 at FamilySearch; index — How to Use this Collection
  • 1885 Florida, State Census, 1885 at Ancestry ($)
  • 1900-1921 Florida Deaths and Burials, 1900-1921 at FamilySearch; index — How to Use this Collection
  • African American Digital Bookshelf - a growing list of digital books on FamilySearch and other websites
  • Discover Freedmen - this site searches all of the Freedmen's Bureau record collections on FamilySearch altogether (and redirects there)


    • Lists of Sources

  • Florida African American Cemeteries - list of cemeteries and tombstones
  • Lowcountry Africana is dedicated to documenting the family and cultural heritage of African Americans in the historic rice-growing areas of South Carolina, Georgia and extreme northeastern Florida.
  • Florida African American Heritage
  • Access Genealogy: Florida African American Genealogy
  • Genealogy Center: African American Gateway - contains links to societies, transcriptions of manuscripts, and a good bibliography of Florida books concerning African Americans.
  • African American Griots has links to military, cemeteries, censuses, vital records, etc.


    • Research Strategy[edit | edit source]

    Historys[edit | edit source]

  • Florida Memory, The Black Experience: A Guide to African American Resources in the State Library and Archives of Florida (accessed 6 April 2012).
  • Brown, Canter, Jr. Florida's Black Public Officials, 1867-1924, (Tuscaloosa, Alabama:University of Alabama Press, c1998). FS Catalog book 975.9 D34b
  • Richardson, Joe Martin. African Americans in the reconstruction of Florida, 1865-1877. ( Tuscaloosa;: University of Alabama Press, [2008]). Find at a library near you.

    • Resources[edit | edit source]

    Biographies[edit | edit source]

  • Access Genealogy. Florida Slave Narratives. (accessed 6 July 2012). Interviews with former slaves done during the 1930s.
  • Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves at Genealogy Trails

    Cemeteries[edit | edit source]

    • Access Genealogy: Florida African American Cemeteries. This is a list of African American cemeteries in many of the counties in Florida. Some have links to transcripts of the tombstones in the cemetery.
    • Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Society. Key West African Cemetery. This report details the evidence of an African cemetery at Higgs Beach in Key West, Florida, and describes how it was located. Includes facsimiles of historical records, maps, and photos. In 1860, the U.S. Navy intercepted three American-owned slave ships taking Africans to Cuba. Now refugees, the Africans were taken to Key West before being sent to Liberia. Many died and were buried at Higgs Beach.

    Census Records[edit | edit source]

    Church Records[edit | edit source]

    Emancipation Records[edit | edit source]

    Funeral Homes[edit | edit source]

    Genealogies[edit | edit source]

    Land and Property[edit | edit source]

    Plantation[edit | edit source]

    Sankofagen: Florida plantations and slave labor sites

    Law and Legislation[edit | edit source]

    Obituaries[edit | edit source]

    Oral Histories[edit | edit source]

    Other Records[edit | edit source]

    Military Records[edit | edit source]

    • Documents Relating to the Military and Naval Service of Blacks Awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor from the Civil War to the Spanish-American War, (Washington [District of Columbia]:The National Archives, 1973), on 4 microfilm reels (now digitized) - FS Library films 1601548-1601551.

    Newspapers[edit | edit source]

    Probate Records[edit | edit source]

    Garrett-Nelson, LaBrenda. Gleaning Information about Enslaved Ancestors from Probate Files NGS Magazine 48 #2 (April-June 2022): 23–27. FS Library 973 D25ngs

    Reconstruction Records[edit | edit source]

    Freedman’s Bank[edit | edit source]

    An excellent source is the Freedman’s Savings and Trust Company (visit the African American Freedman's Savings and Trust Company Records page to learn more). This company was created to assist African American soldiers of the Civil War and freed slaves. Freedman’s Savings and Trust Company signature cards or registers from 3 March 1865 to 25 July 1874 may list the name of the depositor, date of entry, age, birthplace, residence, complexion, name of employer or occupation, wife or husband’s name, death information, children’s names, name of father and mother, brothers’ and sisters’ names, remarks, and signature. Early books sometimes contained the name of the former master or mistress and the name of the plantation. Copies of death certificates were sometimes attached to the entries. The collection is organized alphabetically by state, then city where the bank was located, then date the account was established, then account number.

    Online collections of Freedman's Bank records:

    Freedmen's Bureau[edit | edit source]

    The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands was created by the US government in 1865 until 1872 to assist former slaves in the southern United States. The Bureau created a wide variety of records extremely valuable to genealogists. Such documents include censuses, marriage records, and medical records. These records often include full names, former masters and plantations, and current residences.[1] For 1865 and 1866, the section on abandoned and confiscated lands includes the names of the owners of the plantations or homes that were abandoned, confiscated, or leased. It gives the county and location, a description of the house, the number of acres owned, and the number of cabins of former slaves. These films do not appear to contain the names of former slaves.

    To find Freedmen's Bureau records:

    Other FamilySearch collections not included:

    School Records[edit | edit source]

    Slavery Records[edit | edit source]

    Vital Records[edit | edit source]

    Birth[edit | edit source]

    Marriage[edit | edit source]

    The Freedmen's Bureau (1865-1872) was created by the US government to assist former slaves in the southern United States. One of their responsibilities was to record the marriages (past and present) of the former slaves. These records can be found in the collections below and include the lists of marriages that occurred previously, marriage certificates, and marriage licenses. The information contained on the records may include the name of the husband and wife/groom and bride, age, occupation, residence, year or date of marriage, by whom, number of children, and remarks.

    Death[edit | edit source]

    Divorce[edit | edit source]

    Voting Records[edit | edit source]

    Archives and Libraries[edit | edit source]

    African-American Research Library and Cultural Center
    2650 Sistrunk Boulevard
    Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311
    Phone: (954) 357-6282
    Website: Library and Cultural Center
    There are branches in various locations. They have resources with information on local history and books from Africa, the Caribbean and North and South America.

    Africana Heritage Project
    University of South Florida (USF)
    4202 East Fowler Avenue
    Tampa, Florida 33620
    Email: info@africanaheritage.com
    Website: Africana Heritage Project
    Their mission "is to rediscover precious records that document the names and lives of former slaves, freed persons and their descendants, and share those records on this free Internet site."

    Carol E. Mundy African American Cultural and Diasporic Research Center
    University of Central Florida
    Building: CNH110
    4000 Central Florida Blvd
    Orlando, Florida 32816
    Phone: (407) 823-0026
    Email: africana@ucf.edu
    Website: Cultural and Diasporic Research Center
    The research center promotes the study of African American history and research the history that pertains to the central Florida area.

    Meek-Eaton Black Archives
    Florida A&M University
    445 Gamble Street
    Tallahassee, Florida 32307
    Phone: (850) 599-3020
    Website: Meek-Eaton Black Archives
    The majority of the archival holdings are records about the history of Africans and African Americans, especially their institutions and organizations, with an impressive holding of manuscripts, rare books, journals, magazines, maps, newspapers, and photographs.

    State Library and Archives of Florida
    R.A. Gray Building, Second Floor
    500 South Bronough Street
    Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0250
    Phone: (850) 245-6600
    Website: State Library and Archives of Florida
    The Archives is the central repository for the state government. It collects historically significant records, including private manuscripts.

    Societies[edit | edit source]

    Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society
    Central Florida Chapter
    P.O. Box 1347
    Orlando, Florida 32802-1347
    Email: centralflorida@aahgs.org
    Website: Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society

    Florida African American Heritage Preservation Network
    P.O. Box 4261
    Tallahassee, Florida 32315
    Telephone: (850) 681-7881
    Website: Heritage Preservation Network
    "Its mission is to promote the preservation of African American landmarks and legacies...". It has a directory of Florida African-American museums with links to their websites.

    References[edit | edit source]

    1. ↑ "African American Records: Freedmen's Bureau," "African American Heritage," National Archives, accessed 11 May 2018.
    v • d• e
    Links to African American Research-related articles
    Topics
    Repositories
    Allen County Public Library · FamilySearch Library · Library of Congress · National Archives I · National Archives Regional Branches · National Underground Railroad Freedom Center · Birmingham Civil Rights Institute · Black Archives of Mid-America · Duke Univeristy Rubenstein Library · FamilySearch Centers · Godfrey Memorial Library · Kalamazoo College Black History Mobile Museum · New England Historic Genealogical Society · Newberry Library · John D. Rockefeller Jr. Library at Colonial Williamsburg · Schomburg Center For Research In Black Culture · Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum · University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Libraries · University of Pennsylvania African Studies Center · University of Pittsburgh Hillman Library
    States


    v • d• e
    Links to Florida-related articles
    Topics
    Counties
    Extinct Co.
    Major
     Repositories
    National Archives at Atlanta · Florida Health Bureau of Vital Statistics · Meek-Eaton Black Archives · State Archives of Florida · State Library of Florida · Alma C. Field Library of Florida History · Charlton W. Tebeau Library of Florida History · Florida History and Genealogy Library · Indian River County Main Library · Jacksonville Public Library Main Branch · Orlando Public Library · P.K. Yonge Library of Florida History · Polk County Historical and Genealogical Library · St. Augustine Historical Society Research Library · University of South Florida Tampa Library Special Collections · University of West Florida Archives and West Florida History Center · Volusia County Public Library Daytona Beach Regional · West Florida Public Library Genealogy Branch · West Oaks Branch Library and Genealogy Center · Dallas Public Central Library · Ellen Payne Odom Genealogy Library · Huxford-Spear Genealogical Library · Mobile Municipal Archives · Thomasville Genealogical, History and Fine Arts Library
    Migration
     Routes

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