African American Resources for Tennessee: Difference between revisions

Resources for African-American research fall into two periods: pre- and post-Civil War. A great starting point is Afrigeneas's [http://afrigeneas.org/states/tn/ "African Ancestry in Tennessee."]

*Lamon, Lester C. ''Blacks in Tennessee, 1791-1970''. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1981. {{FSC|506499|item|disp=book 976.8 F2L}}. This indexed book deals with the African-American experience in Tennessee with chapters arranged by 20- to 50-year time periods.<br>

*Patterson, C. Perry. [http://www.archive.org/details/negrointennessee01patt ''The Negro in Tennessee, 1790-1865''.] Austin, Texas: The University of Texas, 1922. Free digitized copy.  Written in 1922, this book can be viewed as treating slavery without a degree of compassion and understanding, but it is valuable for its information about the slavery system and laws in Tennessee.

*Works Projects Administration. ''[http://www.archive.org/details/slavenarrativesa19932gut Slave Narratives - A Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves].''Washington, 1941. Free digital copy.

*Works Projects Administration. ''Slave Narratives - A Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves: Tennessee Narratives.''Washington, 1941. Free digital copy, courtesy: [http://www.archive.org/details/slavenarrativesa19932gut Internet Archive].

The first Tennessee census that included the names and identities of freed slaves was taken in 1870.  

*[https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/723107 Slavery Statutes - Tennessee ca. 1795-1865 (16 fiche) FS Library 6118914]

*[https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/744709 Paul Finkelman, editorial advisor, ''State slavery statutes : guide to the microfiche collection'' Frederick, Maryland : University Pub. of America, c1989 FS Library 975 F23s]

Charles A. Reeves Jr. has created a detailed map, based on the 1860 U.S. Federal Census, illustrating the distribution of slaves throughout Tennessee just before the Civil War broke out. It may be purchased for a small fee through his [http://reevesmaps.com/map_catalog_original.htm website], which includes a scaled-down image of the map:  

Research consists of consulting the same record types as for non-African Americans. In addition, there are some types of records specific to African-American research, such as emancipation records, apprenticeship bonds for freedmen, and the other types of records.  

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>

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.  

Records consist of slave importation declarations, plantation records, Tennessee hiring practices, census records, white family records, church and cemetery records, military records, vital records, and numerous Tennessee court records.  

African-American vital records were usually recorded in separate books for many years. Slaves are sometimes mentioned in deeds, wills, tax records, or court order books. A few parish registers list slaves who attended church with their masters.  

Occasionally slaves are mentioned in records of the plantations where they served. A collection of plantation records is:  

A list of slaves that were impressed to work on the railroads is in:  

*Bamman, Gale Williams. "African-Americans Impressed for Service on the Nashville and North Western Railroad, October 1863." ''National Genealogical Society Quarterly'', September 1992, 204-210. Includes: name, age, height, complexion, name of owner, county, town, and other remarks.

Slaves were gradually emancipated by Tennessee law beginning in 1865.  

Not all black residents of Tennessee were slaves before the Civil War. The following is a list of free black heads of household living in Tennessee counties at the time the 1820 U.S. Federal Census was taken (census records do not survive for all counties that year):  

*[https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/42909 Andrew Jackson, Account book, 1845-1877. Hermitage]

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.

===Voting Registers===