African American Resources for Delaware: Difference between revisions

A few parish registers list slaves who attended church with their enslavers (see [[Delaware Church Records|Church Records]]).

Slaves in [[Delaware Genealogy|Delaware]] are sometimes mentioned in deeds (see [[Delaware Land and Property|Land and Property]]).

Slaves in [[Delaware Genealogy|Delaware]] are sometimes mentioned in wills (see [[Delaware Probate Records|Probate 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 enslaver 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 enslavers 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.   

Slaves in [[Delaware Genealogy|Delaware]] are sometimes mentioned in deeds (see [[Delaware Land and Property|Land and Property]]), in wills (see [[Delaware Probate Records|Probate Records]]), in tax records (see [[Delaware Taxation|Taxation]]), and in court order books (see the [[Delaware Court Records|Court Records]] pages of these Delaware Wiki pages). A few parish registers list slaves who attended church with their enslavers (see [[Delaware Church Records|Church Records]]). <br><br>

For more information about slaves see the ''Place Search'' of the [[Introduction to the FamilySearch Catalog|FamilySearch Catalog]] under:  

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.