African American Resources for Ohio

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Ohio

African American Resources

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Online Resources

An Act to Regulate Black and Mulatto Persons

African American Ohio Name Index to 1850

Discover Freedmen - this site searches all of the Freedmen's Bureau record collections on FamilySearch altogether (and redirects there)

1865-1874 Freedman's Bank Records, 1865-1874 at FamilySearch

1861-1872 United States, Freedmen's Bureau Marriages, 1861-1872 at FamilySearch

1846-1867 U.S., Freedmen’s Bureau Marriage Records, 1846-1867 at Ancestry ($)

Access Genealogy-Ohio African American Genealogy

African American Digital Bookshelf - a growing list of digital books on FamilySearch and other websites

Ohio GenWeb African-American

Ohio. Auditor of State. Special Enumeration of Blacks Immigrating to Ohio, 1861-1863. (Columbus, Ohio: Ohio Historical Society, 198-.) FS Library film 1688779. - contains indexes by immigrants' names, previous residences, counties in which the lived, and questionable names. It also includes original returns by county.

Turpen, Joan. Register of Black, Mulatto and Poor Person in four Ohio Counties, 1791-1861. (Clinton, Highland, Logan, and Ross Counties) FS Library 977.1 F28r

Ohio African American Genealogy has sources to assist you in your search for your ancestors.

Slavery in the North: Ohio

History

African Americans make up a rich part of Ohio's History. The Ohio Constitution of 1803 outlawed slavery; this was in accordance to the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. In 1804, Ohio passed Black Laws (sometimes referred to as Black Codes). These laws stipulated that only Freedmen with a valid certificate of freedom (obtained from the court) could reside in Ohio. They also had to register their names in the county clerk's office of where they reside, which cost a small fee. Furthermore, Freedmen could only be employed if they had a certificate proving their freedom. Anyone who harbored an enslaved runaway would be fined.

By the early 1800s, a settlement of African Americans was located in Upper Sandusky, Ohio. This area was controlled by the Wyandot, a Native American tribe. While some of these settlers were free, others were enslaved runaways seeking safety. See Indian Mill for more information.

• Tracking Freedom: Tracing the Origins of Ohio's Free Blacks from 1803-1863.
• African Americans in Antebellum Ohio
• Story Map: Birth locations of Ohio's Free Blacks in 1850 & 1860

Resources

Census Records

• Special enumeration of Blacks immigrating to Ohio, 1861-1863

Emancipation Records

• Greene County, Emancipation record, 1805-1844

Funeral Homes

• CAAGS Obituary and Funeral Home Collection at California African American Genealogical Society - index & images

Obituaries

• CAAGS Obituary and Funeral Home Collection at California African American Genealogical Society - index & images

Other Records

• Ohio. State Auditor. Special enumeration of Blacks immigrating to Ohio, 1861-1863
• Belmont County. Record of Blacks and mulattoes, 1809-1854
• Greene County. Register of Blacks and mulattos, 1805-1844
• Logan County. Register of Blacks and mulattos, 1831-1857
• Miami County. Register of Blacks and mulattos, 1833-1847
• Montgomery County. Register of Blacks & mulattos, 1804-1805
• Pickaway County. Records of Black and mulatto persons, ca.1819-1848

Military Records

• Eric Eugene Johnson. Ohio's black soldiers who served in the Civil War. Bellville, Ohio : Ohio Genealogical Society,12014. FS Library 977.1 M26j
• Enrollment and report of the "Black Brigade" of Cincinnati. Cincinnati, Ohio, 1864.

Newspapers

The African-American Experience in Ohio

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 Freedmen. 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 slaveholder 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:

• United States, Freedman's Bank Records, 1865-1874
• U.S. Freedman's Bank Records, 1865-1871 ($)

Freedmen's Bureau

The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands was created by the US government in 1865 until 1872 to assist formerly enslaved persons 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 slaveholders and plantations, and current residences. 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 enslaved persons. These films do not appear to contain the names of the enslaved.

To find Freedmen's Bureau records:

• DiscoverFreedmen - the search on this site will utilize all of the Freedmen's Bureau records on FamilySearch, including:
  • 1865-1872 United States, Freedmen's Bureau Claim Records,1865-1872 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
  • 1865-1872 United States, Freedmen's Bureau Hospital and Medical Records, 1865-1872 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
  • 1865-1872 United States, Freedmen's Bureau Labor Contracts, Indenture and Apprenticeship Records, 1865-1872 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
  • 1861-1872 United States, Freedmen's Bureau Marriages, 1861-1872 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
  • 1865-1872 United States, Freedmen's Bureau Ration Records,1865-1872 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
  • 1865-1872 United States, Freedmen's Bureau Records of Persons and Articles Hired, 1865-1872 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
  • 1865-1872 United States, Freedmen's Bureau, Freedmen's Court Records, 1865-1872 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
  • 1865-1872 United States, Freedmen's Bureau, Land and Property Records, 1865-1872 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
  • 1865-1872 United States, Freedmen's Bureau, Records of Freedmen's Complaints, 1865-1872 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
  • 1865-1872 United States, Freedmen's Bureau, Records of the Superintendent of Education and of the Division of Education, 1865-1872 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

• Other FamilySearch collections not included:
  • 1865-1872 United States Freedmen's Bureau Miscellaneous Records,1865-1872 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
  • 1865-1872 United States Freedmen's Bureau, Records of Freedmen, 1865-1872 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
  • 1865-1872 United States, Freedmen's Bureau, Records of the Assistant Commissioner, 1865-1872 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; Images only. These reports primarily contain statistical and historical information.

• More collections are available in the FamilySearch Catalog. Search for "FREEDMEN - OHIO" in the Subjects search bar to find.

Visit the African American Freedmen's Bureau Records page to learn more about utilizing these records.

Slavery Records

• WPA. Slave narratives : 1937, interviews with formerly enslaved persons in Ohio Ohio Historical Society

Vital Records

Marriage

The Freedmen's Bureau (1865-1872) was created by the US government to assist formerly enslaved persons in the southern United States. One of their responsibilities was to record the marriages (past and present) of the formerly enslaved couples. 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.

• United States, Freedmen's Bureau Marriages, 1861-1872
• U.S., Freedmen’s Bureau Marriage Records, 1846-1867

Death

• Ohio Death Index, 1908-1932, 1938-1944, and 1958-2007 - information may include name, death date and place, time of death, residence, gender, age, race, education level, birth date and place, parents, and cause of death

Archives and Libraries

African American in Ohio at ArchivesDigital Collection - Genealogy related information for various States and Provinces is available from a variety of servers which may be official government services, genealogy society efforts, or maintained by interested individuals. A digital archive of materials related to African American in the Ohio.

National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center
1350 Brush Row Rd
PO Box 578
Wilberforce, OH 45384-0578
Phone: 937.376.4944
Email: InfoNAAMCC@ohiohistory.org

Ohio History Center
800 E. 17th Ave.
Columbus, Ohio 43211
Phone: 614.297.2300
Email: info@ohiohistory.org

See also Researching African American genealogy at the Cleveland Public Library FS Library 977.132 A3cp