African-American Genealogy Research Tips

• Get as much information as you can from older relatives.  Interview them.  Write their stories down. Documents can only tell you so much. Once the people and their stories are gone, they are gone forever!
   
• Organize data with computer software, such as Family Tree Maker and Heritage Family Tree Deluxe.  You can also place data on the internet. Genealogy.com and http://www.ancestry.com  has an online genealogy software free trial.  http://www.myfamily.com allows you to place a limited amount of information on their web site. 
   
• Look for 'home sources' - items which contain biographical information about your family (resumes, funeral programs, family bibles, obituaries, photo albums, scrapbooks, old letters). If your family was active in a particular church over a long period of time, consult church records.
   
• Read at least one guide to African-American genealogy:
  • Finding Your African-American Ancestors- A Beginner's Guide - David T Thackery
  • Afro-American Genealogy Sourcebook - Tommie Morton Young
  • Family Pride- The Complete Guide to Tracing African-American Genealogy - Donna Beasly, Donna Carter, William Haley
  • Black Roots: A beginner's guide to tracing The African-American Family Tree - Tony Burroughs
  • Genealogists Guide to Discovering Your African American Ancestors - How to Find and Record Your Unique Heritage - Franklin Carter Smith, Emily Anne Croom
     
• Read a magazine about Genealogy, such as Ancestry Magazine.
   
• Trace father's name first (only one surname). Note that women may change their names upon marriage, or only be listed in older records only by their first name.  Pin down a state to focus on. See what records that state has in their archives.
   
• For more recent relations, search the Social Security Death Index  (http://www.ancestry.com/ssdi/advanced.htm).  If your relative had a Social Security Number, you can get that number and (for a fee) write for the actual Social Security Number request forms. The Social Security Death Index at Rootsweb (http://www.rootsweb.com), creates a form letter to send to the Social Security Administration. You can find out where to write for vital records such as birth certificates at http://www.vitalrec.com. 
   
• Search the Census.  Unfortunately, the Census Bureau itself only provides general, summary Census data, without individual names. The Census Bureau lists what you can and can't find using Census data from their web site at http://www.census.gov/genealogy/www/.  However, there are alternative sources for more complete Census records.
   
  • Many libraries have census records on Microfilm or in a database. Try your local library.  For example, the Tredyffrin public library has a database called Ancestry Plus, which contains scanned images of the actual census data collection forms, which contains names of household members. Many websites allow searching of census websites for a fee (for example, http://www.ancestry.com), but why pay if a local library provides it free?
     
  • There are problems searching the Census before 1870 (pre-emancipation).  Names of slaves were generally not recorded in the Census. However, free black heads of households were recorded. Your best bet is to try tracing slaveholding families in these older Census records.  Another place to track slaveholding families is http://www.familyrecords.gov.uk.
     
  • One of the "rosetta stones" of African-American genealogy research is the 1880 Census.  Many former slaves continued to live near the plantations and were recorded in this Census. Remember that you have to interpret these records, especially by focusing on the county, the city, and the ages of the people at the time that they were recorded in 1880.  The 1880 Census is available free on the web at http://www.familysearch.org/. A search of their general database will include the 1880 Census records.
     
• Check Freedman's Bureau records (http://www.freedmensbureau.com). The Freedman's Bureau, a government organization created to help ex-slaves, often recorded information about the people they helped.
   
• Check Civil War service records. Places to look include the National Archives (http://www.archives.gov, http://www.archives.gov/research_room/genealogy/),  the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System (http://www.civilwar.nps.gov/cwss/) and the United States Colored Troops in the Civil War web page, (http://www.lwfaam.net/cw/) provided by Lest We Forget, a website specializing in African American cultural research.
   
• Check slave records.  This is a very difficult, very specialized type of search. Try a specialty library for guidance, like the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Malcolm X Blvd., New York, NY 10037 (212) 491-2200, http://www.nypl.org/research/sc/sc.html. Information about slave owners on the web is spotty.  Try Sankofa's AFRICAN SLAVE GENEALOGY site (http://www.rootsweb.com/~afamerpl/). There is a slave data collection at http://www.afrigeneas.com/slavedata/.   A large collection of slave records is contained in the microfilm set: Records of ante-bellum southern plantations from the Revolution through the Civil War,  general editor, Kenneth M. Stampp; associate editors, Randolph Boehm and Martin Schipper. Frederick, Md.: University Publications of America, 1985-present. Some of this set is held at the Penn Library (http://gethelp.library.upenn.edu/guides/microforms/anteplan.html).
   
• Search the Slave Narratives. From 1936 to 1938, over 2300 former slaves were interviewed by journalists as part of a Works Progress Administration Project. The entire collection an be found in George P. Rawick, The American Slave: A Composite Autobiography (Westport, Conn. Greenwood Press, 1972-1979). A few are available online at http://xroads.virginia.edu/~hyper/wpa/wpahome.html,  http://docsouth.unc.edu/, and http://www.ancestry.com ($).
   
• Check Freedman's Bank records. The Freedman's Savings and Trust Co. was established through a congressional charter in 1865 at the end of the Civil War.  It was created to help former slaves, with 37 branch offices in 17 states - before it collapsed in 1874 due to mismanagement and fraud. The Freedman's Bank records CD can be purchased for less than 10 dollars at http://www.familysearch.org  or by calling Mormon church distribution centers at 800-537-5971 (item 50120).
   
• Do a family reunion (see Reunions Magazine).  Bring a tape recorder and interview older members of the family.
   
• Search African American Genealogy web sites. http://www.afrigeneas.com  provides a surnames database, and allows you to browse for information by state. It has a patchwork of donated data, including partial inward slave manifests.  Christine's Genealogy site (http://www.ccharity.com/)  has a good set of links to other African American Genealogy material.
   
• Search General Genealogy web sites. Many, general genealogy websites, such as http://www.accessgenealogy.com, http://www.rootsweb.com,  or http://www.cyndislist.com have special sections on African American research. One of the best general websites is http://www.familysearch.org/, provided by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. They provide many free databases, searchable by last name.  The church also has the same data for purchase on CD-Rom which allows you to do more detailed searches (last name, city, county, etc.) The Family Tree Maker software site has a lot of genealogy tips (http://www.genealogy.com/backissu.html, http://www.genealogy.com/genehelp.html).  A comprehensive directory of genealogical and historical societies can be found at  http://www.familyhistory.com/societyhall. Peoplespot (http://www.peoplespot.com),  includes links to phone directories, statistical data, and genealogy resources.
   
• Some projects are using DNA to trace the origins of African-Americans.  You can also try National Geographic's Genographic Project, which is collecting DNA samples to trace "ancient ancestry."  The National Geographic information is not very specific, but you can start there and then transfer your data to a company such as Family Tree DNA or an African American DNA specialty firm such as African Ancestry.
   
• Celebrate African American History Month.  The State Department hosts an African American history page (http://usinfo.state.gov/scv/history_geography_and_population/population_and_diversity/african_americans.html).
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• For information about the history of Mt. Zion, and other African-American community oriented web sites, see the Mt. Zion web page at http://www.mtzionamedevon.org.