Online Resources for African American Genealogy Presented by: Angela Walton-Raji African American Genealogy Conference Family History Center February 7th, 2015 Laurel MD I. Before Looking Online: Follow the Basic Rules:  Conduct the oral history: This critical first step involves frequently speaking with elders to obtain names, places and dates that will direct the research. Oral history is collected for each family line, and the data should be recorded and transcribed so that the information can be consulted frequently.  Examine the family archives: Many clues to the family history lie within the home. Photos, old documents, licenses, letters, and more, are only a few of the family treasures that can point the researcher to the family history.  Determine the family status: Use US Census Records from 1940 to 1860 to determine if the family was enslaved or free. If enslaved , the family should be located in the 1870 US Census and later. If free, the 1860 US Census and earlier.  Enslaved: Identify the last known slave holder. This process can take a much longer time, involving studying the local community and finding records such as tax records, land records, and probate records.  Free people of color: Continue documentation of family in public records. Check for manumissions and Free Negro Registers.  Research the slaveholder’s family history: The history of the slaveholder’s family can often reveal how slaves were acquired including through inheritance, marriages, purchase, and also as debt settlements.  Document the earliest presence in America: If research extends into the Colonial era, the goal is to find the earliest presence in America and, subsequently, the first African ancestor.  Find the Family’s Story of Freedom: Before extensive work on finding the slave holder’s history—explore the way that freedom came to the family. Did they live near a Freedmen’s Bureau site? Find out. Was there a contraband camp in the community? Find out. Did they utilize the Freedman’s Saving’s Bank? Find out. That is part of the family narrative. When Using Online Resources Remember to:  Utilize all vital records: Birth, marriage and death records are basic records for all genealogy research. Records were kept on black families for most of the 20th Century, although some rural communities may have had fewer events recorded. State-level holdings vary in terms of the years in which reporting was mandatory.  Incorporate history into the family research: The timeframe in which ancestors lived must be studied in relation to the laws and statues that impacted them and their lives. Also, resources particular to a community are often distinct and should be consulted.  Remember that Segregation Occurred in the Courthouse: As segregation was the law for many decades, some local records will be segregated by race, such as marriage records. One might find “colored marriages” separated from white marriages.  Consult separate voter registration lists: Many voter lists from the 19th Century record black and white voters on distinct lists II. GOING ONLINE: a. 20th and 19th Century Resources: Federal Records (Census and Post Slavery Era) Subscription sites: Ancestry.com, Archives.com Free sites: HeritageQuest.com, FamilySearch.org b. Reconstruction Era Records Freedman’s Bureau Records - Family Search https://www.familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/African_American_Freedm en's_Bureau_Records Freedmen's Bureau Records of Field Offices 1865-1872 – Ancestry records. Limited but growing collection of FB records http://www.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=1105 Internet Archive: (Search for: Record of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands) www.internetarchive.org Mapping the Freedman’s Bureau A google map guide to finding Freedman’s Bureau locations, and Freedman’s Bank, Freedmen’s Hospitals &Contraband camps. www.mappingthefreedmansbureau.com c. Oral History  Library of Congress http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/mesnquery.html  University of Virginia Slave Narratives http://xroads.virginia.edu/~hyper/wpa/wpahome.html  University North Carolina - “Documenting the American South” http://docsouth.unc.edu/neh/ d. Societies  African American Genealogy Group (AAGG) http://www.aagg.org  Afro-American Historical & Genealogical Society (AAHGS) http://www.aahgs.org  Afro-American Genealogical & Historical Society of Chicago (AAGHSC) http://www.aaghsc.org  African American Genealogical Society of Northern California (AAGSNC) http://www.aagsnc.org  Black Belt African American Genealogical and Historical Society (BBAAGHS) http://www.bbaaghs.org  Black Genealogy Search Group http://www.bgsgden.com  California African American Genealogical Society (CAAGS) http://caags.org  Indiana African American Genealogy Group http://www.indyafriamgen.org  St. Louis African American History & Genealogy Society http://www.stl-aahgs.com Canada & Caribbean  African Canadian Heritage Association http://www.achaonline.org/about.htm  Black Loyalist Heritage Society http://www.blackloyalist.com  British Columbia Black History http://www.islandnet.com/~bcbhas/  Chatham-Kent Black Historical Society http://www.mnsi.net/~wishc/heritageroom/  Jamaican Historical Society http://jamaicanhistorical.tripod.com  Nevis Historical and Conservation Society http://www.nevis-nhcs.org  Ontario Black History Society http://www.BlackHistorySociety.ca III. BLOGS Professional Blogs – Written by Professionals to give advice, or inform the public of trends, technique, genealogy news: Geneabloggers www.geneabloggers.com Eastman’s Online Genealogy www.blog.eogn.com African Roots Podcast www.africanrootspodcast.com Who is Nicka Smith www.whoisnickasmith.com Personal Blogs – Written by researchers who share their own genealogy successes and problems: How Did I Get Here http://howdidigetheremygenealogyjourney.blogspot.com Roots Revealed www.rootsrevealed.blogspot.com/ Root Digger www.yvetteportermoore.com Finding Eliza www.findingeliza.com Teaching Blogs - Created to illustrate methods and concepts, and to provide solutions to others conducting research The Legal Genealogist www.thelegalgenealogist.com USCT Chronicle www.usctchronicle.blogspot.com High-Definition Genealogy www.hidefgen.com Society Blogs African American Genealogy Society of Northern California http://www.aagsnc.org/blog/ Federation of Genealogical Societies http://voice.fgs.org/