Bibliographies I Indexes and Abstracts I Dictionaries and Encyclopedias I Ready Reference I Biographical Sources I Geographical Sources I Government Documents I Electronic Source
African American Genealogy:
Researching slave genealogy
African American genealogy is difficult to research. Slavery genealogy is almost impossible. Because of this difficulty a pathfinder is a useful tool for highlighting resources and helping a researcher or genealogist begin their research. This pathfinder is designed for all level of users with access to the USF main library located in Tampa, FL . These resources will assist beginning genealogist and advanced researchers.
African American slave gravesite in disarray
Courtesy of Alabama Dept. of Archives and History (ADAH)
Historically it has been difficult to research slave genealogies. The vast majority of African Americans in the United States were slaves until the mid 1860’s and were not identified by first and last names until the 1870 census. This is an example of the inconsistent record keeping techniques which plagued the African American culture in the late 19th and early 20th century. For this reason, many researchers have no idea where to begin their search. Locating relevant materials can be daunting and time consuming. Although the historical social status of African Americans has not always mandated an accurate record keeping of their daily lives or culture, retrieving this history is essential to establishing a complete African American identity. Although circumstances and history have kept much of African American genealogical information hidden, establishing accessible pathways to this information should be a priority considering the growing diversity within American culture.
There are several questions a family researcher will ask when they begin researching.
Can I find my relatives?
What were their names?
Where did they live?
Were they slaves?
Were they freedmen?
Who were their slave owners?
Why did they migrate from one place to another?
These questions are much
harder to answer when they involve slave research. There are several resources
located in the library that may answer some of these questions, but the research
path may not be as direct as expected.
Two Women - Courtesy of ADAH
When researching slave genealogy it is important to:
Review an expanded range of sources.
Understand that genealogy is a process
Remember that these sources are provided to assist you in locating more detailed information
When researching slave genealogy, secondary sources are invaluable
Remember researching slave genealogy is similar to putting together a puzzle without having all of the pieces - use these resources to help gather as many pieces as possible and you may solve your puzzle.
Review the call number sequences listed below for additional resources. E184-185.98 is the primary sequence due to the extensive ethnic research holdings, including African American genealogy. The call number for regional studies are included as well. Resources within these call numbers include specific information for individual states or regions. Browsing this section allows a researcher to customize their search to specific areas of the country. For example, Washington, DC has a will index book that spans the late 19th century. This information may be very helpful to researchers interested in that area.
Call Numbers
E184-185.98 Elements in the population
E441-453 Slavery in the United States - Antislavery movements
CS1-3090
Genealogy -> CS42-2209 By region or
country
Tuskegee Photos - Courtesy of ADAH
Subject Headings
African Americans
African Americans -- Genealogy -- Archival resources -- Directories
African Americans -- Genealogy -- Archives -- Directories
African Americans -- Genealogy -- Bibliography
African Americans -- Genealogy -- Handbooks, manuals, etc
African Americans – History
African influences
Africans
Afro Americans
Freedmen
Freedmen -- Florida – Genealogy
Genealogy
Slave trade
United States -- Census
Using bibliographies is an efficient way to begin researching any topic. The sources listed below range in scope and detail, but they are particularly relevant when researching African American slave genealogy because the history of slaves can be very difficult to locate. The bibliographies do not list individuals but they will provide you with sources which can be used to find the information your are seeking. For example, there will be extremely limited information about African Americans in the local newspapers around the 1880's, however, there may have been an African American newspaper published that includes your research area during that time, or there may have been other written materials published that will include your research area. Bibliographies may help you locate this information.
Generations past: A selected list of sources for the Afro American genealogical research, by Sandra M. Lawson, LC 1.12/2:Af 8/4
A bibliography of the Negro in Africa and America, by Monroe N. Work, Call No. - Z1361.N39 W8 1965
Genealogies in the Library of Congress; a bibliography, Edited by Marion J. Kaminkow, Z5319 .U53
African American newspapers and periodicals, by James P. Danky, PN4882.5.A37 1998
Indexes have a variety of functions. For example, the name index for American slaves is tied to the slave narratives referenced later. However, this index is invaluable because every slave name mentioned in every narrative, which spans the southern states, is cross referenced with slave owner names and family names. Indexes and abstracts can save you time and make your research process more efficient. As mentioned above some of the indexes can be used to locate individuals and others provide you with alternate research sources.
A comprehensive name index for the American slave,
compiled by Howard E. Potts, E444 .A45 Suppl. 4 -
African American genealogical sourcebook, edited by Paula K. Byers, E185.96 .A444 1995 Black biography, 1790-1950 : A cumulative index, by Randall K. Burkett, E185.96 .B52 1991
Old Man in Field Courtesy of ADAH
Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
Dictionaries and encyclopedias can be used to facilitate your genealogical search by expanding your understanding of topics or providing background information for your research areas. These sources are usually not used to locate information about individual ancestors but they provide information about places, events, and important figures.
Dictionary of Afro-American slavery, edited by Randall M. Miller and John David Smith, E441 .D53 1988
Encyclopedia of African-American culture and history, edited by Colin A. Palmer, E185 (ONLINE:Gale Virtual Reference Library
The African American encyclopedia, edited by Michael W. Williams, E185 .A253 1993
Ready reference sources provide quick facts for your research. The sources below can be used to locate compiled information about slavery and African Americans. For example, the number of slaves versus freedmen, mortality rates, etc.
Historical statistics of Black America,compiled & edited by Jessie Carney Smith and Carrell Peterson Horton, E185 .H543 1995
Historical statistics of the United States, Susan B. Carter, USF ONLINE RESOURCE General Collection
These sources provide information about individuals and their activities. They provide biographical information on the average African American as well as important figures. These sources are excellent resources to find historical and biographical information about your ancestors. The AABD alone has full text biographies on over 30,000 African Americans.
African American Woman and Child - Courtesy of ADAH
Born in slavery slave narratives from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1938, Library of Congress, USF ONLINE RESOURCE General Collection
African American biographical database AABD, Published by Chadwyck-Healey, USF ONLINE RESOURCE General Collection
Genealogical records of the African American pioneers of Tampa and Hillsborough County, by Canter Brown, Jr, F185.93.F5 B764 2000
These sources provide information based on location. Although, there is information about individuals in these sources, and includes geographical information about slavery, African Americans, migration patterns, etc. Documenting the America south is online resource that can be used to search by name in order to locate a potential ancestor.
The Routledge atlas of African American history, by Jonathan Earle, E185.E125 2000
Divided mastery : slave hiring in the American South, by Jonathan D. Martin, E443.M38 2004
Documenting the American South, by Chapel Hill : Academic Affairs Library, USF ONLINE RESOURCE General Collection
Documents illustrative of the history of the slave trade to America, by Elizabeth Donnan, E441.D69
Government documents can be used to locate information about individuals. The most popular government document for genealogist is the US Census. The library has census population schedules on Microfilm up to 1900. The population schedules will list households by name and race. These are the primary tools used to find direct ancestors.
Black family research : records of post-Civil War federal agencies at the National Archives, by Reginald Washington, AE 1.124:108
A history of blacks in Florida : an analysis of free Negroes enumerated in the U.S. census of 1850, 1860, in Florida,by Julius J. Gordon, E185.2 .G67 1988
Population schedules of the ninth census of the United States, 1870, Florida, Washington : National Archives, microfilm 65 reel 1-reel 6
Population schedules of the tenth census of the United States, 1880, Florida, Washington : National Archives, microfilm 66 reel 1-reel 8
Additional Census records located in the Microfiche room
There are various electronic sources available to a researcher using the library. African American slave genealogy has limited documents available for review. As a result, having excellent electronic sources to expand your search is mandatory.
Digital Library on American Slavery - This database is an excellent source for locating slaves. The information included in the database was collected throughout the south and includes, slave sales, legal petitions, property disputes, and many more. Search function include searching by slave name, owner's name, location, type of listing, and many more options. This site is owned and maintained by the University of North Carolina.
Transatlantic Slave Trade Database Voyages - This database includes documents relating to the slave trade including slave ship manifests. Search functions include searching by slave name, slave owner, ship owner, port of departure, port of landing, ship status, cargo status, etc. This is an excellent resource for tracing ancestors through slave trade voyages. Records include over 35,000 individual slaving expeditions between 1514 and 1866. They have been collected from libraries and archives throughout the world and presented for research through a federal grant awarded to Emory University.
Library of Congress - Online catalog searching is available with this source. The catalog includes several electronic documents available for instant review including many documents relating to slavery and slave trade. For example, there are several fugitive slave notices available for online review. Major documents relating to important events such as slave rebellions and slave legal cases are available for online review.
United States National Archives - The national archives has excellent research guides available for family historians and genealogists. Many of these guides are targeted to researchers interested in African American Genealogy. They have an online search engine with several records available for online viewing. The majority of these records will need to be accessed at a local archival institution, but the online documents may assist many researchers.
FamilySearch.org - this, site enables the user to search a variety of government records free of charge. The site includes Freedmen Bank Records, marriage records, death indexes. birth records and census records. The site is owned and maintained by the Church of Jesus Christ and Latter Day Saints, with over 1 billion names in their searchable databases. They have been collecting and storing information for over 100 years and have become the premier storage location for genealogical information. They have extensive research guides for African American genealogy.
Created By: Aprill Smith
LIS: 6603
Dr. Slone