Alabama African American Genealogy online research is much more difficult due to the scant nature of record keeping for African American’s prior to the Civil War. This is the reason for creating a separate section for African Americans much like we have for Native Americans who’s research can also be hampered by the available records. The links below provide an accurate reflection of what is available to be searched for black genealogy.
Searching for African American families involves two distinct research approaches. These approaches correspond to the distinct change in the legal status of African Americans in the United States before and after the Civil War. Genealogical techniques used to track slave families before the war are necessarily quite different than those used for white or free African Americans; however, research conducted on African Americans after the war usually involves the same types of records as those used for whites.
- National Archives
- Alabama Archives
- Alabama Historical Commission
- Alabama Department of Archives and History
- Lawrence County Historical Commission & Archives
- Friends of the Limestone County Archives
- City of Mobile Municipal Archives
- Morgan County Archives
- University of Alabama Libraries
- Alabama Mosaic
- Elisha Wolsey Peck papers, 1838-1885
- Nehemiah Denton Papers, 1831-1844
- S. R. Norton Letters, 1864-1865
- McClurkin Letter, 1887-10-08
- Alabama Mosaic
- University of South Alabama Archives
- Online Alabama Archives
- Libraries
- Tuskegee University Library (hosted at Tuskegee University)
- Societies
- Biography
- Alabama African American Cemeteries
- Access Genealogy’s Alabama Cemetery Records
The most complete coverage of Cemetery records available on the web. They are broken down by county. We do know know if there are African Americans in these cemeteries, so you should browse them for ancestors also.
- Access Genealogy’s Alabama Cemetery Records
- Alabama African American Census Records
- Hosted at Ancestry.com
- Access Genealogy’s Alabama Census Records
Providing the most complete coverage of census records available on the web. We’ve broken the list down by county, and take a careful look at the index page where we explain which records are missing from the census data and may never be recovered.
- Church Records
- Hosted at Ancestry.com
- Ocmulgee Church (Baptist) Black and Slave Members (hosted at Perry County Alabama Genealogy)
- Court Records
- Hosted at Ancestry.com
- Marriage Records Database 1873-1877 (hosted at Afrigeneas)
- Register of Slaves Brought into Alabama after 16 Jan 1832 (hosted at Afrigeneas)
- Following hosted at Auburn University
- Alabama Supreme Court Decisions on Slaves and Slavery, 1820-1865
- Rasco And Brantley v. Willis, 5 Alabama 38 (1843)
- Seay v. Marks, 23 Alabama 532 (1853)
- Alabama And Tennessee Railroad v. Burke, 27 Alabama 535 (1855)
- Hooper v. Hooper, 32 Alabama 669 (1858)
- Pool’s Heirs v. Pool’s Executor, 35 Alabama 12 (1859)
- History
- Hosted at Ancestry.com
- Alabama Slave Project – (hosted at ALGenWeb)
- Slavery (hosted at University of New Hampshire Digital History)
- Register of Slaves Brought into Perry County, 1832 (hosted at Afrigeneas)
- Tuskegee Airman (hosted at Honor thy Father)
- Mailing Lists
- Maps and Land
- Alabama Counties Map
- Military Records
- Military Records (hosted at AccessGenealogy)
- African Americans in World War II (hosted at World War 2)
- Hosted at Ancestry.com
- African-American Civil War Soldiers & Sailors (hosted at Solders and Sailors System)
- Miscellaneous
- Native Americans and Freedman
- Alabama Slave Owner Records
- Surnames
- African-American Surnames Database (hosted at Afrigeneas)
- Vital Records