African American Genealogy records are much more difficult to find due to the scant nature of record keeping for blacks prior to the Civil War. We have modeled this section much like we have for Native Americans, whose research can also be hampered by the available records. The links below provide an accurate reflection of what African American genealogy is available online.
Conducting successful African American genealogical research can be a challenging adventure. In recent years, the challenge has been lessened and the adventure heightened by the growing body of publications relating to this ethnic group. Special-interest groups and genealogical societies nationwide are publishing key guides, new bibliographies, and important how-to books. Before delving into published sources, however, it is always important to pause long enough to organize one’s own personal papers and review standard research methodology.
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.
African American Genealogy Records by State
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New York
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Vermont
- Virginia
- West Virginia
Please note some states are omitted due to lack of online information
African American Cemetery Records by State
Following states have a large online collection of African American Cemeteries
African American Census Records by State
Following states have a large online collection of African American Census Records
Slave Owners by State
Following states have a large online listing for Slave owners
Online African American Books
- Slave Narrative of Lunsford Lane
Slave Narrative of Lunsford Lane – Embracing an account of his early life, the redemption by purchase of himself and family from slavery, and his banishment from the place of his birth for the crime of wearing a colored skin. - The Fugitive Blacksmith
The Fugitive Blacksmith: Events in the history of James W. C. Pennington, Pastor of a Presbyterian Church, New York, formerly a slave in the State of Maryland, United States. The principal portion of the ‘Tract,’ as Mr. Pennington modestly styles his book, consists of an autobiography of his early life as a slave, and of his escape from bonda