| African American research can be very | | | | reviewing information. |
| challenging. Most families are sitting on a | | | | |
| wealth of information and don't even realize | | | | These are the records that you should look |
| it. Reunions are something most African | | | | for among all family members: |
| American families are passionate about. Every | | | | |
| two years most families unite, take pictures | | | | • Family Bibles |
| and share many stories related to their | | | | |
| family. Some families make a book with this | | | | • Birth, Marriage and Death |
| information. | | | | Certificates |
| | | | |
| Information gathered at these reunions can be | | | | • Divorce Records |
| a great starting point to do an individual's | | | | |
| family history. Families tended to live near | | | | • Wills |
| each other and assist each other where | | | | |
| needed. Tracking the families via the census | | | | • Deeds to Property |
| can help document their families from 1930 to | | | | |
| the 1870 census. Previous to the 1870 census, | | | | • Old Letters |
| only the free black and their families were | | | | |
| listed on the 1860 and 1850 census, etc. But, | | | | • Photographs |
| even tracing to the 1870's, where some | | | | |
| ancestors births are recorded in the late | | | | • Plaques, Awards, Honors and other |
| 1790's, can be a great find! | | | | Memorabilia |
| | | | |
| A great website for African American research | | | | • School Certificates |
| is AfriGeneas is a site devoted to African | | | | |
| American genealogy, to researching African | | | | • Insurance Papers |
| Ancestry in the Americas in particular and to | | | | |
| genealogical research and resources in | | | | • Funeral Programs |
| general. It is also an African Ancestry | | | | |
| research community featuring the AfriGeneas | | | | • Obituaries |
| mail list, the AfriGeneas message boards and | | | | |
| daily and weekly genealogy chats. | | | | • Funeral Programs |
| | | | |
| Many descendants of slave owners are | | | | • Membership Cards |
| realizing the importance of slave records in | | | | |
| helping African American's doing their own | | | | • Anniversary Programs for |
| family research. These descendants are | | | | Organizations and Churches |
| sharing documentation to the public and | | | | |
| posting on the internet the slavery records | | | | • School and College Yearbooks |
| that show families and other important | | | | |
| genealogical information. Race barriers are | | | | • Military Discharge Papers |
| more quickly broken in the genealogy research | | | | |
| as we all desire to help each other. We tend | | | | • Any other sources with names and |
| to understand the importance of learning our | | | | dates |
| family heritage and respect all cultures. | | | | |
| | | | These sources, if they exist, will help you |
| One of the most important helps an individual | | | | to complete your first charts and guide you |
| can do is sharing their finds. See if there | | | | to finding additional records. Make sure you |
| is a county website for your family's | | | | make copies of everything that you find, |
| residence and send them a copy of your family | | | | including photographs. As African American |
| records (leaving off personal notes and | | | | families do their genealogy and share with |
| information on the living). Donate your | | | | their descendants, this knowledge will be |
| records to the local library and post to the | | | | handed down to future generations. This will |
| internet. As a side note, ALWAYS remember to | | | | give an added knowledge and strength as they |
| document your sources. Sources are where you | | | | learn about their ancestor's struggles and |
| found your facts, whether positive or | | | | accomplishments. |
| negative. This will save you endless time in | | | | |