Black Genealogy

With the enormous success of Alex Haley's Roots, many Black Americans want to trace their own ancestry. But standard guides for genealogical research are written by—and for—whites; none discusses the unique hurdles that confront Blacks in search of their heritage. Countless records have been lost or destroyed. Many slaves were known only by first names, which they changed once they won their freedom. Migration to the North helped break up family ties and scatter surviving records across the continent. Without the time for extensive research, the job may seem discouragingly hard. Yet even an amateur genealogist can uncover a wealth of important information—simply because Blacks have little-known advantages that aid their search. Records of Black families have been abstracted from census reports; many local histories and directories still exist. Records of Black churches and benevolent societies are often surprisingly complete. (And many modern-day Africans can tell, just from looking at your facial features, what nations your ancestors originally came from.) It's largely a matter of where to look—and what to look for. Now Charles L. Blockson, a Black historian and genealogist who has traced his own ancestors back to the eighteenth century, shows you the right way to start (by interviewing your parents and relatives), how to organize and document your findings to make the search easier—and how to construct a family tree suitable for framing. BLACK GENEALOGY reveals the special kinds of documents to look for: birth and death certificates in your local health department, deeds and wills in the county courthouse. From the days of slavery, there are Freedman's Bureau records, the National Archives, plantation ledgers, and the manumission papers by which eighteenth and nineteenth century Blacks became free men. An extensive appendix lists both local and international sources you can write or visit for information—an easy-to-use directory of African libraries and universities. Black research collections, historical and genealogical societies, institutions like the Mormon Church and D.A.R., as well as the Black newspapers whose files are a largely untapped treasury of data. BLACK GENEALOGY also reveals the true scope and richness of the heritage that all Blacks share. Mr. Blockson provides rare eyewitness accounts of the golden age of the great African kingdoms, plus narratives of Blacks who purchased their wives and children out of bondage, served with honor in the Revolution, and traveled the Underground Railroad to freedom in Canada. This is a dramatic chronicle of Black culture in America—as well as a guide to finding your own family's place in that heritage and documenting a past of which you can be proud.