Researching People of Color:African-American

Presented by Dr. Shelley Murphy aka “familytreegirl”

March 14, 2015Family History Day Fredericksburg, VA

It does not matter who or where in the U.S. you are researching, you need to know the basics about genealogical research, records & resources. Most importantly, how to ask questions & how to manage your challenges.

OverviewWho are People of Color?

Challenges you will face

Things you need to know

Conduct an Analysis (Strategies & Methods):

-Know GPS

`Develop a Timelines

--Murphy’s SO WHAT & What’s Next!

`Build a Research Plan

-Records & Resources 3

Basics-don’t forget your roots

What’s the plan?

What do you know?

What don’t you know?

Who or What might know?

Staying focused

Document, document, document

4

People of Color

Col’d=colored Cold=colored

M/Mu=MulattoB=Black

Slave, enslaved

Negro-”N”

Person(s) of Color

A=AfricaFree persons of color (FPOC)Free MixturesFree NegroesNon-whiteFree Negroes chargeable with tax

Free Blacks chargeable with tax

5

COMMON CHALLENGES

Records not recorded into public record

Records destroyed

Denial-don’t want to know, it’s the past

Don’t want to share the information

Received information that is not the truth or reliable-questionable Oral History

Relied too much from online resources

What’s the time frame you are seeking?

Set a timeframe to help narrow your research

Who are you looking for?

Best practices for looking for People of Color

Don’t assume anything!

Don’t always look for People of Color, you need to look for White people with the same name in the same area

Follow the Money, the Land, and the People!

Tap into social media

8

Need to know

The community

Laws, Laws, Laws,

Black Code of Laws

State laws (thelegalgenealogist.com)

13th Amendment-abolished slavery

Civil War time frame

Lincoln issued the Emancipation 1 Jan 1863, 10 States 9

Methods & Strategies

Timelines & Research Plans

Gotta have them!

10

Genealogical Proof Standard (BCG)

1.Conduct a reasonably exhaustive search for all information that is or maybe pertinent to the identity, relationship, event, or situation in question

2.Collect & include in your compilation a complete, accurate citation to the source or sources of each item of information we use.

3. Analyze & correlate the collected information to assess its quality as evidence

4. Resolve any conflicts caused by items of evidence that contradict each other or are contrary to a proposed (hypothetical) solution to the question; and

5. Arrive at a soundly reasoned, coherently written conclusion.

11

SO WHAT! & What’s Next?

Build your timeline-put down what you know &

what you don’t know, gaps & conflicts

Use SO WHAT & GPS to question the conflicts and gaps

Identify the records and resources you need to handle the gaps

Example: Death Record

12

Some Records & ResourcesCensus Records, 1850 Slave Census & 1860 Slave Census

Bibles, Letters, Property Records- Owners, Oral history

Wills, Bill of Sale, Obits, Headstones

References, books, dissertations

13

Records & ResourcesRecorded property records-Courthouse

Look for the plantation owner-who were the

Use Elizabeth Shown Mills “FAN” principle

Plantation owner-find out if there is any information regarding the plantation in local city or county records, historical society, etc

Look for plantation owner descendants- maybe they are looking

Goggle “surnames”

Jean Cooper, Tony Burroughs, Russell, etc., Books 14

Locate others searching the same surname and areas

Wills, estate records, manumission (freeing of a slave) documents, insurance records

Church and religious affiliation, check library records, special collections

National archives-records that pertain to American

Slavery and the International Slave Trade: (http://www.archives.gov/research/african-americans/slavery- records.html 15

More…

National & State Archives

Library of Congress (two booklets)

State Libraries, College Libraries

• Freedman Bureau Records (marriage, savings and trust company, branch offices)

Newspapers and Historical Societies

Join listserv’s (rootsweb, afrigeneas)

Plantation Records-family holdings 16

• Emancipation papers (freeing a person from someone else)

• Slave narratives, families genealogy records

• Plantation records (check out Edward Ball’s book)

• City and County directories

• Public notices or records, local courthouse and city hall’s

• Find resources where Slave research has been successful

17

Typical Research Records

Census Records, 1860 Slave Census & 1850 Slave Census, Bibles, Letters, Property Records-Owners, Oral history, Wills & Inventories, Bill of Sale, Obits, Headstones, Rolls, Register’s, Co-habitant records, References, books, dissertations (B. Muse Inventory Sheet, Jefferson Co. Virginia)

Virginia Slave Records• http://www.accessgenealogy.com/african/virginia/

• Limited Slave records in VA collected by P. A. Miller (by county): http://home.comcast.net/~p.a.miller/genealogy/docs/s laverecords/va.htm

• Runaway records- http://people.uvawise.edu/runaways/

• http://etext.virginia.edu/subjects/runaways/1740s.html

• Library of Virgina

• NARA19

Online Resources

• afrigeneas.com/afrigeneas.com/guide/familysearch.orgfreedmensbureau.com/www.cyndislist.com/african.htmaccessgenealogy.com/african/

• ancestry.comfamilytree.comgeneasearch.com/more.htmfold3.com/www.rootsweb.com/ 20

Family Search & CVHR

• https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Virginia_African_Americans

• http://www.centralvirginiahistory.org/FreePeopleColor.shtml

21

Guidebooks listed by Afrigeneas.com

• Byers, Paula K. African American Genealogical Sourcebook. Detroit: Gale Research, 1995.

• Redford, Dorothy Spruill. Somerset Homecoming: Recovering A Lost Heritage. New York: Doubleday, 1988. (Not a guidebook, but provides step by step what the research is like.)

• Woodtor, Dee Parmer. Finding A Place Called Home: A Guide to African-American Genealogy and Historical Identity. New York: Random House,1999.

• Young, Tommie M. Afro-American Genealogy Sourcebook. New York: Garland, 1987.

• 2/15/08 List taken from http://www.afrigeneas.com/guide/guide9.html

22

The real work begins!“Making a Timeline & Research Plan”

Take it one family at a time, one location, one person until you get the hang of it.

Maintain a checklist or research log as to what you need to do & what has been completed, also, what new questions you are asking.

Set up a system, plan your research and get organized!

Focus, planning the research

Where are you going to start?

Set your mini goals

Slave records & where to find them

• Recorded property & tax records-Courthouse

• Look for the plantation owner-who were the neighbors?

• Plantation/Farms-find out if there is any information regarding the plantation in local city or county records, library or historical society

• Look for plantation owner descendants-maybe they are looking

• Google “surnames” and properties

More… Church, headstones, cemetery records

County Boundaries (Thorndale & Dollarhide’s Map Guide), Sanborn Maps

Native-American records (Angela Walton-Raji website & blogs )

Research at the National Archives and beyond (Bernice Bennett, blogtalkradio.com)

Blogs Thomas MacEnteehttp://www.geneabloggers.com/

NOW YOU HAVE INFO, WHAT CHA’ GONNA DO WIT’ IT?

Tell the story, Tell your story

Share your findings-they are inspiring

Realize that all genealogy research has challenges & the best thing to do is keep asking questions…

28

JOIN & SUPPORT LOCAL GROUPS

Join & participate in a genealogical society, group…

Attend genealogy training & conferences (keep a record of your attendance)-2015 AAHGS-Richmond, VA (aahgs.org)

Share your experiences-you never know what connections you might make

Don’t be afraid to ask for help

QUESTIONS?

…