Afro American
Afro-American Genealogy & Family History
Researching African American ancestry often requires a different strategy from conventional U.S. genealogy. Many families encounter a major documentary gap before 1870 because enslaved people were generally not identified by name in federal census records in the same way as free residents.
The key is to combine federal records with state and county records, church registers, probate files, deeds, plantation and estate records, emancipation records, Freedmen’s Bureau material, newspapers, military records, schools, cemeteries and community sources.
This page brings those resources together in one place, from slavery-era research through Reconstruction, the Great Migration, the Civil Rights era and modern DNA genealogy.
Quick Navigation
Where to Start
1. Start with your known family
Work backwards from yourself. Record names, dates, places, occupations, churches, military service, migration and family stories before moving into difficult historical records.
2. Establish the location
County and state are often more important than the surname. Identify where each generation lived and follow the family through changing county boundaries.
3. Work backwards from 1870
The 1870 census is a critical starting point for many families because it was the first U.S. federal census to enumerate the formerly enslaved population by name.
4. Identify the enslaver
When an ancestor disappears before 1870, research the people who may have enslaved them. Probate, deeds, estate inventories, tax records, bills of sale and court records can sometimes identify enslaved people.
Major Genealogy Databases
Free & Major Platforms
African American-specific resources
Slavery, Enslavement & Antebellum Research
Core slavery databases
Records to investigate
Probate Wills Estate inventories Deeds Tax records Court records Plantation records Bills of sale Runaway ads ManumissionsSearch county courthouses, state archives, historical societies, university collections and digitized manuscript collections.
Louisiana & Afro-Louisiana research
Louisiana has exceptionally important records for African American genealogy, including French, Spanish and U.S. documentary traditions.
Slave narratives
Narratives created by formerly enslaved people can provide names, places, family relationships, occupations, plantations and community information that may not appear in conventional genealogical records.
Freedmen’s Bureau & Freedmen’s Bank
Reconstruction-era federal records are among the most important sources for connecting enslaved families to documented lives after emancipation.
Freedmen’s Bureau
Freedman’s Savings Bank
Bank records may contain names, ages, birthplaces, residences, employers, family members and information about former enslavers.
Census, Vital Records & Civil Registration
U.S. Census
Vital records
Birth, marriage and death records become increasingly important after emancipation, although registration dates vary substantially by state and county.
Social Security & later records
Church records
Black churches can be especially valuable because they may preserve baptisms, marriages, funerals, memberships, minutes and community relationships.
Military & Veterans
U.S. Colored Troops
USCT records can provide enlistment information, age, birthplace, occupation, physical description, military service and pension evidence.
Military pensions
Buffalo Soldiers
Migration, the Great Migration & Urban History
Great Migration
From the late 19th century through the 20th century, millions of Black Americans moved from the rural South to cities in the North, Midwest and West.
Passenger & immigration records
Urban research
For families who moved to cities, search city directories, voter lists, property records, newspapers, churches, schools, employment records and neighborhood histories.
Community institutions
Follow the institution, not only the individual. Churches, lodges, fraternal organizations, mutual aid societies, schools and newspapers can reveal extended family networks.
Newspapers, Obituaries & Community Press
Historic newspapers
Black newspapers
African American newspapers can be exceptionally valuable for births, marriages, deaths, social events, church activities, migration, employment and community organizations.
Obituaries & funeral information
Funeral programs & family histories
State-by-State African American Genealogy
State and county research is essential. Records can vary dramatically between jurisdictions, so use the state links below as entry points and then move to the county level.
North Carolina
South Carolina
För övriga delstater är FamilySearch Research Wiki en bra första ingång: FamilySearch Research Wiki.
Archives, Libraries & Major Institutions
National institutions
African American heritage
Libraries & catalogs
University collections
Universities frequently hold manuscript collections, plantation papers, Black church archives, oral histories, newspapers, photographs and personal papers.
Books, Family Histories & Digital Collections
African American family histories
Research by Historical Period
Enslavement, free people of color, plantations, probate, deeds, courts, manumission and runaway advertisements.
Emancipation, Freedmen’s Bureau, Freedman’s Bank, USCT, Reconstruction and early family formation.
Jim Crow era, land ownership, schools, churches, migration, voter suppression and community institutions.
Great Migration, urbanization, military service, Civil Rights, newspapers, oral histories and DNA genealogy.
A Practical Afro-American Research Strategy
- Document yourself and your parents. Collect certificates, photographs, obituaries and family stories.
- Build the family backwards. Confirm every generation before moving to the next.
- Identify the county. County is often the key to unlocking historical records.
- Find the family in 1870. Treat this as a major anchor point when appropriate.
- Compare 1870 with 1880, 1900, 1910 and later censuses. Look for names, ages, relationships, occupations and neighbors.
- Use neighbors and associates. Extended family and former community members may be living nearby.
- Search Freedmen’s Bureau and Freedman’s Bank records.
- Search church, land, probate and court records.
- Identify possible enslavers. Search their probate, deeds, tax and plantation records.
- Follow migration. Search city directories, newspapers, employment, property and military records after a move.
- Use DNA as supporting evidence. Combine DNA matches with documentary research rather than treating DNA alone as proof of a specific ancestor.
DNA Genealogy for African American Research
Autosomal DNA
Useful for identifying cousin networks and testing documentary hypotheses, especially when records become difficult before 1870.
Y-DNA
Y-DNA follows a direct paternal line and can be particularly useful for surname and paternal-line research.
mtDNA
Mitochondrial DNA follows the direct maternal line and can provide evidence about deeper maternal ancestry.
Community, Oral History & Family Memory
Oral history
Interview older relatives before relying exclusively on online databases. Family stories may contain plantation names, migration routes, churches, nicknames and relationships that never appear in indexed records.
Family reunions
Reunion programs, family books, church anniversaries and privately published family histories can preserve information that is absent from major genealogy databases.
Black churches & institutions
Search church minutes, membership rolls, baptisms, marriages, funerals, anniversary books, school records and organizational histories.
Afro-American Genealogy Checklist
- ☐ Interview relatives
- ☐ Collect family documents
- ☐ Record maiden names and nicknames
- ☐ Establish county and state for every generation
- ☐ Search 1870 census
- ☐ Compare 1880–1950 census records
- ☐ Search birth, marriage and death records
- ☐ Search Black church records
- ☐ Search Freedmen’s Bureau
- ☐ Search Freedman’s Bank
- ☐ Search USCT and military records
- ☐ Search land and deed records
- ☐ Search probate and estate records
- ☐ Search court records
- ☐ Search newspapers and obituaries
- ☐ Search city directories
- ☐ Investigate possible enslavers
- ☐ Search plantation and estate papers
- ☐ Investigate migration routes
- ☐ Search university and historical society collections
- ☐ Use DNA to test documentary hypotheses
- ☐ Record every source and uncertainty
Continue Your Research
Afro-American genealogy is part of a much larger African Diaspora story. Continue with the wider GeneticVoyage resources to explore African, Caribbean, North American and global family history.
African Diaspora GeneticVoyage ResourcesKey Research Portals
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DNA Academy - Quick Answers
What formats are your free templates available in?
Our templates are available as downloadable Excel/Google Sheets files (for digital tracking).
How do I use a research log effectively?
A research log helps you track which records you’ve searched, what you found, and what’s still missing. We recommend filling it out as you go, it prevents duplicate searches and helps you identify patterns. Our template includes columns for date, source, location, and findings.
Are the templates available in languages other than English?
Currently, our templates are in English only. We are exploring translations into Swedish, Spanish, and German based on user requests. If you need a specific language, contact us and we’ll prioritize it.