How To Trace Your Family Tree

10+ Resources for African-American Genealogy Research

Researching African-American ancestors presents unique challenges. Use these resources to help you discover more about your ancestors.

Delving into the African-American genealogy research of my ancestors’ slaves, I recognized a large and important gap in my research knowledge. My initial goal was to research what happened to a slave child owned my great-great-great grandmother Samantha Buchanan Maddox of Chatham County, NC. I quickly learned the need to educate myself on the unique aspects of African-American genealogy and the resources and databases available. Honestly, I was humbled by the size of the gap in my knowledge.

What follows are some great resources for researching African-American genealogy.  This is not a complete list (nor is it meant to be).   Let’s get started and share what we learn along the way. Feel free to share your recommendations in the comments or on the facebook page.

Resources for Researching Your African-American Ancestors

Bloggers to Follow

Some of your best resources for researching your African American ancestors will be other researchers and bloggers. Learning from each other and collaborating with researchers can increase your chances of success. Below is a list of blogs focusing on African American genealogy research.

Saving Stories by Robin Foster

My Ancestor’s Name by Angela Y. Walton-Raji

Roots Revealed by Melvin Collier

Between the Gate Posts by LindaRe

Our Black Ancestry by Sharon Leslie Morgan

Notes to Myself by True Lewis

Classes and Workshops on African American Research

  • Ancestry.com – Offers videos on beginning your African American genealogy research.
  • Local libraries, museums, historical societies, genealogy societies all offer educational programs for genealogists of all levels.  These will often be able to provide local knowledge on research topics and repositories not easily found elsewhere.  Research the offerings in your area and the area where your ancestors lived.

Share your favorite resources for African-American genealogy research in the comments below or on our Facebook page!

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