OUR BLACK ANCESTRY

The following links will get you started on an adventure that can easily last a lifetime. We will continue to add to our list as new sites come online.

Academic Genealogy

This site promotes scholarly educational access to a worldwide list genealogical and family history databases and resources that are available on the Internet. 
www.academic-genealogy.com/

Africana Heritage
This project, sponsored by the University of South Florida, is an all-volunteer research project and website sponsored. Their research mission is to rediscover records that document the names and lives of slaves, freedpersons and their descendants, and to share those records on their free Internet site. Access to all content is free. www.africanaheritage.com

African American Cemeteries

A database of black burial grounds in several states, Canada and Barbados. The list is evolving but could be useful in finding graves. There is a search by surname facility.

www.africanamericancemeteries.com

Afrigeneas

A site that promotes research of African ancestry in the Americas via an interactive community of researchers. The site offers forums, weekly chats, mailing lists, a surname database, obituaries and funeral programs, slave records, census schedule transcriptions, a library of documents and articles, RSS news feeds and a family reunion planning site.  http://www.afrigeneas.com/

AfriQuest: The People's Archive
One of the biggest challenges people of African ancestry face when tracing their family heritage is the lack of records available for research. There are plenty of records which contain valuable information on African and African American ancestry, they just aren't out there in a free, central place where researchers can find them. That's why AfriQuest was born - to be a central home for records of interest to anyone researching African and African American heritage. The Afriquest database will allow anyone with a free account to add records, including both text and images. Anyone will be able to access, print and use the records for research purposes - absolutely free. 

www.afriquest.com

Afro-American Historical & Genealogical Society

AAHGS strives to preserve African-ancestored family history, genealogy and cultural diversity by teaching research techniques and disseminating information. Their primary goals are to promote scholarly research, provide resources for historical and genealogical studies, create a network of persons with similar interests, and assist members in documenting their histories. AAHGS does not provide research services. They keep in touch with their members through a variety of different vehicles: a scholarly journal, abstracts of manuscripts and records from court houses, archives, churches, and other primary sources; a newsletter; an annual conference and their website. www.aahgs.org

An emerging online community of family historians, genealogists and other dedicated keepers of black family culture and heritage. www.blackfamilyhistory.com/

Coming to the Table
An initiative to involve direct descendants of slavery -- black AND white --in exploring their unique role in addressing the legacy of slavery. It brings together people whose ancestors were linked by a slave/slaveowner relationship. Their goal is to help heal the traumatic impact of slavery on individuals, families and the American nation. http://www.comingtothetable.org/

Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites
An exhaustive listing of genealogical resources, categorized and cross-referenced according to interests. There is an extensive section on African American genealogy that is updated regularly. http://www.cyndislist.com/african.htm

DNA Testing

Family Tree DNA, started in 2000, is led by Dr. Michael Hammer, one of the world's leading authorities in the field of genetics. They are also associated with the National Georgraphic genographic project and do specialized testing for Native and African American ancestry that is the most economical we have found.

There is also African Ancestry, an African American owned company that does DNA testing. They are the only company whose tests will place your African ancestry in a present-day country/region in Africa. Other companies will tell you that your lineage is from Africa but do not tell you where in Africa. www.africanancestry.com

Encyclopedia of Genealogy
A free-content free-access encyclopedia created by its readers that serves as a standard genealogy reference manual. It tells you where to find records, how to organize your data, what the terminology  means and how to plan research. It also has a section on how to research African and Native American ancestors. http://www.eogen.com/

Family Search
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons) is the largest proponent and repository of genealogical information in the world. Family history is integral to their religious beliefs. Their site has a wealth of free material, including African American information. This link will take you directly to the African American collection. www.familysearch.org/Eng/home/welcome/site_resources.asp

Freedmen's Bureau Records

The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands was established in the War Department by a Congressional act of March 3, 1865. The Bureau supervised all relief and educational activities relating to refugees and freedmen, including issuing rations, clothing and medicine. The Bureau also assumed custody of confiscated lands or property in the former Confederate States, border states, District of Columbia, and Indian Territory. The bureau records were created or maintained by bureau headquarters, the assistant commissioners and the state superintendents of education and included personnel records and a variety of standard reports concerning bureau programs and conditions in the states. You can search these records at their site. www.freedmensbureau.com

                                                                                                                                  The Generations Network

Ancestry.com (now known as The Generations Network) has made millions of digital images available online to support family history research. Their African American collection includes records of US Colored Troops, the Freedman's Bureau, Freedman's Bank, slave narratives, WWI draft registration cards and a special census index that addresses the fact that between 1790 and 1930, African Americans were listed variously as colored, Negro, mulatto, black and slave. A general search of the entire database is free, but a paid membership is required to view actual document images. This link will take you directly to the African American collection.

National Museum of African American History & Culture
A new national museum is in formation under the auspices of The Smithsonian Institution. It will be a dynamic repository of the history and culture of African Americans. While the physical structure is in development, the museum will provide an online presence which is seeking to accumulate oral histories. http://www.nmaahc.si.edu/

Reparations Movement
The Restitution Study Group is a not-for-profit institute based in New York City. They examine innovative approaches to securing justice for injuries inflicted upon oppressed people. A key area of their work is slavery restitution research, education, and outreach. They recently filed nine class action lawsuits against corporations for slavery restitution and consumer fraud and won an historic victory in getting on the docket of the US Supreme Court. www.rsgincorp.com 

For more information about the history of the African American reparations movement and updated material on its ongoing efforts, consult http://www.ncobra.org/index.html

Roots TV

Launched in 2007, Roots Television is the place "Where history meets heritage." According to their press release, they are "a place for avid genealogists and family history lovers of all stripes." Their offerings include videos of genealogy and family history workshops and events. http://www.rootstelevision.com/

RootsWeb
The oldest and largest free genealogy site on the internet, RootsWeb's primary function is to connect people so that they can help each other and share genealogical research. The site offers census record transcriptions, mailing lists and message boards. Although it is somewhat complicated to navigate, there are special sections with loads of resources and connections for African American researchers. The site is owned by The Generations Network. http://www.rootsweb.com/~afamer/index.html

Slave Descendants Freedom Society
This is a non-profit genealogy and slave history membership organization. Its mission is to encourage African Americans to use genealogy to restore families separated by slavery. Their "Operation Restore Families" is meant to inspire the general public to learn more about African American history as it relates to American history. The organization hosts traveling workshops and heritage tours. They are also planning to build a "Restoration Center" in The Gambia, Africa. http://www.slavedescendants.org/

US Genweb
A group of volunteers working together to provide free genealogy websites for genealogical research in every county and every state of the United States. Organization is by county and state. Visitors are provided with links to all state genealogy websites which, in turn, provide gateways to counties. This Project is non-commercial and fully committed to free genealogy access for everyone. One of their special projects is dedicated to assisting those in pursuit of African Amerian ancestry by being a central depository for African Amerian records of historical proportion.
The general address is www.usgenweb.org . The address for the African American depository is http://aagriots.org

US National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)

Of all the documens and materials created in the course of business conducted by the US government, only 1-3% are so important for legal or historical reasons that they are kept forever. NARA is the repository for these records and makes them available to the public. This link will take you to the repositorty for ethnic research -- including records pertinent to African Americans. www.archives.gov/genealogy/heritage/index.html