As Americans prepare to commemorate the 250th Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, learn about the abundant contributions of Black Americans to the United States and explore family history.
In honor of the US Semiquincentennial, the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution is offering new resources and information, entitled African American Participation in the American Revolution. The Daughters of the American Revolution provides a Quick Start Guide on African American research that includes a section on African Americans during the Revolutionary War. The Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History & Culture and its Center for the Digitization and Curation of African American History are two other valuable resources.
Below are additional links that can help you research Black ancestry.
- 10 Million Names (a collaborative project dedicated to remembering the estimated 10 million enslaved individuals in the US)
- African American Heritage (National Archives and Records Administration, NARA)
- African American Newspapers (Chronicling America, Library of Congress)
- Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society (and AAHGS local chapters)
- Center for Family History (International African American Museum in Charleston, South Carolina)
- Civil War Soldiers and Sailors Database (National Park Service)
- Freedman’s Bank Records, 1865-1874 (FamilySearch)
- Freedmen’s Bureau Records (FamilySearch)
- Mapping the Freedmen’s Bureau (a project designed for genealogy and local history researchers)
- Rediscovering Black History (NARA blog)
- Sons & Daughters of the United States Middle Passage (a lineage society for descendants of enslaved individuals from 1619-1865)
- Southern Claims Commission (FamilySearch guide to the records with links to some online available records)
ConferenceKeeper.org offers a calendar of upcoming events that focus on African American research, and FamilySearch Wiki features a comprehensive resource for African American genealogy.
These are just some of the many resources available to those exploring Black family history. We hope they help you open new opportunities for discovery.
