Black History Month Resources

 

Black History Month in the United States can trace its roots nearly 100 years back to a 1926 celebration of Black history held on the second week in February, which coincided with the birth dates of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. Although the names and dates of the recognition have evolved over the past century, the purpose remains to honor the important contributions of the Black community in American history.

Genealogical advances and the larger availability of records that were difficult or impossible to access in the past make this the best time in history to research African American heritage.

If you’re looking for help getting started, check out ConferenceKeeper.org for upcoming events that relate to African American research. This month there are many events spotlighting the importance and the how-tos of Black genealogy.

Below are some resources that can help with family history research.

• African American Genealogy (FamilySearch Wiki)
• African American category (Cyndi’s List)
• 10 Million Names (Collaborative project dedicated to remembering the estimated 10 million enslaved individuals in the US)
• African American Newspapers (Chronicling America, Library of Congress)
• Freedman’s Bank Records, 1865-1874 (FamilySearch)
• Southern Claims Commission (FamilySearch guide to the records with links to some online available records.)
• Mapping the Freedmen’s Bureau
• Freedmen’s Bureau Records on FamilySearch
• Civil War Soldiers and Sailors database (National Parks Service)
• African American Heritage (National Archives and Records Administration)
• Also see the NARA blog, Rediscovering Black History
• Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society (AAHGS). Also look for local chapters through this website of the national organization.
• National Museum of African American History & Culture (Smithsonian)
• International African American Museum: Center for Family History (Charleston, South Carolina)

This list represents a fraction of what you can find for African American family history research. Be sure to search for more collections on both the state and local  levels, as these more and more records become available.

Uncovering the Lives of the Cedar Grove 143: Untold Stories for Black History Month

An interview with Andre Kearns 

As we begin observing Black History Month, the National Genealogical Society reached out to one of its own for a personal perspective. Andre Kearns is a genealogist, public speaker, commentator, and writer, and serves as a director at large and chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee for the National Genealogical Society.  

Andre has spent years researching a connection back to a woman he believes is his 4x great-grandmother – Charlotte Kerns. Charlotte was born enslaved to Hugh Torrance at Cedar Grove Plantation, in Huntersville, North Carolina, around 1807. Through collaborative research with fellow genealogist Elizabeth Torrance, they identified the names of 143 enslaved people at Cedar Grove, from the Torrance family's 1840 "ages of negroes" ledger and other estate records. We wanted to learn more about Andre’s journey and share it with you.  

Q: Andre, can you please share a little more about where your family history research took you? 

A: As I continued my exploration through the Torrance family ledger, I connected with local residents who were eager to tell a more inclusive history through Cedar Grove and other historic plantations. One person in particular was Abigail Jennings, founder of the HEARTS (History, Ecology, Arts, Reunion, Trails, Store) Collaborative, a nonprofit aimed at offering inclusive experiences that link the past and present at Cedar Grove. 
 
In 2022, we launched the HEARTS Reunion Project at the former Cedar Grove Plantation, to honor the 143 individuals once enslaved there, including my ancestor.  

Then, in 2024, I reached out to American Ancestors to express interest in becoming a collaborative partner of 10 Million Names, an ambitious project, with the goal of documenting the names and lives of the 10 million enslaved African descendants in the US. In 2025, the “Cedar Grove 143” is now its own Plantation Estate Record volume within the 10 Million Names project. The 10 Million Names project is in the final stages of preparing this volume, and the records will soon be accessible on the American Ancestors website. You can visit their site for updates on when these records will be available.  

Q: What was the most interesting discovery you made (or story you uncovered) during the course of your research? 

A: I've made countless fascinating discoveries over the course of my research, so it's hard to pick just one as the most interesting, but I do have a recent discovery to share. My family's DNA results linked us to relatives in Guam who carry the last name White and have traces of African ancestry. This connection traces back to my 1st cousin 5x removed, Henry White—a free Black man born in 1826 in Suffolk, Virginia. In 1857, Henry joined the whaling ship Gideon Howland out of New Bedford, Massachusetts, and voyaged all the way to Guam. There, he settled and started a new branch of our family tree.  

This DNA discovery has bridged a 200-year gap, reconnecting family branches separated by oceans. Over the Christmas holiday, I had the privilege of visiting the whaling museum in New Bedford and learned about the fascinating history of Black whalers. 

Q: How has your research impacted you personally? 

A: I lead a life rich with opportunity, and through my research, I also get to experience the rich lives of my ancestors. I draw inspiration from learning about their life strengths, how they faced challenges, and how they built family legacies that now extend to me.  My research reminds me that I stand on their shoulders and that makes me very proud.  

Q: What is your advice for others who would like to undertake this type of project? 

A: If, during your personal research, you discover resources that you believe collectively describe a community of enslaved individuals on a plantation, I recommend organizing your findings into a simple spreadsheet. List each enslaved person's name and estimated birth date vertically and horizontally note the type of record where they are mentioned. Once organized, consider submitting this spreadsheet to the 10 Million Names project for inclusion.  This is how the project will reach its goal! 

Q: What are your next steps as you continue this journey into the history of Cedar Grove Plantation, and other family history? 

A: I will be presenting this story at the NGS Family History Conference in Louisville, Kentucky, during Memorial Day Weekend, May 23-26. Registration for the conference is now open. Please consider joining me in Louisville to learn more about this and from all of our amazing presenters! You can register here: conference.ngsgenealogy.org .

*Image courtesy of Andre Kearns

Seeking the Next Editor of NGS Magazine

The National Genealogical Society (NGS) is seeking the next editor of NGS Magazine after the retirement of its long-time editor in mid-2025. The deadline to apply is 14 February 2025 at 5:00 p.m. (ET).

NGS Magazine is one of the Society’s premier benefits of individual/family membership. Each issue contains sixty-four pages of informative articles by experts in the field that provide researchers of all skill levels with specific guidance on conducting effective genealogical research. It also includes news and insights on items of importance to individual members and family history organizations. The editor is responsible for the content and production of four annual issues in January, April, July, and October. The editor manages the publication process from the initial concept to submitting the final layout to the printer.

The position reports to NGS’s executive director. The effective date for this position is 15 July 2025. The successful candidate will be responsible for producing the October-December 2025 issue.

To learn more about this position and qualifications, please see our website announcement.

Following Footsteps: Using Published Genealogies and Local Histories

By Juliana Szucs  

Published family genealogies, biographies, and local histories have been at the heart of many a debate among family historians. To use or not to use, that is the question.  

What Are They? 

Published family genealogies and histories are the product of research gathered by the author(s) and compiled into a book. Often, they focus on a particular set of forebears in a family and document lines of descent from them. Others may focus on the ancestry of famous figures, and some will also go back to the furthest documented ancestor and then back down the descendants of that ancestor, including many distant cousins of the subject.  

Local histories document the history of a location, typically a county or city/town, but sometimes also regions, states, valleys, etc. Biographical details on prominent residents and early settlers were often included. In the US, many of these publications were created around the time of the centennial as part of the celebrations. Notable connections to Revolutionary War heroes may feature prominently, while some relatives may have been omitted for various reasons.  

By extension, you could qualify online trees as published trees as well, but that’s a story for another day. We’re talking about books or pamphlets that you may find in a library or local society, or more commonly now, online on genealogy websites, as well as Google Books, Internet Archive, HathiTrust, etc.  

But the veracity of these secondary sources can be questionable. County and local histories are often referred to as “brag books,” because they were a chance for descendants to boast of their famous connections. This must be noted because sometimes, facts were blurred to make a connection “fit.” And let’s face it, sometimes the facts were just tossed out the window to secure a link to greatness or access to a lineage society.  

Historical events are also often presented with the partisan view of the author(s). Some unsavory parts of history were whitewashed when mentioned, and sometimes left out of the books completely. Black communities were largely ignored as were outrages against them and Native Americans, who were often portrayed in offensive terms.  

But to use or not to use? In Thomas Jones’s article “Perils of Source Snobbery,” he reminds us that, “…effective family historians consult and assess all sources, regardless of type, that might help answer their research questions. They exclude no potentially useful source, and they trust no unverified source.”1 

Avoiding Perils and Pitfalls 

The key to using these records is to remember that they are secondary sources. They were created after the fact, and as such, can be more prone to inaccuracy, than primary sources, which were created at or near the time of the event being documented by those with first-hand knowledge. And we have the added problem of people who may have fudged a bit to have their family included in a prestigious tome. 

That said, they may contain details not readily found elsewhere, that can (and should) lead to
further research. I ran across an entry for a wandering ancestor of a family member who had made his way from his birthplace in Connecticut in the early 1800s to Fountain County, Indiana, by 1827, just 11 years after Indiana statehood, and one year after the county’s formation.  

His entry in a genealogy book, gives an ancestry going back a number of generations, but more importantly noted his leaving with the rest of the family shortly after his purported father’s death. While much of the family settled in Ohio, he went on and his entry in the family history talks about his living in Indiana and moving on to Kansas, where he died. This all matches with what I know of him and it is my first lead to him in Connecticut—and to look to see if I can find a record of him and his family in Ohio.  

Do I trust all the information? No. There are some red flags when it comes to him. His birthplace is reportedly across the state from where the family has deep roots. His father would have been in his forties when he was born. Not unusual, but also a little ping at me to be careful.  

But will I take a look. Absolutely. His purported father was a real person (in this case). He left records that can be consulted to see if there is a link.  The records of him, others left behind Connecticut, and the family who went on to Ohio can be consulted, and here I can hopefully get the evidence I need to prove that relationship.  

There are two possible outcomes. A) The book turns out be correct and I have made that leap from Indiana eastward. Or B) The book is wrong and I’m back to square one. And if I’ve ruled that possible candidate out in my search, I know enough about him that I can keep that information in mind as I continue my research so that I don’t confuse the two again. 

 Tips for Using Published Sources 

• Always consult them, but treat them as clues, not certainties. Corroborate every single fact, just as you would with any source. After all, any record is subject to error.  
• Know your source. I found this particular record in Ancestry's collection of North America, Family Histories, 1500-2000.2 Within this collection, there are nearly 1,000 individual publications, which are sources within the source. Find the source within the collection that is associated with the record, which in this case was The Life of George Dewey, Rear Admiral, USN, and Dewey family history. From the page where an Ancestry Hint™ landed me, I used the image numbers to browse to the front of the book, where I found the title page on image 3, which gives me important information like the author and publication date. Treating this online collection like a book now allows me to browse any table of contents, front and introductory matter, indexes, bibliographies, and any other goodies it has to offer. This information also needs to be included in citations that reference this source. 
• Don’t limit your browsing to only details about the family you’re researching. Histories and genealogies can reveal migration patterns and the origins of others in a person of interest’s community. And knowing the surnames of their counterparts in the places they came from, can show up in relationships in the new location, so knowledge of the community is invaluable. It’s the FAN Club (friends, associates, neighbors). Live it, love it, learn all about them.