Explore a rich collection of African American historical records and research tools. Access digitized archives through HeritageQuest and Fold3, featuring military records, census data, and family histories. Enhance your research with curated guides and resources designed to support genealogical exploration and cultural discovery.

“Family history research begins in modern times and works backward, generation by generation. Discoveries for all American families, regardless of ethnicity, are made through census records, military papers, vital records (births, marriages, and deaths), and other documents created over a lifetime.” – Ancestry.com

Source Information: Ancestry.com. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2024. Fold3, Black History database and images, https://www.fold3.com/collection/african-american, accessed, Dec 2024.

HeritageQuest African American Collections

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Browse the full collection of essential historical records for African Americans. 

Sample of collections include:

Federal Census: Find ancestors in the complete set of U.S. Federal Census images from 1790-1950.

• Search US Census
• 1850 U.S. Federal Census - Slave Schedules

Freedman’s Bank: Because enslaved people didn’t have legal rights prior to 1865, it can be difficult to track them through censuses or birth, marriage, and death records. For many African Americans, records from the Freedman’s Bank may be the first time they’re able to find an ancestor’s name.

• U.S., Freedman's Bank Records, 1865-1874 

Military Draft and Service Records: This database contains compiled military service records for United States Colored Troops that volunteered to serve with the Union in the American Civil War. The records consist of cards extracted from muster rolls, regimental returns, descriptive books, casualty sheets, enlistment papers, death reports, and correspondence. Information available includes name, age, birthplace, enlistment data, and enlistment location.

• U.S., Colored Troops Military Service Records, 1863-1865

Registers of Slaves and Free(d) Persons:

• Louisiana, U.S., Records of Enslaved People, 1719-1820

Stories, memories & histories

• Fifty years in chains, or, The life of an American slave
• Narrative of Henry Watson, a fugitive slave
• The Black presence in the era of the American Revolution, 1770-1800
• The Story of the life of John Anderson : the fugitive slave
• Twelve Years a Slave
   

Additional Heritage Quest Collections:

• U.S., African American Newspapers, 1829-1947
  The black press in America traces its roots to the Freedom’s Journal, first published in 1827. Later, papers often were established to serve growing black population centers, where they provided news of interest to the community that was not always reported in the mainstream press. This database contains issues from more than 200 African American newspapers printed in the 19th and early 20th centuries from all across the United States.
  
  
• U.S., African American Photo Collection, 1850-2000
  This database contains collections of public domain photos and prints relating to African Americans. They are from two locations – The National Archives and the Library of Congress.
  
  
• U.S., Interviews with Formerly Enslaved People, 1936-1938
  Compiled by the WPA in the 1930s, this is a collection of over 2300 first-person accounts of slavery, and 500 photos of former slaves. Information may include surnames of interviewees, birthplace, approximate age, and interview location.

Fold3 Black History Collections

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Browse the full collection of 35 publications and over 800,000 original military records related to Black History.

Sample of collections include:

• US, Black and Indigenous Soldiers in the American Revolution, 1775-1783
  Most records in the collection are handwritten documents, however, records vary by type and some may have been written on pre-printed forms.
  
  
• US, Civil War - Union - MA 54th Infantry Regiment Records, 1863-1865
  These are records of one of the first black Union regiments formed in the Civil War. 
  
  
• US, Court Slave Records for DC, 1851-1863
  Records of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia Relating to Slaves, 1851-63, including emancipation and manumission papers.

Additional Research Resources and References

Research Guides

• Ancestry Research Guide
  • African American family research on Ancestry
• Library of Congress
  • African American Genealogy Resources
• Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society
  • Genealogy 101: Getting Started with African American Family Research
  • Web Based Resources
• National Archives
  • Resources for Genealogists: Charts and Forms