My Black History
“In all of us there is a hunger, marrow deep, to know our heritage — to know who we are and where we have come from.”
–Alex Haley
African American Research: Part 1
Searching for African American families involves two distinct research approaches. These approaches correspond to the distinct change in the legal status of African Americans in the United States before and after the Civil War. Genealogical techniques used to track slave families before the war are necessarily quite different than those used for white or free African Americans; however, research conducted on African Americans after the war usually involves the same types of records as those used for whites.
Nevertheless, there are still special sources and factors to consider. The golden rule in genealogy is: never assume, always research and document. This rule is particularly relevant to research on African American families. Don’t assume that all African Americans were slaves. Don’t assume that all indices, including those for census and other records, include African Americans. Don’t assume from an entry that he or she is white or African American. Don’t assume that a person noted as white in a record is necessarily so. American Indians, African Americans, and people of mixed heritage, such as mulattoes and Melungeons, did not always want to be identified as such. Finally, don’t assume that laws concerning African Americans were adhered to in all cases. For example, even a legal prohibition against slaves marrying or holding property did not always prevent those proceedings from happening. In Kentucky, where slaves were prohibited from marrying, records from as early as 1793 document the marriages of enslaved African Americans in the central and northern areas of the state.