Along Those Lines...
In Celebration of Black History Research
by George G. Morgan

Never before has there been more reason for African-ancestored genealogists and family historians to celebrate Black History Month! Not since Alex Haley's landmark book, Roots, was published in 1976 and the subsequent blockbuster television series has there been such an interest in researching African and African American ancestors.

Now, well into the twenty-first century, the awareness of the existence of records many people had thought weren't available or in accessible is heightened. Technology has enabled vast amounts of data to be made available as digitized images or through electronic indexes that point to the repositories where original or microfilmed records are housed.

In "Along Those Lines . . ." this week, let's explore some of the record types that are available electronically at Ancestry.com that can help further your research if you are of African American ancestry.

[ADN Editor's Note: **Asterisked databases can be accessed free throughout February 2006 when accessed through the African American Research Center. Users will be required to log in or complete a free registration.]

**U.S. Federal Census Slave Schedules
The federal government's first official attempt to determine the full extent of slavery in the United States began with the 1850 census Slave Schedules and was repeated in 1860. These documents were completed in addition to the standard population schedules and were used to determine the geographical concentrations of slavery (and it wasn't only in the South), slave population densities and living conditions, and social conditions. These documents offer tremendous possibilities for the researcher. They are digitized and, even though names changed over time, family groups and ages can be invaluable in tracing ancestors beyond the period of the American Civil War.

**Slave Narratives
The Slave Narratives database at Ancestry.com is an unparalleled collection of the reminiscences of former slaves. It consists of more than 20,000 pages of type-scripted interviews with approximately 3,500 former slaves, collected over a ten-year period between 1929 and 1939. The database is searchable by name, state, category, keyword, and a special thesaurus-style filter that interprets like words. Perhaps some of the most compelling insights into the lives of persons who endured life in slavery can be found in this collection of records.

**Freedman's Bank Records, 1865 to 1874
The Freedman's Savings and Trust Company was incorporated in 1865 by an act signed by President Lincoln. The purpose of the company was to create an institution where former slaves and their dependents could place and save their money. Ultimately there were thirty-seven branch offices in seventeen states with approximately 70,000 depositors and deposits of more than $57 million. However, in 1874, as a result of mismanagement, fraud, and other situations, the Freedman's Bank closed.

The bank's record signature cards have been digitized and contain a wealth of information about the depositor. Name, date, age, gender, height, employer, plantation, parents' names, place of birth, residence, marital status, names of children, and names of siblings may be found on many of the cards. This information is invaluable for tracing families both backwards and forwards, and for possibly locating other plantation and property records to assist your search. These records are indexed and searchable by name and the full images can be viewed, printed, or downloaded.

City Directories
Many African-ancestored researchers overlook the important possibilities offered by city directories. From 1865 well into the twentieth century, many families were on the move seeking opportunities to advance themselves and improve their lives. If one place didn't work out, many moved on. Between the censuses, city directories may have been among the few places that heads of household were recorded. In many places, the black residents were listed separately, following the listings of whites and other ethnicities in the directory. While this seems terrible today, it actually can be a boon to your research by helping to differentiate black ancestors from white persons with the same name. The unparalleled collection of city directories online at Ancestry.com offers a wealth of possibilities.

Military Records
The extensive Civil War databases at Ancestry.com are an impressive collection of interlinked materials. A search for a soldier or officer will provide service record information that includes a link to the military unit in which he served. A click on that link will display a list of the battles fought by that regiment, some of which are linked to descriptive information. A link at the top to the List of Soldiers displays a county-by-county, alphabetized list of personnel in the unit. This is important to note because very often relatives and neighbors enlisted or were mustered at or about the same date. There may be direct or collateral family ties there that, if you reference the names back to the 1860 U.S. Federal Census, will make it apparent that the relationships could well have been very close.

• **The World War I Draft Registration Cards database is a great collection of indexed, searchable, digitized records. The mandatory registration during the three draft calls in 1917 and 1918 included a large segment of the American male population and is another excellent genealogical resource.
• Similarly, the World War II Army Enlistment Records (1938-1946) database is another place to check for your ancestor's entry into the United States army. Further, the World War II Prisoners of War (1941-1946) provides details of a finite period of imprisonment and his or her eventual status.
  

Family and Local Histories
I have been exploring the thousands of online family and local histories at Ancestry.com for months. Many of the titles are digitized and completely searchable. It seems to me that I'm always finding something new and exciting there that otherwise I probably don't have access to in my local library's collection. Certainly the Slave Narratives mentioned before are part of this collection. However, there are other titles as well that may be helpful as well. Here are some examples:

• **Afro-Louisiana History and Genealogy, 1719-1820
• The Biography & Genealogy Master Index (BGMI)
• The Encyclopedia of American Biography
• **The First African Baptist Church of North America (digitized and indexed)
• Cyclopaedia of African Methodism
• Louis Hughes, Thirty Years a Slave, 1832-62
• **Slave life in Georgia: a narrative of the life, sufferings, and escape of John Brown, a fugitive slave, now in England
• History of the Underground Railroad as it was conducted by the Anti-Slavery League
• **Slavery petitions and papers
• Directory of Negro businesses, professions, and churches for Detroit and environs
• Free Negro owners of slaves in the United States in 1830: together with Absentee ownership of slaves in the United States in 1830
• **The Black Presence in the Era of the American Revolution, 1770-1800
• **Blacks in the State of Oregon, 1788-1971
  

Historical Newspaper Collection
The newspaper records of cities, towns, and smaller communities reflect the daily life in those areas. Who is to say what is and is not printed there, or whose names are included? An obituary found in an unusual town for one of our ancestors may be the one missing link we've been seeking for years!

Listen to The Genealogy Guys podcast each week! Visit George's website at ahaseminars.com/atl for information about speaking engagements.

Upcoming Seminars and Conferences Include:

• February 11, 2006
  Palm Beach County Genealogical Society, Palm Beach, FL
• February 22, 2006
  Englewood Genealogical Society, Englewood, FL
• March 1, 2006
  Volusia County Genealogical Society, Daytona Beach, FL
• March 11, 2006
  Tallahassee Genealogical Society, Tallahassee, FL
• March 14, 2006
  Citrus County Genealogical Society, Lecanto, FL
• March 21, 2006
  South Bay Genealogical Society, Sun City Center, Ruskin, FL
• March 23, 2006
  Muskogee County Genealogical Society Meeting, Muskogee, OK
• March 24, 2006
  Writers' Workshop, Muskogee, OK
• March 25, 2006
  Muskogee County Genealogical Society Conference, Muskogee, OK
• April 11, 2006
  Brandon Area Historical and Genealogical Society, Brandon, FL
• April 22, 2006
  Virginia Beach Genealogical Society, Virginia Beach, VA
• April 27, 2006
  The Villages Genealogical Society, The Villages, FL
• April 28-29, 2006
  Ohio Genealogical Society, Toledo, OH
• May 26-28, 2006
  Ontario Genealogical Society, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada

Copyright 2006, MyFamily.com. All rights reserved.

Access a printer-friendly version of this article, e-mail it to a friend, or submit your feedback.

For Black History Month, Ancestry.com Offers Free Access to African American-Related Databases Through New Content Center

For African Americans, tracking down ancestors can present a unique set of challenges--few other groups face as many obstacles when it comes to family history research. Often, a lack of credible documentation can make the journey both difficult and time-consuming.
Fortunately, there is a vast collection of data available online. In celebration of Black History Month, Ancestry.com, which hosts the largest online collection of family history records, has launched an all new African American Research Center.
(NOTE: The free databases must be accessed through this page and users must log in or complete the free registration.)

Throughout the month of February 2006, Ancestry.com will be offering free access to this vast collection of historical records detailing the lives of hundreds of thousands of African Americans. A wealth of personal information can be obtained in the documents available at Ancestry.com and the African American Research Center. Some of the records available include:

Freedman's Bank Records, 1865-1874
Shortly after the Civil War in March 1865, several New York business men started the Freedman's Savings and Trust Company, or Freedman's Bank--a savings bank where soldiers and former slaves could invest their money. The Freedman's Bank records show depositors' names and sometimes other personal information such as age, place of birth, and occupation.

U.S. Federal Census, 1870
The 1870 census is the first U.S. Federal Census to list formerly enslaved African Americans by name (in previous censuses they were included only as tally marks on a page).

1850 and 1860 Slave Schedules
Slaves were counted separately during the 1850 and 1860 U.S. censuses. Unfortunately, in most schedules, only the names of land owners were recorded; individual slaves were not named but were simply numbered and can be distinguished only by age, sex, and color.

Civil War Service Records
These records include more than 5.3 million men who served in the war. Each record provides the soldier's name, company, unit, the individual's rank when inducted and rank when discharged.

Afro-Louisiana History and Genealogy, 1718-1820
This database includes detailed information on more than 100,000 slaves who arrived in Louisiana between 1718 and 1820. The records include rich personal details such as name, gender, race, birthplace, family names and relationships, skill or trade, personality traits and information about how the person was freed.

Slave Narratives
A collection of one-on-one interviews with more than
3,500 former slaves collected over a ten-year period from 1929 to 1939. The interviews, written exactly as they were dictated to preserve the spoken dialect of the former slave, are very rich in family history data and often identify ages, places of residence and birth, and names of spouses, children, siblings, and parents.

WWI Draft Registration Cards
In 1917 and 1918, approximately 24 million men, close to 25% of the total population of the United States, completed a World War I draft registration card. The cards contain more than just names and dates; they contain significant genealogical information such as birthplace, citizenship status, and information on the individual's nearest relative. If a person was of African descent, the bottom left corner was cut off of the registration card to make that distinction.

Selected Family and Local Histories
This collection is a compilation of journals, memoirs, and other first-hand personal narratives that provide a poignant picture of daily life, from everyday challenges to extreme hardships. Free databases are:

• The First African Baptist Church of North America
• The Black Presence in the Era of the American Revolution, 1770-1800
• Blacks in the State of Oregon, 1788-1971
• Slave Life in Georgia: A narrative of the life, sufferings, and escape of John Brown, a fugitive slave
• Slavery Petitions and Papers

Ancestry Quick Tip
E-mail Distribution List
Everette Bowie

As with any enterprise, when many people all over the world engage in researching the same family, some kind of communication is helpful. About fourteen years ago I got into an e-mail writing and forwarding situation with other Bowie researchers. To make it easier I set up a group in my AOL account and sent BCC to the list. By word of mouth, or e-mail, I began to hear from others who wanted to be on the list. Now, I have about 110 e-mail addresses in the group, all over the world. When I get something of interest to the list, or a query I cannot answer, I forward it to the list, which often results in a flurry of e-mails flying back and forth. Almost always someone benefits, and it is rare a query is not answered. AOL requires me to register as a bulk e-mailer so the mail does not go into spam boxes. A simple phone call to member services will accomplish that.

Thanks to Everette for today's Quick Tip! If you have a tip you would like to share with researchers, you can send it to: ADNeditor@ancestry.com.

Quick Tips may be reprinted, with credit to the submitter, in other Ancestry publications, so if you do not want your tip included in a publication other than the Ancestry Daily News and Ancestry Weekly Digest, please state so clearly in your message.

Access a printer-friendly version of this article, e-mail it to a friend, or submit your feedback.

Advertisement
Request a Search for your Ancestors at the Family History Library

Ancestor Seekers: researchers at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City will search this vast collection for your ancestors from the US/Canada, Ireland, Germany, Poland, Hungary, Holland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Italy, Spain, and Portugal.

If you commission the work (there's no obligation to do that!) prices start from $52 (US). For a FREE initial e-mail consultation visit www.ancestorseekers.com/research/awn.

Urgently Seeking Researchers to Conduct U.S., German and Other Research at the FHL in Salt Lake City.
Visit www.ancestorseekers.com/researcherswanted.htm.

Clipping of the Day
Schools will Re-Open Monday
Adams County News (Gettysburg, Pennsylvania), 10 February 1912, page 1:

Fumigation Completed and if no New Cases Appear Work will be Resumed on Monday Morning. Clothes also Fumigated.

Should there be no further appearance of diphtheria the High street school building will be reopened on Monday morning and the work in all the schools resumed. Both the children who have the disease are getting along well and their early recovery is expected.

The fumigation of the building was completed on Wednesday and the rooms and halls, all of which underwent the process, will now be given several days for ventilation. The books of the children who have diphtheria were burned and none of their effects remains in the place.

Many parents heeded the request of the School Board and sent their children's clothing to the building where the clothes were fumigated at the same time as the rooms. Others did the work at home.

No further violations of the quarantine regulations have been reported and the precautions taken on all sides seem to have accomplished the desired result.

Subscribers with access to the Historical Newspapers Collection can view this clipping.

Subscribe to the Historical Newspapers Collection at Ancestry.com.

Fast Fact
Upcoming Online Genealogy Classes at MyFamily.com

For $29.95 (unless otherwise marked), each class includes:

• Four weeks of lessons and interaction with a genealogy expert.
• 30-day free access to applicable Ancestry.com collections. (For details on which collections will be available, see the individual class descriptions.)
• Tips and advice on how to find ancestors online.
• Lessons through site interaction and worksheets.
• Ability to create your family tree using Online Family Tree software and downloadable genealogy forms.
• Collaboration with other site members to grow your family tree over the course of a year.

To learn more about these classes, see George G. Morgan's article from the 11 July 2003 Ancestry Daily News.

Upcoming Classes

• Genealogical Research on the Internet
  16 February 2006 with George G. Morgan
• Advanced Family Tree Maker
  16 February 2006 with Cindy Rowzee
• Intermediate Slovak Research
  23 February 2006 with Lisa Alzo
• Intermediate Eastern Europe Research
  23 February 2006 with Lisa Alzo
• Northeastern United States Research
  23 February 2006 with Cindy Rowzee
• Writing My Family History/Newsletter
  23 February 2006 with Cindy Rowzee
  

More Classes

• Jewish Internet Research, 02 March 2006
• Basic Family Tree Maker 2006, 09 March 2006
• Scottish Research, 09 March 2006
• Immigration and Naturalization Research, 23 March 2006

Click here for the complete list of genealogy classes with links. Click here for investigative courses.

Product Spotlights

		Printed Sources: A Guide to Published Genealogical Records edited by Kory Meyerink Normally, this book retails for $49.95, but today you can buy it in the Shops@Ancestry.com for $39.95.

Thought for Today
Coretta Scott King

"The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members."