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Material Type | Library | Call Number | Suggested Age | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reference Material | Searching... Cabell County Public Library | 929.1 S | Adult | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
This volume provides easy step-by-step instruction for researching slave and free black ancestors pre- and post-Civil War. It introduces a systematic approach that should help eliminate months or years of aimless wondering.
Author Notes
Franklin Carter Smith received his Doctor of Jurisprudence from the University of Houston Law Center. He has been an avid family historian since 1977, having successfully traced his slave ancestry as far back as 1760
Emily Anne Croom is an active researcher, teacher, and lecturer in genealogy. She holds a master's degree in history and contributes articles to several genealogy periodicals, including Family Tree Magazine
Reviews (1)
Booklist Review
Smith, amateur historian, and Croom, author of several genealogy books, offer a helpful resource for overcoming the particular challenges and obstacles faced by African Americans doing genealogical searches. The book provides a three-part approach to researching family history. Part 1 covers the post^-Civil War era to the present, showing readers how to search census records and oral histories. Part 2 focuses on pre^-Civil War research, and part 3 offers case studies of how three African American families traced their ancestry. Smith and Croom begin by outlining the basic principles of genealogy and advise readers to talk with family elders at reunions and family gatherings. A chapter on special situations regarding black families points to manumission records, free black registers, and tax and land records. Other chapters focus on researching related slaveholding families and post^-Civil War mixed-race families. This book, which includes outlines, maps and other materials to assist in research, will be greatly appreciated by black readers searching for their family roots. --Vanessa Bush
Table of Contents
| Foreword | p. v |
| 1 In the Beginning | p. 1 |
| Basic Principles of Genealogy | |
| Two Basic Charts | |
| Tips for Success | |
| Creating a Knowledge Base | |
| Consult the Elders | |
| Family Gatherings, Reunions, and Funerals | |
| 2 Census Records | p. 15 |
| About Census Records | |
| Where to Find Census Records | |
| Using Census Records | |
| Indexes and Soundex | |
| A Case Study: The Search for Ancestors of Elizabeth "Lizzie" (Blount) Armstead | |
| 3 Federal Sources | p. 34 |
| Social Security Records | |
| Military Records | |
| Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands | |
| Freedman's Savings and Trust Company | |
| Federal Land Records | |
| NUCMC | |
| Southern Claims Commission | |
| 4 State, County, and Local Sources | p. 61 |
| State Records | |
| County Records | |
| Local Records | |
| Combining Records: The Case of William Collins | |
| Research Guides to the States | |
| 5 Special Situations | p. 86 |
| "Free Negroes" Before the Civil War | |
| Manumission Records | |
| Free Black Registers | |
| Census Records | |
| Guardianship Records | |
| Tax Rolls | |
| State Records | |
| Land Records | |
| Urban Free Blacks Before 1865 | |
| Native American Connections | |
| Immigrants | |
| For Further Reading: Free Persons of Color Before 1865 | |
| 6 What's in a Name? | p. 106 |
| Given Names | |
| Surnames | |
| A Case Study: One Crossley Family | |
| The Next Steps | |
| 7 Location, Location, Location | p. 118 |
| 1870 Families in the North or West | |
| 1870 Families in the South | |
| 1860 Census Schedules | |
| Using Land Records | |
| Miscellaneous Records | |
| On Location: A Study of Thomas Bowen | |
| 8 The Other Family | p. 129 |
| Studying the Slaveholder Candidate | |
| The Other Family: A Family Profile | |
| Case Study: Caldonia (Short) Hilson | |
| 9 The Search for Ancestors in Slaveholder Documents | p. 145 |
| The Slave as Chattel Property | |
| The Records | |
| Legal and Public Domain Records | |
| Deeds and Property Records | |
| Estate Documents | |
| Court Records | |
| Business and Personal Records | |
| Other Resources | |
| 10 Case Study: The Issue of Mixed Race | p. 163 |
| The Search for Henry Dotson | |
| The Post-Civil War Search | |
| The Pre-Civil War Search | |
| William Dotson, The Slaveholder | |
| William Dotson, The Father | |
| 11 Case Study: A Story of Triumph and Tragedy | p. 177 |
| The First Steps: Tracking Back to 1870 | |
| The Search for a Cluster in 1870 | |
| The Search for the Slaveholder | |
| Focus on Pre-Civil War Documents | |
| Epilogue | |
| 12 Case Study: All in the Neighborhood | p. 187 |
| Post-Civil War Research: Identifying Archie's Family | |
| The 1870 Community | |
| Pre-Civil War Research: Identifying the Slaveholder(s) | |
| A Candidate Family to Study | |
| The Parent Generation | |
| Appendix A Free and Slaveholding States and Territories in 1861 | p. 201 |
| Appendix B Federal Census, 1790-1930 | p. 208 |
| Which Census Reports ...? | |
| First Federal Census Available for Each State | |
| Appendix C State Archives | p. 211 |
| Appendix D National Archives and Regional Branches | p. 218 |
| Appendix E Blank Forms | p. 221 |
| Endnotes | p. 227 |
| Bibliography | p. 243 |
| Index | p. 245 |
