Genealogists Guide to Discovering Your African-American Ancestors

by Smith, Franklin Carter

• ISBN13: 9781558706057
• ISBN10: 1558706054
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-12-01
• Publisher: Betterway Books

Summary

Save time and frustration in the search for your ancestors with clear, practical guidance on the unique challenges of African-American genealogy. Expert genealogists Franklin Carter Smith and Emily Anne Croom have teamed up to provide successful strategies for tracing your African-American ancestors, whether you're just getting started or already have research experience.

Author Biography

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

Table of Contents

Foreword	v
In the Beginning	1	(14)
Basic Principles of Genealogy
Two Basic Charts
Tips for Success
Creating a Knowledge Base
Consult the Elders
Family Gatherings, Reunions, and Funerals
Census Records	15	(19)
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
Federal Sources	34	(27)
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
State, County, and Local Sources	61	(25)
State Records
County Records
Local Records
Combining Records: The Case of William Collins
Research Guides to the States
Special Situations	86	(20)
``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
What's in a Name?	106	(12)
Given Names
Surnames
A Case Study: One Crossley Family
The Next Steps
Location, Location, Location	118	(11)
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
The Other Family	129	(16)
Studying the Slaveholder Candidate
The Other Family: A Family Profile
Case Study: Caldonia (Short) Hilson
The Search for Ancestors in Slaveholder Documents	145	(18)
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
Case Study: The Issue of Mixed Race	163	(14)
The Search for Henry Dotson
The Post--Civil War Search
The Pre--Civil War Search
William Dotson, The Slaveholder
William Dotson, The Father
Case Study: A Story of Triumph and Tragedy	177	(10)
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
Case Study: All in the Neighborhood	187	(14)
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	201	(7)
Appendix B Federal Census, 1790--1930	208	(3)
Which Census Reports . . . ?
First Federal Census Available for Each State
Appendix C State Archives	211	(7)
Appendix D National Archives and Regional Branches	218	(3)
Appendix E Blank Forms	221	(6)
Endnotes	227	(16)
Bibliography	243	(2)
Index	245