“Dealing with the Challenges of

African American Genealogy Research"Shelley Viola Murphy, aka

“Familytreegirl”Family History

Fredericksburg, VirginiaMarch 5, 2016

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OverviewGet it together? People of Color –Identified as…What are you looking for?Genealogy ChallengesAfrican American Research Records and ResourcesGPS?Timelines and Research plansMurphy’s SO WHAT-Analyzing recordsWhat’s next, bring it all together

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Genealogy Pox?Once the genealogy bug bites you, it will become an all-encompassing monster. You will become obsessed! You can’t stop. You will suffer from the disease called the “genealogy pox”!

Ref: Black Roots Tony Burroughs, pg.44

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If you are not Organized…you’ll become frustrated and quit, or duplicate research you’ve already done

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You will become successful in collecting pieces of paper..

If you do not have a system for filing, saving, or retrieving.

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What goes Out Must come INWhether you're writing to a cousin or to a county

clerk three states away, tracking all of your pending information requests is crucial.

Keep copies of all the letters/emails you send — they act as records of what you requested when, and how much.

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Don’t assume anything

Spelling doesn’t count in genealogy

Write down the different spellings of the surnames (Goens/Goins/Goings/Gowins/Gowens/Gowings)

Ask questions, document, document…

Research the entire family*

Don’t assume all African-Americans have Native American roots

Prove your research, learn about the area you are researching

Chat with those who have done it

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What are you looking for?

Your goal?

Has someone in your family already completed some research?

Do you have the time? Have you considered the costs?

9Unknown developer, pulled from Facebook 9/25/2015

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Common Genealogy Challenges

Records not recorded/written, not recorded into public record

Records destroyed Denial-don’t want to know, it’s the past Don’t want to share the information Received information that is not the truth or

reliable-questionable Oral History Do you really have a brick wall/challenge? If doing slave research and they went deep south You don’t know what you have-no analysis was

done on the records (SO WHAT)

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Talking Stories, Oral history, InterviewsThe NOT’S cause more challenges

Not using the tools available (try Tony Burrough's book, Ancestry.com, familysearch.org, other online resources, etc.) Not Documenting properly Not listening (you must Listen, Listen, Listen for clues of local history, etc. What they heard is different than what they witnessed) Know when to shut up! Not asking for for permission to record Not knowing how & and what questions to ask (think about what you are looking for)

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People of Color –Identified as…

Col’d=colored

Cold=colored

M=Mulatto

B=Black

A=Africa

Free persons of color (FPC)

N…

Yellow

Darkies

Dark blotches

Free Mixtures

Free Negroes

Non-white

Free Negroes chargeable with tax

Free Blacks chargeable with tax

Person(s) of Color

Very Black

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African American Research

Research for African-American ancestors begins just like any other search for ancestors; you have to begin with what you know, what you don’t know, and then ask yourself who would know? Then you need to step outside the box and begin researching.

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Tips on Combating Bricks walls

Know the Records and Resources

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Vital Stats records: birth, death, marriage, divorce

Public records-probate, wills, deeds, tax lists, personal property list, mortgages, bill of sales

Media Records-newspaper, Obits, Funeral notices

Military Records

Headstones, cemetery records

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Federal Census, Schedules

Agriculture, Mortality, etc. U.S. Federal Population: 1790 -1940 1890 Veteran’s Schedules Slave Schedules (1850 & 1860) 1930 Merchant Seaman, Military

records

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Glimpse at the Freedman Records

http://mappingthefreedmensbureau.com (Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands):provided assistance to tens of thousands of former slaves, free, and impoverished whites in the Southern States and the District of Columbia. (gov’t) (RG 105)Freedman’s Savings & Trust Company(1865-1874) RG 101Southern Claims Commission (1871-1880)-claims of Southern Loyalists who had “furnished stores and supplies for the use of the U.S. Army” during the Civil War. (RG 217)www.archives.govBlack Family Research Post Civil War http://www.archives.gov/publications/ref-info-papers/rip108.pdf

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Typical locations for African-American Records

Census Records, 1860 Slave Census & 1850 Slave Census

Bibles, Letters, Property Records-Owners, Oral history

Wills, Bill of Sale, Obits, Headstones

References, books, dissertations

Attic, basements, under the bed, boxes, etc.

1870 Census ***

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1870 CensusTaken in June 18701st census to have details on Blacks and immigrantsDifferent schedules for 1870:General Population, Mortality, AgricultureName, Age, Sexcolor (including Chinese and Indian)citizenship for males over 21profession, occupation or tradevalue of real estate ownedvalue of personal estate

place of birth

whether father and mother were foreign born

born within the year

married within the year

attended school within the year

whether able to read and write (for persons 10 years old and over)

whether deaf and dumb, blind, insane or idiotic

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more… Recorded property records-inventories, tax records-

Courthouse Historical societies, libraries, archives, attic’s Look for the plantation owner-who were the

neighbors? FAN principle (E. Shown Mills) Plantation owner-find out if there is any information

regarding the plantation in local city or county records, historical society

Look for plantation owner descendants-maybe they are looking

Google “surnames”and properties, look for historical events.

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Locate others searching the same surname and areas

Wills, estate records, manumission (freeing of a slave) documents, inventories, bill of sales, insurance records

Church and religious affiliation, check library records, special collections

National archives-records that pertain to American Slavery and the International Slave Trade: (http://www.archives.gov/research/african-americans/slavery-records.html

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And more…National & State Archives

Library of Congress (two booklets)

State Libraries, College Libraries, local libraries

Newspapers and Historical Societies

Join listserv’s, social media (Facebook, twitter), webpages (rootsweb, afrigeneas)

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Know the law-did the State require POC to register and pay a fee?

Emancipation papers (freeing a person from someone else)

Slave narratives, families genealogy records

Plantation records (check out Edward Ball’s book)

City and County directories

Public notices or records, local courthouse and city hall’s

Find resources where Slave research has been successful…

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Follow the…MoneyLandWaterFaith of the people

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Know Online Resourceshttp://www.afrigeneas.com/

http://www.familysearch.org

http://freedmensbureau.com/

http://www.cyndislist.com/african.htm

http://www.accessgenealogy.com/african/

http://www.ancestry.com

http://geneasearch.com/more.htm

http://www.fold3.com/

http://www.rootsweb.com/

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Afrigneas.com ForumsAfrican-Native American Genealogy ForumSlave ResearchFree People of Color

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Some Virginia Slave Records-Google

http://www.accessgenealogy.com/african/virginia/

Limited Slave records in VA collected by P. A. Miller (by county): http://home.comcast.net/~p.a.miller/genealogy/docs/slaverecords/va.htm

Runaway records-http://people.uvawise.edu/runaways/

http://etext.virginia.edu/subjects/runaways/1740s.html

http://www.lva.virginia.gov

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Library of Virginia (info taken from LVA website)WPA Life Histories Collection-fully–searchable index with images to approximately 1,350 life histories, social–ethnic studies, and youth studies plus more than 50 interviews with former slaves which were created by the staff of the Virginia Writers' Project.Chancery Records Index: Cases in chancery often address estate and business disputes, debt, the resolution of land disputes, and divorce. District Courts (1789–1808), Superior Courts of Chancery (1802–1831), Circuit Superior Courts of Law and Chancery (1831–1851), and Circuit Courts (1852–present).

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Library of VirginiaCo-habitation Registers: A cohabitation register, or as it is properly titled, Register of Colored Persons…cohabiting together as Husband and Wife on 27th February 1866, was the legal vehicle by which former slaves legitimized both their marriages and their children. Legislative Petitions Digital Collection: Petitions to the General Assembly were the primary catalyst for legislation in the Commonwealth from 1776 until 1865. Public improvements, military claims, divorce, manumission of slaves, division of counties, incorporation of towns, religious freedom, and taxation were just some of the concerns expressed in these petitions

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Know about Blogs and more resources

Blogtalkradio, Research at the National Archives and Beyond-BennettGeneaBloggers, Rootsrevealed, etc.Legal GenealogistAfrican Roots PodcastWho is Nicka Smith?Google is your friendFamilytreegirl.com

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Things you need to know!Law & the Community history

FAN method (Friends, Associates & Neighbors) by Elizabeth Shown Mills

Get a map

Don’t rely on what is Online

Get on the Road (court house, cemetery, etc.)

Put a hold on looking for people of color if you think they might have been slaves

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More Tips to Combat the Challenges

Join and participate in a genealogical society, group…use the Family History Center

Attend genealogy training, webinars, and conferences (keep a record of your attendance)

Share your experiences-blog, letters, etc. Volunteer Join social media realm Ask for help & Set up sharing time Follow the GPS Build your timeline**

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Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS) 5-steps1. Conduct a reasonably exhaustive search for all information

that is or maybe pertinent to the identity, relationship, event, or situation in question

2. Collect and include in your compilation a complete, accurate citation to the source or sources of each item of information we use.

3. Analyze and correlate the collected information to assess its quality as evidence

4. Resolve any conflicts caused by items of evidence that contradict each other or are contrary to a proposed (hypothetical) solution to the question; and,

5. Arrive at a soundly reasoned, coherently written conclusion.

GPS from http://bcgcertification.org

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GPS at work=An Exhaustive Search

GOAL: to find out where Govan Cureton was born. Different locations in different census (1870-1920)- North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee1924 record of his son Carl, said his father was born in Norfolk VADeath record, wife is the informant, died in 1928 in IndianaCemetery information birth is Greenville, SC

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Was there an exhaustive search done?

YesNoMaybe

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No, where’s the evidence?

No actual birth recordCensus are most inaccurate documents we have but a good lead resource, point in tieDeath record-others provided the information

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Murphy’s SO WHAT-Analyzing records

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So What=Questions & Analyzing

Ask questions, what about others in the family-birth, death, marriage records, wills, and registrations, etc.Question the document, what law was in place?Did not locate a birth recordDid locate a death record of a daughter and the informant was her father, Govan CuretonGovan says “he” was born in Tennessee!

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Set a goalGet organizedKnow your records and resourcesJoin groupsDevelop a timeline & build the PlanBreaking down the challengesTell the story!

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Bringing it all together America is not at peace with slavery. This

will be emotion during times African American research will take a little

bit longer in most cases. Tell your stories, genealogy research never

ends…stick to the basics… Realize that all genealogy research has brick

walls and challenges and the best thing to do is keep asking questions…

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Thank you and good luck!

“Know your roots they are long and strong”

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InformationContact: keli1@aol.comFind me on Facebook: Shelley Murphy, living in Paris, France or Central VA History Researchers, Afro-American Historical Genealogical Society (AAHGS) Central Virginia Chapter, Midwest African American Genealogy Institute (MAAGI)Twitter: @familytreegirlTelephone: 434-806-7433www.familytreegirl.com