GENEALOGY
Tracing hidden roots
How to uncover African American heritage
D
o you have African American heritage and wonder how to begin your research? Because enslaved people didn’t have legal rights prior to 1865, it can be difficult to track their lives through census, birth, marriage, and death records. But there are other records that can help. more. These hundreds of thousands signatures and images of original In 1865, Congress created the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and of documents provide a view into the forms required to open an account. Abandoned Lands, commonly referred lives of the newly freed. Ancestry.com The questions asked on each form varied by branch, but the common offers this digitized collection for free to as the Freedmen’s Bureau, a federal information included name, date of agency intended to reunite the country at ancestry.com/cs/freedmens transaction, birthplace, residence, Bank records are also useful to and help formerly enslaved people age, occupation, spouse, children, research African American heritage. transition to freedom. The Bureau was and parent’s information. The earliest responsible for providing aid to more Freedman’s Savings and Trust Company than four million people. In operation was incorporated in 1865 by President records sometimes contain names of Abraham Lincoln. Its purpose was to former owners as well as plantation until 1872, the bureau opened name. Ancestry.com has digitized this schools, managed hospitals, supplied create an institution where formerly enslaved people and their dependents collection as well. Find it at ancestry. food and clothing, assisted soldiers and sailors in securing back pay, and could save money safely. Before it com/search/collections/8755/ Finally, ancestry.com also offers performed legal marriages. Along the closed in 1874, there were deposits of more than $57 million from 70,000 another free database, Interviews with way, it gathered personal data about the people it served, including labor depositors. Many of these bank Formerly Enslaved People, 1936-1938 records have survived and are indexed that contains more than 2,300 first contracts, rations, apprenticeships, letters, marriage information, and in a database that includes depositor person accounts of slavery along with
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www.foreveryoungwny.com | June 2022
CAROL DIPIRRO-STIPKOVITS hundreds of black and white photos. Cowboys, field hands, and domestic workers share stories about everything from treatment by owners to views of everyday life. This collection is organized by state and the first page of each includes a list of the informants’ names. The stories give a gutwrenching view of slavery and is worth checking out at ancestry.com/search/ collections/1944. Researching our ancestors can be rewarding but also frustrating. Those with African American ancestors are faced with an extra layer of complexity as many records are incomplete or even non-existent. That makes surviving records all the more valuable for the information they reveal. FY Carol DiPirro-Stipkovits is a member of the National Genealogical Society and Association of Professional Genealogists. She has a monthly column in the Niagara Gazette and Forever Young. Send questions or comments to noellasdaughter@gmail.com.
