A Student's Guide to African American Genealogy

200 Pages·1996·23.469 MB·English

by  Anne E. Johnson, Adam Merton Cooper

Oryx American Family Tree Series
A Student's Guide to
AFRICAN AMERICAN
Anne E. Johnson
Adam Merton Cooper
ORYX
Boston Putlit library

A
Student's Guide to
AFRICAN AMERICAN
Genealogy

Oryx American Family Tree Series
A
Student's Guide to
AFRICAN AMERICAN
Genealogy
By Anne E. Johnson
and Adam Meiton Cooper
Oryx Press
1996
—
Copyright 1996 by The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc.
Published in 1996 by The Oryx Press
4041 North Central at Indian School Road
Phoenix, Arizona 85012-3397
All rights reserved. No part ofthis publication may be reproduced
or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechan-
ical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information
storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing
from The Oryx Press.
Printed and bound in the United States ofAmerica
SThe paper used in this publication meets the minimum
requirements ofAmerican National Standard for Information
—
Science Permanence ofPaper for Printed Library Materials,
ANSI Z39.48, 1984.
Library ofCongress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Johnson, Anne E.
A student's guide to African American genealogy / by Anne E.
Johnson and Adam Merton Cooper.
—
p. cm. (The Oryx American family tree)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-89774-972-3
— —
1. Afro-American—s Genea—logy Handbooks, manuals, etc.
2. Afro-Americans History Bibliography. 3. Afro-Americans
—
Genealogy Bibliography. I. Cooper, Adam Merton. II. Title.
III. Series: Oryx American family tree.
E185.96.J57 1996
929,.l/08996073—dc20 95-41357
CIP
BR BR
El85. 96
.J57
1996
1 1
Contents
A
Chapter 1. Heritage to Celebrate, 1
Back to Africa, 4
Be Proud and Realistic, 6
Resources, 9
Starting Your Exploration, 9
African American Language and Culture, 1
African Language and Culture, 21
Chapter 2. Immigration in Chains, 25
The Modern Slave Trade, 25
Slave Life, 30
The End ofthe Slave Trade, 35
Resources, 38
Africa: Past and Present, 38
The Slave Trade, 44
Slavery and Slave Life, 46
Chapter 3. Freedom and the African Cultural
Diaspora, 49
The African Cultural Diaspora, 58
Resources, 61
Free Blacks and Freedmen, 61
Reconstruction and Modern History, 62
Success Stories, 65
Modern Immigration, 71
Video, 73
African American Theater, Film and Television, 74
African Films, 76
African American Films, 78
African Music, 80
African American Music, 81
African Dance, 86
African American Dance, 88
Chapter 4. Getting Started on Your Search, 91
Talking to Your Relatives, 9
Organizing Your Search, 93
Vi Content!
Graveyards, 98
Working in the Library, 99
Resources, 102
Searching in the United States: Manuals, Bibliographies, 102
Societies and Journals, 106
Attics and Heirlooms, 108
Graveyards, 110
Oral Tradition, 112
Chapter 5. The Census, and What It Doesn't Tell, 116
Interracial Unions, 122
Resources, 126
Chapter 6. Searching for Slaves, 131
County Deed Books, 132
Colored Troops, 133
Early Black Organizations, 134
Working Back Toward the Middle Passage, 137
Resources, 140
General References and Indexes, 140
Libraries, 142
Chapter 7. High-Tech Genealogy, 144
Resources, 147
Family History on Computer, 147
The Internet, 148
Chapter 8. Nontraditional Families and Family
Issues, 149
Resources, 152
Registers/Support Groups/Advocacy for Adoptees, 152
Adoption and Other Family Issues, 153
Chapter 9. Preserving Your Family History, 156
Family Tree, 156
Oral History, 157
Written History, 158
Resources, 161
Writing Your Family History, 161
Great Writing by African Americans, 162
Glossary, 166
Index, 168