African American Genealogy Research
Researching ancestors who were enslaved presents numerous challenges for families. This guide presents a variety of resources to help those beginning the process of creating a family history and those who are interested in continuing their research. Some resources require a Jefferson College ID or Jefferson College Library Community Card; these have been noted in most cases. Other resources are freely available.
Image: Library of Congress https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/african/afam005.html
Family Search’s Guide to African American Genealogy
Family Search offers this guide to help those researching African American family histories.
Jefferson County History Center Resources
- Jefferson County History Center & ArchivesThis guide provides information about using the spaces and resources of the Jefferson County History Center located in the Jefferson College Library.
- Jefferson County Circuit Court RecordsSearch Case Index for known names of persons who owned slaves. Search the Case File Table for words such as slave or negro. See associated case numbers and names.
- Jefferson County Circuit Court RecordsThese records were processed and digitized through a partnership with the Local Records Project through the Missouri Secretary of State's Office.
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. on DNA Testing
As host of the PBS series Finding Your Roots, Gates tells celebrities about their family history. He reflects on his own history and some of the more controversial aspects of DNA testing.
Missouri State Archives: What's Your Story?
- Missouri State ArchivesFive-Part Video Series on African American Genealogy in Missouri
U.S. Government Documents
- Black family research : records of post-Civil War federal agencies at the National Archiveshttps://www.archives.gov/files/publications/ref-info-papers/rip108.pdf
- Generations past : a selected list of sources for Afro-American genealogical research / compiled by Sandra M. Lawson.https://www.loc.gov/rr/genealogy/bib_guid/Generations.pdf
Mapping Slavery
Image:A View of the Slave Population of the Several Counties of Missouri, Showing the Whole Number of Slaves in Each County
Description: "This map by Leigh shows visually that Missouri was not split over slavery north to south or east to west, from 1820 and before, slavery followed the Missouri River valley and rich agricultural and industrial heartland of the state out of St. Louis, straight to Kansas City."
From Bird's-eye Views of Slavery in Missouri / by E. Leigh, M.D. St. Louis: Woods et al, 1862.
Image Source: Saint Louis Mercantile Library at the University of Missouri Saint Louis.
Burns v Eastwood Sale of Enslaved Persons--1854 Jefferson County Circuit Court
The complete file pertaining to this case can be viewed online here. You may also visit the Jefferson County History Center at Jefferson College Library to view the original file. This, and other cases, can be used to find family connections and stories. Though not numerous, the files from the Jefferson County Circuit Court held in the Jefferson County History Center contain important information for those who wish to learn more about the role of slavery in the county.
Tips for finding records containing family members who were enslaved.
- Research slave owner and slavery history
- Runaway slave advertisements and legal notices
- Bounty lists
- Freedmen’s Bureau: Established in the War Department by an act of March 3, 1865 the Bureau supervised all relief and educational activities relating to refugees and freedmen, including issuing rations, clothing, and medicine.
- Federal Slave Census Records
- African American Experience This link opens in a new windowExplore African American history, art, culture, literature, music, film, sports, business, politics, education and other subjects. This database includes primary documents, articles from reference books, images and authoritative web links.
Getting Started
- Afro-American Historical and Genealogical SocietyAAHGS was founded in 1977 in Washington, DC by a small group of historians and genealogists, who felt a need to share resources and methodology for pursuing historical and genealogical research. For more than 43 years, our members have worked together to trace the historical ties that bind us one to another, mold the present, and shape the future.
- Digital Library on American SlaveryThe Digital Library on American Slavery (DLAS) is an expanding resource compiling independent collections focused upon race and slavery in the American South, made searchable through a single, simple interface. DLAS houses tens of thousands of records relating to all 15 slave states and Washington, D.C. as well as a number of northern states. DLAS contains detailed personal information about over 100 thousand individuals, including enslaved people, enslavers, free people of color, and more.
- Enoch Pratt Free Library’s Guide to African American GenealogyAre you trying to find your roots? If you’re running into some brick walls with your genealogical research, or just don’t know how to get started, this guide should be helpful to you.African American genealogical research is different from other ethnic backgrounds. Because slaves were considered property, they were prohibited from reading, writing, attending school, legally marrying, owning land, owning a business, voting, and participating in many other activities that generate records on which much genealogical research is based.
- International African American Museum’s Center for Family HistoryThis is a one of a kind, unprecedented research center with a special focus on African American genealogy at one of our country’s most sacred sites.
The Center for Family History supports IAAM’s goal of becoming a unique center of learning through the development of resources and programs to help individuals and families advance their understanding of their family’s history and the role their ancestors played in shaping American history.
- African American Life in St Louis, 1804-1865Enslaved persons throughout the United States did not often willingly accept their condition. Many courageously sought their freedom through several avenues, ranging from radical efforts like slave insurrections, physical escape and even suicide to more moderate but equally courageous paths such as self-purchase (emancipation using money earned on Sundays and through self-hire) and suing for their freedom in court.
Jefferson College Library Genealogy & History Databases
These resources are available to all Jefferson College students, faculty, and staff. They are also available onsite to the public and offsite to those with Jefferson College Community Library cards. Please call 636-481-3166 for information about how to obtain a library card.
- Accessible Archives This link opens in a new window"Accessible Archives, Inc. was founded in 1990 with the goal of utilizing computer technology to make available vast quantities of archived historical information, previously furnished only in microformat, hard copy form or as images only. In pursuit of this vision, primary source material has been selected to reflect a broad view of the times, and has been assembled into databases with a strict attention to detail allowing access to specific information with pinpoint accuracy. Our online full-text search capability and digital imaging permits the user to search and manipulate this information in ways never before possible."
- African American Experience This link opens in a new windowExplore African American history, art, culture, literature, music, film, sports, business, politics, education and other subjects. This database includes primary documents, articles from reference books, images and authoritative web links.
- Ancestry Library This link opens in a new windowAncestry library provides indexing and search options for public records from the 1950 census back to vital, military, and immigration records. Also includes city directories, tax, criminal and land records, birth, marriage and death records.
- Fold3 This link opens in a new windowFold3® provides convenient access to military records, including the stories, photos, and personal documents of the men and women who served. The records at Fold3 help you discover and share stories about these everyday heroes, forgotten soldiers, and the families that supported them. On Fold3, you can combine records found on the site with what you have in your own albums and shoeboxes to create an online memorial for someone who served. The Fold3 name comes from a traditional flag folding ceremony in which the third fold is made in honor and remembrance of veterans who served in defense of their country and to maintain peace throughout the world.
- HeritageQuest This link opens in a new windowCollection of unique material for both genealogical and historical researchers, with coverage dating back to the late 1700s. Use HeritageQuest to find your ancestors, trace their paths across America, and learn what life was like in the areas where they settled.
Jefferson County History Center at Jefferson College Library
Photo:Section 3 at CCC Co. 1743 – De Soto, MO (courtesy Missouri State Parks)
The mission of the Jefferson County History Center is to encourage an interest in the Historical Culture of Jefferson County by collecting, preserving and making available materials of historical value related to the development of Jefferson County and the history of its people. A variety of print and online tools are available to researchers
1850 & 1860 Jefferson County Slave Schedules
1850 Jefferson County, MO Slave Census
1860 Jefferson County, MO Slave Census
Prior to 1850 slaves were enumerated on the general population schedule. The 1850 census included separate enumerations of slaves. These schedules list names of slave owners; how many slaves they owned; the enslaved person’s age, color, and sex; whether they were a fugitive from the state or whether they had been manumitted; whether the enslaved person was deaf, dumb, blind, insane, or idiotic. Slave names were NOT listed in 1850.
The 1860 slave schedule adds a column for the number of slave houses on the property. Also, census enumerators were instructed to include the names of slaves who were 100 years old or older. Only about half of those over 100 actually included names. A list of the 43 slaves in Missouri who were 100 years old or older was compiled by RootsWeb. To view the list, open this PDF 
.
PBS—African American Lives: Listening to our Past
This 2005 series explores the lives of African Americans, including how the history of slavery makes genealogy research challenging. It is a precursor to the popular “Finding Your Roots” program hosted by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. It is available through Films on Demand or from PBS.It is available in the Library and off-campus to current Jefferson College faculty, staff, and students and community card holders.
- Films on Demand This link opens in a new windowFilms on Demand is a streaming video database of thousands of high-quality educational titles in dozens of subject areas from producers such as Films for the Humanities & Sciences, NOVA, BBC, ABC, CBS, MSNBC, The History Channel, Open University, TEDTalks and WideAngle.
Books & eBooks @ Jefferson College
Research like a pro with DNA : a genealogist's guide to finding and confirming ancestors with DNA evidenc by ISBN: 9781732188129Publication Date: 2021
Index to Records of Ante-Bellum Southern Plantations by ISBN: 9780786439904Publication Date: 2009-09-09
