How to Trace African Roots

One of the more challenging genealogies to trace has been African ancestries. The lack of records kept by the slave trade left many people without a connection to the homeland of their ancestors. Thanks to Alex Haley's "Roots," and the many people interested in tracing their African roots, that is changing.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

1. Talk to your oldest relatives about the family. Ask what they recall about different family members, dates and places. Family reunions are a good source of information. Ask about burial places, churches, schools and other groups that family members belonged to.

2. Join a group like the African American Historical and Genealogical Society. African American genealogy and historical groups like AfriGeneas or websites like the African-Native American Genealogy pages can provide many resources and support in your quest. Attend seminars about African American genealogy to gain the latest information on accessing information about ancestors during slavery.

3. Search 20th-century records for information to help you trace African roots, including military databases, voting records and agricultural census records if your ancestors were farmers. The 1880 census was the first to list African Americans. Few marriages were recorded until the 1930s, and then many records were segregated.

4. Check out siblings of grandparents and great-grandparents if you get stuck. Sometimes you'll find more clues about your direct lineage if you check other relatives. Do more than get the facts. Learn the stories behind the facts. That's what makes genealogy such a fascinating hobby--the ability to get a sense of the people who came before you.

5. Dig a little deeper for information during the slavery era. AfriGeneas has a slave data collection. Additionally, some slave owners recorded information that might have found its way into archives or museums. The largest collection of plantation records is on microfilm as "Records of Antebellum Southern Plantations from the Revolution through the Civil War" by Kenneth M. Stampp. See if you can gain access through a genealogy or historical society library, such as the LDS Family History Library.

6. Trace your African roots through DNA testing at African Ancestry. The test compares your DNA with that of samples of people in Africa to find the right connection that will tell you what tribe and part of Africa your ancestors came from. Two different tests are available: one looks at maternal DNA and the other, paternal DNA. Both tests work with cells from the inside of your cheek and your gums.

Resources

• Find out what your DNA says.
• Use Afrigeneas to search for African roots.
• LDS Family History Centers
• Check the African-Native American site for both ancestries.