How to Trace African Ancestry
For many descendants of enslaved Africans, tracing family roots back to Africa can be an arduous process. Because your African ancestors were stripped of their given birth names and documented as property instead of as immigrants or citizens, tracking your lineage back to Africa through official documents (as may be done relatively easy with your European ancestral roots) is often murky business. But even given these challenges, reaching this goal of tracing your family line back to the shores of Africa is not impossible.
- Difficulty:
- Moderately Challenging
Instructions
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Start with your immediate family. If both your mother and father are African-American, pick one line of your family lineage to trace. It's better to concentrate on one line at a time. Beginning with yourself, trace your (maternal or paternal) family lineage back as many generations as you can go. Document what you know, such as your parent's name; important dates in her life such as her birth date; important places such as where he was born; your parent's parents names and the information you know about them. Go back as far as you can on your own.
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Interview older relatives for information they might know. Names, birthdates, marriage dates, death dates, where ancestors attended school, church or groups they belonged to, places they lived, what they did for a living, if any were ever imprisoned, if they ever served in the military--are all important pieces of information that may lead you to outside document sources such as census records, military records, school records, church records, property records, union membership records, local newspapers, birth certificates and death certificates, licenses (such as marriage licenses), and more. Follow these leads back to the first generation of Black freedmen in your family.
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Determine who the last family was to act as owners to your last enslaved ancestor. Not all, but many freed slaves took the surnames of their former "masters." So start with that. Examine the 1870 census (the first to include former slave's last names). Find your ancestor, then look to see if he shares the name of any white family living in the same county. Often, freed families continued to live near their former owners, sometimes even continuing to work for them as employees or tenant farmers.
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Research the family history of your ancestor's slave owner(s) in tandem with your research about your actual relatives. Slaves were often kept within families, passed down through inheritances or loaned out or gifted to the children of slave owners. Exploring the records (such as property records and wills) of the people who "owned" your ancestors can offer clues to help you track your enslaved ancestral line.
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Post queries on various ancentry research websites. Interacting with other researchers who may share a common ancestor with you can save you time if they are willing to share their research with you.
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Do a DNA test. When the paper trail runs cold, advances in DNA analysis may make it possible to pick up pieces of the trail to your African heritage. Using DNA testing for genealogical research is still an evolving science, but it's advanced enough today to offer you remarkable insight into your family roots. DNA analysis can help you trace your family line back to the most probable African cultures you descend from, even if you don't yet have the documentation to associate this heritage with the name of a specific African ancestor(s). The cost of this analysis often runs from $200 to $300. Organizations like African Ancestry and Roots For Real offer genealogical DNA testing services.
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Tips & Warnings
For a small monthly fee, Ancestry.com has a substantial collection of records that can help you in your family research.
Be cautious of family trees you find online. Many errors that have found their way into family trees posted online have gravitated to related family trees as new researchers have built on the earlier, flawed research.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit beginning of the day in zanzibar, tanzania, africa image by Albo from Fotolia.com
