Black Genealogy

Maryland African American Genealogy

African American Genealogy online research is much more difficult due to the scant nature of record keeping for African American’s prior to the Civil War. This is the reason for creating a separate section for African Americans much like we have for Native Americans who’s research can also be hampered by the available records. The links below provide an accurate reflection of what is available to be searched for African American genealogy. Conducting successful African American genealogical research can be a challenging adventure. In recent years, the challenge has been lessened and the adventure heightened by the growing body of … Read more

Maine African American Genealogy

African American Genealogy online research is much more difficult due to the scant nature of record keeping for African American’s prior to the Civil War. This is the reason for creating a separate section for African Americans much like we have for Native Americans who’s research can also be hampered by the available records. The links below provide an accurate reflection of what is available to be searched for African American genealogy. Conducting successful African American genealogical research can be a challenging adventure. In recent years, the challenge has been lessened and the adventure heightened by the growing body of … Read more

Louisiana African American Genealogy

African American Genealogy online research is much more difficult due to the scant nature of record keeping for African American’s prior to the Civil War. This is the reason for creating a separate section for African Americans much like we have for Native Americans who’s research can also be hampered by the available records. The links below provide an accurate reflection of what is available to be searched for African American genealogy. Conducting successful African American genealogical research can be a challenging adventure. In recent years, the challenge has been lessened and the adventure heightened by the growing body of … Read more

Louisiana African American Census Records

Census online research should begin with what is available online for free. If this proves fruitful then congratulations! If not, then I would suggest signing up for the online census images (links to the right) where you can access all the available online Florida census information directly from your computer at home. You should also check AccessGenealogy’s Census Records Hosted at USGenWeb Project, African American Census Assumption Parish 1845 Slave Schedule Assumption Parish Franklin Parish 1850 Slave Schedule Franklin Parish Jackson Parish 1880 Jackson Parish – Partial listing of African Americans Livingston Parish African Americans on the 1920 Livingston Parish … Read more

Louisiana Slave Records

Knowing the Slave owners will help the researcher in finding records for Slave Ancestors. Hosted at LAUSGenWeb Archives of African American Genealogy Louisiana Slave Sales, 1800-1832 Mabry/Maybery Slave Records Maryland Slaves Sold to Louisiana Plantation Owners Emancipation Freeing Thomas Jackson from Slavery Carroll Parish Inventory of Nancy Beiller Carroll Parish Slave Sales – 1848-1856 Carroll Parish Desoto Parish Collins Will Desoto Parish, Louisiana Interview’s with Mabry/Mayberry Slaves 1861 Slave Owners Desoto Parish Vanhook Slave Sale Union Parish Slave Records Mabry/Mayberry Family East Baton Rouge Parish Lost, Found & runaway Slave Ad-1861 East Baton Rouge Parish Auditors Office Report on Runaway … Read more

Louisiana African American Cemeteries

Cemeteries provide us with a unique link to our past. While many cemeteries contain a few African American graves, some are comprised of only African Americans. The following list shows  African American Cemeteries in Florida.  You should also check AccessGenealogy Cemeteries for additional listings. Hosted at African American Genealogy USGenWeb Allen Parish Kinder Cemetery St. Michael Cemetery Canada Memorial Gardens Choctaw Island Baptist Church Cemetery Calcasieu Parish Hi Mount Cemetery West Fork Cemetery Cameron Parish African American Gordon Cemetery Monk Cemetery Concordia Parish Vidalia City Cemetery Dunbart Plantation Cemetery Ferriday Cemetery Natchitoches Parish Allen Baptist Cemetery – Partial Listing Allen … Read more

The Republic of Liberia – Liberia History

The History of Liberia from this point on assumes a peculiar interest. The capacity and capabilities of the Negro are subjected to a crucial test. He is left fully freed from the control or influence of an alien race, in possession of a borrowed civilization, and of a borrowed political system of an advanced type, dependent on popular intelligence for its very existence. Can he maintain his position? Will he make further progress, developing along lines peculiar to his race and environment, and spreading a new civilization among the adjacent tribes? Or is he to lapse helplessly back into his … Read more

Historic Significance of Colonization – Liberia History

Colonization has come to be looked upon with unmerited indifference with an apathy which its history and achievements surely do not deserve. To some, perhaps the present condition of the republic seems a discouraging and inadequate return for the life and treasure lavished upon it; for others, hoping for a bloodless and gradual extinction of slavery, the civil war carried away the chief element of interest. Others still, who looked for a ready solution of the negro problem in this country, have gradually lost heart in the face of the increasing millions of the race. And so, some from one … Read more

As a Refuge to the Negro – Liberia History

It would be unnecessary to bring into review the causes that are operating daily to make the conditions of earning a living in America more difficult. However much or little credence we place in the Malthusian theory of the increase of population, in the doctrine of diminishing returns, or the iron law of wages, all thinking men are agreed that the country is already entering upon a new era. The period of expansion, of the taking up of new territory by the overflowing population of the older districts, is practically ended; future development will be intensive, the country will be … Read more

Introduction – Liberia History

There are but few more interesting spots in Africa than the little corner of the west coast occupied by the Republic of Liberia. It has been the scene of a series of experiments absolutely unique in history experiments from which we are to derive the knowledge upon which we must rely in the solution of the weighty problems connected with the development of a dark continent, and with the civilization of hundreds of millions of the human race. Many questions have arisen which have not been settled to our complete satisfaction. Is the Negro capable of receiving and maintaining a … Read more

Maryland In Liberia – Liberia History

The widespread interest awakened by the actual establishment of a permanent colony at Monrovia led to the formation of a number of State Colonization Societies, at first purely auxiliary to the central body, but later in some cases independent. The foundation of independent settlements at Bassa Cove and Sinou by the New York, Pennsylvania and Mississippi Societies, and their union in 1837 into the Commonwealth, has been considered. A much more important colony was founded by Maryland at Cape Palmas, which for years maintained its independence. In 1831, the Maryland State Colonization Society was formed. Active interest in the movement … Read more

As a Check to the Slave Trade – Liberia History

The coast upon which the colony was established had for several hundred years been one of the chief resorts of the slave dealers of the western shores of Africa. Their “factories” were situated at numerous points on both sides of the early settlements. The coast tribes, broken up and demoralized by the traffic, waged ceaseless wars for the sole purpose of obtaining for the trader a supply of his commodity. It was their only means of getting supplies of the products and manufactures of civilization; and, as we have seen, when they found the presence of the newcomers an obstacle … Read more

As a Step toward the Civilization of Africa – Liberia History

George Whitefield is said to have declared to Oglethorpe when lamenting his failure to exclude slavery from Georgia, that he was making a mistake: the Africans were much better off as slaves than in their native barbarism, and would receive a training that would enable them ultimately to return and civilize the land of their nativity. In this bold idea he anticipated one of the leading thoughts of the fathers of colonization, and, perhaps prophesied, a great migration which the world is yet to see. But to confine ourselves to the present and the strictly practical there is to the … Read more

The Colonization Idea – Liberia History

It is always a most interesting part of historic inquiry to search out the very earliest sources, the first feeble germ of the idea whose development we are investigating. It is difficult to decide from what one origin can be traced the continuous development of the idea which resulted in the birth of Liberia; but toward the close of the last century there arose a number of projects, widely differing in object and detail, which bore more or less directly upon it, each of which may be said to have contributed some special feature to the fully rounded and developed … Read more

Narrative – Lunsford Lane

The small city of Raleigh, North Carolina, it is known, is the capital of the State, situated in the interior, and containing about thirty six hundred inhabitants. Here lived MR. SHERWOOD HAYWOOD, a man of considerable respectability, a planter, and the cashier of a bank. He owned three plantations, at the distances respectively of seventy-five, thirty, and three miles from his residence in Raleigh. He owned in all about two hundred and fifty slaves, among the rest my mother, who was a house servant to her master, and of course a resident in the city. My father was a slave … Read more

Petition to the Legislature – Lunsford Lane

I then proceeded to get up a petition to the Legislature. It required much hard labor and persuasion on my part to start it; but after that, I readily obtained the signatures of the principal men in the place.—Then I went round to the members, many of whom were known to me, calling upon them at their rooms, and urging them for my sake, for humanity’s sake, for the sake of my wife and little ones, whose hopes had been excited by the idea that they were even now free; I appealed to them as husbands, fathers, brothers, sons, to … Read more

Prostrated all my Hopes – Lunsford Lane

This was a terrible blow to me; for it prostrated at once all my hopes in my cherished object of obtaining the freedom of my family, and led me to expect nothing but a separation from them forever. In order that the reader may understand the full force of the foregoing notice, I will copy the Law of the State under which it was issued: SEC. 65. It shall not be lawful for any free negro or mulatto to migrate into this State: and if he or she shall do so, contrary to the provisions of this act, and being … Read more

Returned to My Family – Lunsford Lane

After I had returned to my family, to their inexpressible joy, as they had become greatly alarmed for my safety, some of the persons who had participated in this outrage, came in (probably influenced by a curiosity to see how the tar and feathers would be got off) and expressed great sympathy for me. They said they regretted that the affair had happened—that they had no objections to my living in Raleigh—I might feel perfectly safe to go out and transact my business preparatory to leaving—I should not be molested. Meanwhile, my friends understanding that I had been discharged from … Read more

To The Reader – Lunsford Lane

I have been solicited by very many friends, to give my narrative to the public. Whatever my own judgment might be, I should yield to theirs. In compliance, therefore, with this general request, and in the hope that these pages may produce an impression favorable to my countrymen in bondage; also that I may realize something from the sale of my work towards the support of a numerous family, I have committed this publication to press. It might have been made two or three, or even six times larger, without diminishing from the interest of any one of its pages—indeed … Read more

Court Commenced it’s Session – Lunsford Lane

On the 18th of May, 1841, three days after the court commenced its session, I bid adieu to my friends in Raleigh, and set out for the city of New York. I took with me a letter of introduction and recommendation from Mr. John Primrose, a very estimable man, a recommendatory certificate from Mr. Battle, and a letter from the church of which I was a member, together with such papers relating to the affair as I had in my possession. Also I received the following: Raleigh, N.C. May, 1841. The bearer, Lunsford Lane, a free man of color, for … Read more