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African American Genealogy: 2. Preliminary Research

This guide provides a beginner's introduction to African American Genealogy research, as well as an overview of available resources at the New York Public Library and beyond.

Why Use Handbooks?

In general genealogy research can be time-consuming and at times taxing. This is especially true when it come to African American Genealogy research. The African American experience creates many roadblocks to genealogy research for example, families were split up and sold and re-sold during slavery making lineages difficult to trace. Also, African Americans were not always counted accurately during the census. Luckily many professional genealogists and historians have developed excellent resources on conducting African American Genealogy research. It is wise to review a few guides or take some introductory classes before jumping into public records and genealogy databases. Referencing these resources will help to prevent you from falling into certain common pitfalls and assist in getting around common barriers. Here are some guides and other resources that might be helpful.

African American Genealogy Handbooks

This list is only a sampling of the handbooks available that specifically focus on the methods of conducting African American Genealogy research. 

Local Genealogy Handbooks

State-specific handbooks might cover the laws and processes on accessing death and birth records, which vary by state. On a more local level, writing on counties and towns can lead to where certain records are stored, such as churches and funeral homes. Below are some samples of local histories and genealogy hanbooks. 

Professional Organizations

Subject Headings

African Americans -- Genealogy -- Handbooks, manuals, etc.

African Americans -- Genealogy -- Bibliography.​

African Americans -- Genealogy -- Periodicals.

New York -- Genealogy.

Genealogy How-To Books: How a Little Reading Can Save You A Lot Of Time

To learn more about using how-to books, take a look at the blog post, Genealogy How-To Books: How a Little Reading Can Save You A Lot Of Time by Reference Librarian, Susan Kriete.