Black Ancestry Records Yield Surprises

Feb. 15, 2007 — To commemorate Black History Month, genealogists have just released the world’s largest collection of African-American family history records. The online, searchable collection, which consists of more than 55 million documents, have helped some trace their ancestors and, in at least one case, their ancestors' owners.

The records include U.S. Colored Troops service records, marriage records, World War I draft cards, slave narratives from 3,500 former slaves, photographs, Freedman’s Bank records documenting accounts held by slaves freed after the Civil War, Southern Claims Commission records and Freedmen’s Bureau records chronicling relief administered by the U.S. Department of War during the reconstruction period in 1865.

Megan Smolenyak, co-author of the book "Trace Your Roots with DNA: Using Genetic Tests to Explore Your Family Tree" and Chief Family Historian at Ancestry.com, added that the collection also includes 53 million African-American records in the U.S. Federal Census Collection spanning the years 1790-1930.

"Since African-American individuals were often described differently in each census, we’ve created a special filter that simultaneously looks for related terms, such as ‘black,’ ‘Negro,’ ‘mulatto,’ ‘half mulatto’ and so on," said Smolenyak, who found African-American relatives in her own family's tree.

She explained that black families in the past have faced multiple research obstacles related to a lack of detailed shipping records, families being split up during slavery and surname changes. Freed slaves would sometimes take on the last name of the plantation owner, but some elected to name themselves after a person they admired or a popular figure, such as "Washington."

The census, which is the building block for most family trees, created further difficulties, as slaves were only mentioned, often just by first name, from 1850-1860.

"A wall can exist before 1870, the first census in which former slaves are mentioned by their full names," said Smolenyak.

Filmmaker David Wilson used the online resources, along with other materials, to chart his own family’s history, which is chronicled in the feature film "Meeting David Wilson," scheduled for major release later this year.

One discovery, in particular, shocked him.

"I received a call from a county clerk whom I contacted and he said he found someone linked to me whose name is David Wilson," he told Discovery News. "I told him it had to be a mistake, because I’m David Wilson, but that also turned out to be the name of the ancestor of the family that kept my relatives as slaves."

The New Jersey-raised filmmaker traveled to North Carolina to visit the other David Wilson.

"It was very awkward," he explained. "I introduced myself by saying, ‘I’m David Wilson and I believe your family once owned mine.’ I wasn’t just representing myself, but my entire family down through history."

He added, "It was a very cleansing experience, however. A tremendous weight lifted from me. We’ve developed a good relationship, and I now feel more connected to this country and to my personal history."

He advises everyone, especially black Americans, to research their family’s history.

"You will find stories of incredible strength and courage in your family, since we are all living proof that our ancestors were survivors," Wilson said.

The African American ancestry records may be accessed for free over any three days in February at Ancestry.com.