Celebrate Black History Month by researching your African American family history!
To research your African American roots back to 1870, the process will be the same as anyone else’s.
Genealogy is a little like detective work. You have to piece together information about your family, working backwards through time and using resources such as interviews with family members, birth certificates, family Bibles, obituaries, and other records.
Library databases such as Ancestry Library Edition, Fold3 Library Edition, and Black Life in America can help you fill in the gaps. You can find these and other resources on our Genealogy & Local History webpage.
When your ancestors were enslaved, tracing your family tree past 1870 can be very challenging. That’s because enslaved people were often not named in official records.
However, more and more records and family trees are now online, making it easier to find enslaved ancestors. See below for a selection of resources to help you learn how to begin your research.
Visit our African American Genealogy webpage for even more resources.
Introductions to African American Genealogy
African American Genealogical Research
This Library of Congress video provides a good overview of how to begin your research.
Needles and Threads: Piecing Together African American Families
Explore the many areas of African American research you may be overlooking and provide some answers to puzzles you may have in your own family history. Sign up for a free account on Ancestry Academy to begin this course.
African American Genealogy
A guide to getting started with African American genealogy and an overview of resources available at the New York Public Library.
Researching Kentucky African American Ancestors
Black Ancestor Database
A database of “over 90,000 records about Black people, both enslaved and free, who lived throughout Kentucky. It includes data from censuses, wills, tax records, religious records, and military sources.”
Kentucky U.S. Colored Troops Database
This database from Reckoning, Inc. focuses on “the lives of African American men who either enlisted in the Union Army in Kentucky, or were born in Kentucky and enlisted elsewhere.” The project aims to create in-depth records for all of these soldiers.
USCT Muster and Descriptive Roll for KY 7th, 8th and 9th Districts
United States Colored Troops muster rolls from the Kentucky Historical Society.
Notable Kentucky African Americans Database
Brief entries of notable African Americans with Kentucky roots. A project of Reinette Jones and the University of Kentucky Libraries.
Free African American Owners of Enslaved Persons in 1830 Kentucky
This list is available on the Notable Kentucky African Americans Database.
African American Genealogy Group of Kentucky
A membership organization dedicated to sharing “strategies and findings” in African American genealogy.