African American Resources for Georgia

African American Online Genealogy Records

Online Resources
Record Collections 1742-1975 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection  1790-1860 U.S., Southeast Coastwise Inward and Outward Slave Manifests, 1790-1860 at Ancestry ($) 1828-1878 Georgia, Marriage Records From Select Counties, 1828-1978 at Ancestry ($)  1846-1867 U.S., Freedmen’s Bureau Marriage Records, 1846-1867 at Ancestry ($) 1861-1872 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection 1865-1872 at FamilySearch - images — How to Use this Collection  1865-1874 at FamilySearch How to Use this Collection 1867-1868 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection </li> 1867-1869 Georgia, Returns of Qualified Voters and Reconstruction Oath Books, 1867-1869 at Ancestry ($)</li> 1914-1927 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection </li> 1928-1940 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection </li> African American Digital Bookshelf - a growing list of digital books on FamilySearch and other websites</li> Discover Freedmen - this site searches all of the Freedmen's Bureau record collections on FamilySearch altogether (and redirects there)</li> Digital Archives Civil Rights Digital Library</li> Georgia's Virtual Vault </li> Lowcountry African is dedicated to documenting the family and cultural heritage of African Americans in the historic rice-growing areas of South Carolina, Georgia and extreme northeastern Florida</li> Lists of Sources Access Genealogy: Georgia African American Genealogy </li> Papers of the American Slave Trade: part 1, Port of Savannah Slave Manifests, 1790-1860</li>

Research Strategy

 * Dee Parmer Woodtor, Finding a place called home : a guide to African-American genealogy and historical identity. New York : Random House, ©1999. FS Library973 F2wd
 * Stacy Ashmore Cole, Abram Houston: Bridging the Gap from the 1870 Census to Slavery. A Liberty County, Georgia, Case Study Illustrating the Benefits of a Community-Focused Approach to Slavery Documentation Georgia Genealogical Society Quarterly 57 #1 (Spring 2021): 2-14. FS Library 975.8 B2ga v57 no. 1

History
Caldwell, Arthur Bunyan, History of the American Negro and His Institutions, Georgia Edition Volume 1 </li> Caldwell, Arthur Bunyan, History of the American Negro and His Institutions, Georgia Edition, Volume 2</li> The Black Side: a partial history of the business, religious, and educational side of the Negro in Atlanta, Ga. / by Edward R. Carter. - Atlanta:[s.n.], 1894/ - ix, 323 p. Micro 28148 F LC copy replaced by microfilm. </li> Homecoming: African-American Family History in Georgia / Carole Merritt. - [Atlant: African-American Family History Association, c 1982. - 122 p. E185.93G4 M47 1982 </li> Distinguished Negro Georgians. - Dallas: Royal Pub. Co., [1961]. - 203 p. E185.93 G4 T7 </li> Profiles of Black Georgia Baptists: two hundred and six years of Black Georgia Baptist History, one hundred years of national Baptist history as told by Clarence M. Wagner. - Gainesville, GA.: Wagner, c 1980. - 268 p. BX6444.G4 W33 </li> <li>Stewart, Roma Jones,  (Chicago, Illinois:Homeland, c1993)</li>
 * Julia Floyd Smith, Slavery and rice culture in low country Georgia, 1750-1860.Knoxville, Tennessee : University Press, c1985 FS Library 975.87 H6sm
 * Betty Wood, Slavery in colonial Georgia, 1730-1775Athens, Georgia : University of Georgia Press, c1984 FS Library 975.8 H6w

Cemeteries
<li>1852-1942 at FamilySearch; index — How to Use this Collection </li> <li>1866-2000 at FamilySearch; index and images — How to Use this Collection </li>

Plantation

 * Jean L. Cooper, comp., A Genealogical index to the guides of the microfilm edition of records of Antebellum southern plantations from the Revolution through the Civil War1st Books, c2003 FS Library 973 D22cj
 * African American Slavery and Bondage - Records of Ante-Bellum Southern Plantations from the Revolution through the Civil War

Law and Legislation

 * State slavery statutes Bethesda, Maryland : University Publications of America, c1989 FS Library Fiche 6118906 (31 fiche) Georgia, ca 1789-1865

Oral Histories

 * George P. Rawick, general editor ; Jan Hillegas, Ken Lawrence, editors, The American slave : A composite autobiography 30 volumes. Series 1-2 reprints of originals published in 1941. Westport, Connecticut : Greenwood Pub. Co., 1971-1977 FS Library 973 F2aa

Other Records
<li>Juan Madrazo v. Slaves and Cargo of the Isabelita and John Clark, Governor of Georgia, v. Negroes NAID 16611866 - National Archives</li>
 * Dawn Watson. Slave importation affidavit registers for nine Georgia counties, 1818 - 1847. Clayton, Georgia : Bone Diggers Press, c2012. FS Library 975.8 H6wd
 * Joann Martin. Slave bills of sale project. 2 vols. Atlanta, Georgia : African-American Family History Association, 1986. FS Library 975.8 F2sL

Newspapers

 * Last Seen: Finding Family After Slavery

Probate Records
<li> - lists of slaves can often be found in probate records — How to Use this Collection</li>

Garrett-Nelson, LaBrenda. Gleaning Information about Enslaved Ancestors from Probate Files NGS Magazine 48 #2 (April - June 2022): 23 –27. FS Library 973 D25ngs

Reconstruction Records
<li> at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection </li> <li>Georgia, Returns of Qualified Voters and Reconstruction Oath Books, 1867-1869 at Ancestry ($) - lists name, registration date, location, and race</li>

Freedman's Bank
An excellent source is the Freedman’s Savings and Trust Company (visit the African American Freedman's Savings and Trust Company Records page to learn more). This company was created to assist African American soldiers of the Civil War and freed slaves. Freedman’s Savings and Trust Company signature cards or registers from 3 March 1865 to 25 July 1874 may list the name of the depositor, date of entry, age, birthplace, residence, complexion, name of employer or occupation, wife or husband’s name, death information, children’s names, name of father and mother, brothers’ and sisters’ names, remarks, and signature. Early books sometimes contained the name of the former master or mistress and the name of the plantation. Copies of death certificates were sometimes attached to the entries. The collection is organized alphabetically by state, then city where the bank was located, then date the account was established, then account number.

Online collections of Freedman's Bank records:
 * at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
 * U.S., Freedman's Bank Records, 1865-1871 at Ancestry ($)

Freedmen's Bureau
The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands was created by the US government in 1865 until 1872 to assist former slaves in the southern United States. The Bureau created a wide variety of records extremely valuable to genealogists. Such documents include censuses, marriage records, and medical records. These records often include full names, former masters and plantations, and current residences. For 1865 and 1866, the section on abandoned and confiscated lands includes the names of the owners of the plantations or homes that were abandoned, confiscated, or leased. It gives the county and location, a description of the house, the number of acres owned, and the number of cabins of former slaves. These films do not appear to contain the names of former slaves.


 * Cimbala, Paul A. Under the guardianship of the nation : the Freedmen's Bureau and the reconstruction of Georgia, 1865-1870.Athens, Georgia : University of Georgia Press, ©1997.FS Library 975.8 H6c

To find Freedmen's Bureau records:

Other FamilySearch collections not included:
 * DiscoverFreedmen - the search on this site will utilize all of the Freedmen's Bureau records on FamilySearch, including:
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 * Images — How to Use this Collection
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 * Images. These reports primarily contain statistical and historical information — How to Use this Collection

Slavery Records

 * Martin, Joann and African-American Family History Association (Atlanta, Georgia), Slave Bills of Sale Project (Atlanta, Georgia;: African-American Family History Association, 1986) ;


 * Contents: Vol. 1. sect. 1. Atlanta, Augusta, Baldwin, Bartow, Bibb, Bryan -- v. 1. sect. 2. Burke -- v. 1. sect. 3. Campbell, Carroll, Cass, Chatham, Chattahoochee, Clarke, Cobb, Columbia, Columbus, Covington, Coweta, Dekalb, Dooly, Early, Elbert, Emanuel, Fayette, Floyd, Franklin, Fulton, Greene, Gwinnett, Hancock, Henry, Houston, Jasper, Jefferson, Jones, LaGrange, Liberty, Lincoln, Lowndes, Lumkin -- v. 2. sect. 1. Macon, Madison, Marion, McIntosh, Meriwether, Milledgeville, Monroe, Morgan, Murray, Muscogee, Oglethorpe, Perry, Pulaski, Putnam, Randolph, Richmond, Savannah, Spartanburg, Stewart, Sumter, Telfair, Troup, Twiggs, Upson, Walton, Washington, Whitfield, Wilkes -- v. 2. sect. 2. Unidentified counties -- v. 2. sect. 3. Freedmen and contractors. and contractors.


 * Cotner, Neal N. Extractions of Slaves' Names from Select Georgia and Alabama Wills (SLC, Utah, 1992) Extractions of slaves' names from wills of seven Traylor families of Troup, Jasper, and Upson counties, Georgia; and Lowndes and Dallas counties, Alabama. Wills dated from 1817 to 1860. 46 slaves listed.


 * United States Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands, Records of the assistant commissioner for the state of Georgia, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1869:NARA, RG105, M798 (Washington D.C.:NARA, 1968) (digital images available on the FamilySearch Catalog)


 * "On the 36 rolls of this microfilm publication are reproduced the records of the Assistant Commissioner for the State of Georgia, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-69. A few papers are dated as early as 1862. The records consist of 34 volumes of communications sent, registers, and orders issued; and of unbound letters and reports received and miscellaneous papers. The documents were created or received by the Assistant Commissioner ...The records are part of Record Group 105, Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. ...The editorial material for this publication was prepared by Elaine Everly." -- P. 1, 8. The library has bound numbers 791-800 together. Some numbers are missing.


 * Mohr, Clarence L. On the Threshold of Freedom: Masters and Slaves in Civil War Georgia. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1986.
 * Dawn Watson. Slave importation affidavit registers for nine Georgia counties, 1818 - 1847.Clayton, Georgia : Bone Diggers Press, c2012 FS Library 975.8 H6wd


 * For more resources available at the FamilySearch Library see

Marriage

 * Georgia, Marriage Records From Select Counties, 1828-1978 ($) - includes both "White" and "Colored" marriage books that listed names, marriage date, and marriage place

The Freedmen's Bureau (1865-1872) was created by the US government to assist former slaves in the southern United States. One of their responsibilities was to record the marriages (past and present) of the former slaves. These records can be found in the collections below and include the lists of marriages that occurred previously, marriage certificates, and marriage licenses. The information contained on the records may include the name of the husband and wife/groom and bride, age, occupation, residence, year or date of marriage, by whom, number of children, and remarks.
 * at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
 * U.S., Freedmen’s Bureau Marriage Records, 1846-1867 at Ancestry

Death

 * - How to Use this Collection
 * - How to Use this Collection

Voting Records

 * Georgia. Executive Department. Returns of Qualified Voters, 1867-1868. 22 rolls
 * Georgia. Executive Department. Reconstruction Registration Oaths Books, 1867-1868. 23 rolls

Archives and Libraries
Georgia Archives University System of Georgia 5800 Jonesboro Road Morrow, GA 30260 Phone: (678) 364-3710 Website: Georgia Archives The website contains a guide to the African American resources at the archives.