African American Resources for California

African American Online Genealogy Records

Online Resources
Record Collections 1861-1872 United States, Freedmen's Bureau Marriages, 1861-1872 at FamilySearch 1865-1874 Freedman's Bank Records, 1865-1874 at FamilySearch 1800-1994 California, County Birth and Death Records, 1800-1994 at FamilySearch African American Digital Bookshelf - a growing list of digital books on FamilySearch and other websites Discover Freedmen - this site searches all of the Freedmen's Bureau record collections on FamilySearch altogether (and redirects there)

Lists of Sources African American in California at ArchivesDigital Collection - Genealogy related information for various States and Provinces is available from a variety of servers which may be official government services, genealogy society efforts, or maintained by interested individuals. California African American Genealogical Society - Links to various genealogical sites

History
African Americans in California - a helpful historical timeline that highlights people and events from the Spanish Era until 2003.</li> The California Underground Railroad - a collection of documents, letters, photographs, and newspapers documenting the experiences of African Americans in California. Compiled by California State University in Sacramento. </li> The Negro trail blazers of California - a compilation of records documenting the history of African Americans in California from the beginning of statehood.</li>

Biographies

 * Beasley, Delilah Leontium. The Negro Trail Blazers of California : a compilation of records from the California archives in the Bancroft Library at the University of California in Berkeley; and from the diaries, old papers, and conversations of old pioneers in the State of California. Los Angeles:[s.n.], - 317 p.: ill, ports F870.N38 B3 1919b   WorldCat  Digital version
 * Goode, Kenneth F. California's Black Pioneers: A Brief Historical Survey. Santa Barbara, Calif.: McNally Loftin, 1974 [c1974].- xiii, 222p.:ill. E185.93 C2G66 1974
 * Lapp, Rudolph M. Blacks in Gold Rush California New Haven:Yale university Press, 1977 - xiv, 321 p., (Yale Western Americana Series; 29) E185.C2 L36


 * Vivian, Octavia B. The Story of the Negro in Los Angeles County. compiled by Federal Writers' Project of the Works Progress Administration under the supervision of Hugh Harlan. - [S.l.:s.n.], 1956. - 43 p. F868.L8 V5 1970
 * Los Angeles Negro Business Directory. - [Vol.1] 91952/53)- [Vol.2] (1953/54). - Los Angeles, 1953-1954 F869.L8 L82
 * History of Black American in Santa Clara Valley. [Prepared by the staff of the Garden City Women's Club]. - [Sunnyvale, Calif.: Lockheed Missiles &amp; Space Co., c 1978]. - xxx, 220 p.:ill. F868.S25 G37 1978
 * Parker, Elizabeth L. and James Abajian. A Walking tour of the Black Presence in San Francisco during the nineteenth century: A Black history week event; - [San Francisco]: San Francisco African American Historical and Cultural Society 1974. - 23 p.: ill F869.S3 P22

Census Records

 * California State Census of 1852 ($) - lists name, age, sex, race, profession, place of birth, residence, and number of negroes, mulattoes, domesticated Indians, and foreign residents.

Church Records
Los Angeles

First African Methodisy Episcopal A.M.E. Churtch,(1872- ) History

Sacramento

St Andrews A.M.E. Church, (1850-) History

San Jose

Antioch Baptist Church, (1868-) History

Funeral Homes

 * California, San Francisco Area Funeral Home Records, 1835-1979 - collection includes funeral register books, burial registers, account books, and case books.

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:
 * United States, Freedman's Bank Records, 1865-1874
 * U.S., Freedman's Bank Records, 1865-1871 ($)

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.

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:
 * United States, Freedmen's Bureau Claim Records,1865-1872
 * United States, Freedmen's Bureau Hospital and Medical Records, 1865-1872
 * United States, Freedmen's Bureau Labor Contracts, Indenture and Apprenticeship Records, 1865-1872
 * United States, Freedmen's Bureau Marriages, 1861-1872
 * United States, Freedmen's Bureau Ration Records,1865-1872
 * United States, Freedmen's Bureau Records of Persons and Articles Hired, 1865-1872
 * United States, Freedmen's Bureau, Freedmen's Court Records, 1865-1872
 * United States, Freedmen's Bureau, Land and Property Records, 1865-1872
 * United States, Freedmen's Bureau, Records of Freedmen's Complaints, 1865-1872
 * United States, Freedmen's Bureau, Records of the Superintendent of Education and of the Division of Education, 1865-1872
 * United States Freedmen's Bureau Miscellaneous Records,1865-1872
 * United States Freedmen's Bureau, Records of Freedmen, 1865-1872
 * United States, Freedmen's Bureau, Records of the Assistant Commissioner, 1865-1872 Images only. These reports primarily contain statistical and historical information.
 * More collections are available in the FamilySearch Catalog. Search for "FREEDMEN - ALABAMA" in the Subjects search bar to find.

Visit the African American Freedmen's Bureau Records page to learn more about utilizing these records.

Birth

 * California, County Birth and Death Records, 1800-1994. Information often includes name, date and place of birth, gender, and race.

Marriage
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.
 * United States, Freedmen's Bureau Marriages, 1861-1872
 * U.S., Freedmen’s Bureau Marriage Records, 1846-1867

Death

 * California, County Birth and Death Records, 1800-1994. Information often includes name, date and place of death, residence, date and place of burial, gender, race, marital status, date of birth, and spouse.

Archives and Libraries
The Marcus Garvey and Universal Negro Improvement Association Papers Project UCLA African Studies Center 10244 Bunche Hall, 405 Hilgard Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90095-1310 Phone: (310) 825-3686 Website: UCLA African Studies Center

Societies
California African American Genealogical Society P.O. Box 8442 Los Angeles, CA 90008-0442 Phone: (323) 806-5634 Website: CAAGS