African American Resources for New York

Introduction
A list of resource for researching African American ancestors who lived in New York.

Online Resources

 * Discover Freedmen - this site searches all of the Freedmen's Bureau record collections on FamilySearch altogether (and redirects there)
 * Freedman's Bank Records, 1865-1874
 * United States, Freedmen's Bureau Marriages, 1861-1872
 * U.S., Freedmen’s Bureau Marriage Records, 1846-1867 ($)
 * African American History of Western New York
 * Life Stories: Profiles of Black New Yorkers During Slavery and Emancipation
 * The African-American Migration Experience, Schomburg Center of Research in Black Culture
 * Samuel J. May Anti-Slavery Collection
 * African American Women Writers of the 19th Century
 * Hudson River Valley Heritage Untold Stories of the African American Presence in the Mid-Hudson Valley
 * New York Slavery Records Index (index)
 * New York State Colonization Society Records, 1849-1968. New York Public Library

History
African American slavery was common in New York during the colonial period. Hoff prepared a guide for tracing African American colonists:


 * Hoff, Henry B. "Researching African-American Families in New Netherland and Colonial New York and New Jersey," The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, Vol. 136, No. 2 (Apr. 2005):83-95. Digital version at New York Family History ($);.

A law passed 29 March 1799 declared that "any child born of a slave after the 4th of July next shall be deemed to be born free." Owners discovered a loophole to keep these children enslaved by registering them in certain counties. Such lists have been located and published for the Town of Castleton (Richmond County), Kings County, and New York County.

Several lists of manumitted slaves have been discovered and published:


 * 1659-1846 - O'Neill, Terri Bradshaw. "Manumissions and Certificates of Freedom in the New York Secretary of State Deeds," The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, Vol. 139, No. 1 (Jan. 2008):72-73. Digital version at New York Family History ($);.
 * Record of Slave Manumissions in New York During the Colonial and Early National Periods. By Harry B. Yoshpe, University of the State of New York, State Education Department, Albany. Journal of Negro History Vol. 26 January, 1941 No. 1 pages 78-107
 * 1700s-1810s - Eichholz, Alice and James M. Rose. "New York State Manumissions," The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, Masters' Surnames A-B: Vol. 108, No. 4 (Oct. 1977):221-225; Masters' Surnames C-D: Vol. 109, No. 1 (Jan. 1978):22-24; Masters' Surnames E-I: Vol. 109, No. 2 (Apr. 1978):71-74; Masters' Surnames J-N: Vol. 109, No. 3 (Jul. 1978):145-149; Masters' Surnames O-S: Vol. 109, No. 4 (Oct. 1978):229-233; Masters' Surnames T-Z: Vol. 110, No. 1 (Jan. 1979):39-42. Digital version at New York Family History ($);.

Online resources:
 * African American History of Western New York
 * Samuel J. May Anti-Slavery Collection
 * African American Women Writers of the 19th Century
 * Hudson River Valley Heritage Untold Stories of the African American Presence in the Mid-Hudson Valley
 * McManus, Edgar J. A History of Negro Slavery in New York. Syracuse, N.Y.: Syracuse University Press, 1966.

To learn more:
 * Freeman, Rhoda Golden. The Free Negro in New York City in the Era before the Civil War. New York: Garland Pub., 1994.
 * Matthews, Harry Bradshaw. Voices from the front line: New York's African American statesmen of the Underground Railroad Freedom Trail: and the United States Colored Troops organized in the Empire State, 1863-1865: roll call, men of the 20th USCT and 26th USCT: introductory essay and research guide. Oneonta, N.Y.: Hartwick College, 2000.

Biographies

 * Life Stories: Profiles of Black New Yorkers During Slavery and Emancipation

Genealogies

 * "Genealogical History of Black Families of Orange County, New York" by Robert W. Brennan

Land and Property

 * Estate papers, 1817 of Brush, Ichabod, d. 1809. Mentions James Williams. Queens Borough Public Library Long Island Division 89-11 Merrick Blvd., Jamaica, N.Y. 11432


 * Wilson and Jane Rantus papers, ca. 1830-1890Largely bills submitted by individuals and the village and town government. Letters written to Wilson Rantus from Thomas Hamilton, pioneer black journalist, 1854-1861. Other items include insurance policies for private homes, and estate papers.

Other Records
Railroad
 * Inventory of the Blacks in the Railroad Industry Collection, 1946-1954

Military Records

 * Patriots of Color. Free database at Archives.com. Includes details about 50 black New Yorkers in the Revolutionary War.


 * "Honoring New York’s Forgotten Soldiers:African-Americans of the Civil War: With Research Examples A-Z: A Case Study in Historiographic Genealogy" by Harry Bradshaw Matthews

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:
 * Images only. These reports primarily contain statistical and historical information.
 * More collections are available in the FamilySearch Catalog. Search for "FREEDMEN - NORTH CAROLINA" in the Subjects search bar to find.
 * Images only. These reports primarily contain statistical and historical information.
 * More collections are available in the FamilySearch Catalog. Search for "FREEDMEN - NORTH CAROLINA" in the Subjects search bar to find.

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

Birth

 * New York Births and Christenings, 1640-1962 - information may include name, gender, birth date and place, race, and parents and their birthplaces

Marriage

 * New York, County Marriages, 1847-1848; 1908-1936 - information may include the bride and groom’s name, residence, race, age, occupation, no. of marriage, birthplace, marital status, parents and their birthplaces, and the marriage date and 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.
 * United States, Freedmen's Bureau Marriages, 1861-1872
 * U.S., Freedmen’s Bureau Marriage Records, 1846-1867

Death

 * New York Deaths and Burials, 1795-1952 - information may include name, gender, death date and place, age, birthplace, race, and parents

Archives and Libraries
African American Museum of Nassau County 110 North Franklin Street Hempstead, New York 11550 Email: taags.aam@gmail.com Phone: 516-572-0730

New-York Historical Society Museum & Library – African Americans Archives 170 Central Park West at Richard Gilder Way (77th Street) New York, NY 10024 Phone: (212) 873-3400

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture 515 Malcolm X Boulevard New York, NY 10037-1801 Phone: (212) 491-2200

Cornell University  Ithaca, NY 14853 Carl A. Knoch Library Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections Samuel J. May Anti-Slavery Collection

Societies
Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society – New York Chapter Email: info@aahgs-newyork.org Phone: (212) 330-7882