Runaway Ads for enslaved people throughout Maryland are available online at the Maryland State Archives’ Legacy of Slavery database. The ads tell us much about the mind of the slaveowner. Here are some of my observations: 1) Slaveowners knew a surprising amount of information about enslaved families. This also speaks to the extended kinship communities that […]
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Category: Online Research
Alabama Convict Records
Recently, an interesting set of records appeared on Ancestry: “Alabama Convict Records, 1886-1952.” I lecture on court records, so these types of records always get my attention. If you watched “Slavery By Another Name” which aired on PBS in February, these records will be familiar. You can watch the whole episode online. I highly also […]
Black Newspapers Break a Brick Wall!
Recently, I solved a genealogical mystery that I’d had for many, many years. The solution utilized many tools. However, black newspapers and the ease now of searching of them deserves the biggest praise for solving the puzzle. My friend Tim Pinnick has been preaching and teaching about black newspapers for years (you can watch one of his […]
Historic Trust Inventories: Search the L...
The image above is from the Inventory of Historic Properties, which is a part of the Maryland Historical Trust. (UPDATE, 9/21/2018: the website has changed in appearance) My cousin Jahrod shared this website with me and it is a goldmine: it contains digitized original applications from historic places in Maryland. Maryland Historic Inventories At the site, […]
Ancestor Found in Southern Claims Commis...
The Southern Claims Commission was created after the Civil War to repay loyal Southerners who had had property taken or destroyed by the Union Army. Witnesses had to attest to the damages. In many cases, for former slaveowners, their former slaves served as witnesses. Some slaves themselves even filed claims. The testimony also had to show that […]
Slave Letters
Great things have been digitized by libraries, archives, and museums. As genealogists, we are primarily concerned with specific lives. However, it’s always worthwhile to look at some of the larger themes that affected your ancestors. For African-Americans, slavery always looms large. In this post I’m sharing some letters written by enslaved people. These letters offer […]
Researching the Slaveowner in Online Boo...
The period of slavery remains the one of the most difficult to research. Maybe this is why that period is a particular point of interest to me, and why it is a subject I devote alot of space to. Recently Family Tree Magazine did a good article on a research tool I use often: online […]
Published Slave Narratives
Lately I have been reading a lot of published slave narratives. These are not to be confused with the WPA slave interviews from the 1930s. I am referring to slave narratives that were written and published mostly in the 19th century. The authors were former slaves, many of whom who had fled slavery. These books […]
Southern Claims Commission
I’ve been perusing the Southern Claims Commission records and rediscovering how incredible they are. The files includes many stories of the experiences of civilians during the Civil War.The website Fold3 has digitized many of these claims. Background Congress established the Southern Claims Commission in 1871. The Commission adjudicated claims by loyal Southerners for reimbursement of […]
Prologue Magazine at NARA
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my Christmas/New Year holiday as you can see by my lengthy absence. I missed you all & have sufficiently awoken from my month-long slumber to try to stick my big toe back into the genealogy waters. I was reading the latest issue of Prologue magazine trying to figure out what to blog […]