It was while recently writing about Mike Fendricks’ family that I made one of the biggest discoveries in 25 years. I recovered the identity of my 2nd great-grandmother, an enslaved woman named Salina Sherrod. It was my favorite gift this year! This discovery illustrated two concepts I often recommend. First, everyone should write up their […]
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Category: Slave Research
Finding That Maiden Name
Finding the maiden names of wives is a problem all researchers will face sooner or later. When marriage records are missing there are several strategies we can use to uncover these names. Death Certificates We can use the records of a couple’s children to uncover information about that couple. I have used this in every […]
Don’t Go Looking for Slave Records
If a beginning researcher walks into a library or archives and asks to see the slave records for a community, the archivist will likely be confused. Most of the records used to study enslaved persons aren’t called that. They are Probate Records. Land Records. Court Records. Tax Records. Even Vital Records. If they were simply […]
A Valuable Strategy for Civil War Pensio...
Cluster research works. You will find more information about your ancestors if you study the lives of those in the community where they lived. I swear by this and I’ve discussed it here over and over again. No more is this clearer than with Civil War Pension Records. Don’t just check research your ancestors and […]
Slave Surnames “To Save Their Lives”
Recently I came across a very poignant quote relating to slave surnames I just had to share. That’s a topic I have discussed here at Reclaiming Kin several times and one that has no easy or simple formula that applies to every situation. So, I often collect data on surnames as I research. While at […]
Free Blacks and Re-Enslavement
Free blacks, those freed before 1865 in the United States, lived under great suspicion and often under onerous state restrictions. Especially in the places where their numbers were relatively large (i.e., Upper South states of Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, and North Carolina), slaveholders properly viewed them as a threat to the ideology of white supremacy. A […]
Do You Know How to Use Indirect Evidence...
Much of the hype of genealogical research often surrounds the different kinds of sources. Yes, new sources are always exciting. However, I believe that it is developing and growing research skills that will take your research to higher heights. A Field With Standards That’s one reason I recommend that everyone researching their roots have the […]
Understanding the Slave Community
Before my post, I want to acknowledge the passing of my dear and treasured friend, Andrea Ramsey on October 8, 2019. Its been a very sad summer for me, with her illness. She was an outstanding genealogist, specializing in Caribbean research, and a proud member of the Jean Sampson Scott AAHGS chapter in New York […]
Examining Slaves in Inventories
Inventories are one of the key documents researchers use as evidence to support their assertion of slaveownership. Before 1865, a slaveholder’s estate inventory includes their enslaved property. They vary in the information that they provide, but remain an important source for those researching African Americans. What is an Inventory? The inventory is a report of […]
Revisiting the Slave Interviews
I am often surprised about how little time genealogists researching former slaves spend exploring the slave interviews. The Slave Interviews comprise over 2,000 interviews of former slaves that were made in (primarily) the 1930s. An Underutilized Source Mostly gathered by the Works Progress Administration, a New Deal program, these interviews comprise one of the richest […]