newworldafro
DeeperThanRapBiggerThanHH
Oh damn.
The Names of 1.8 Million Emancipated Slaves Are Now Searchable
- Thread starter OfTheCross
- Start date
Oh damn.
Ghostface Trillah
God-level poster
Majority of slave owners filed for bankruptcy in the first few years after 1865. Good luck with that.
xoxodede
Superstar
First, it's crazy people still believe and are saying it's hard to find their ancestors who were enslaved. It's really not.
If you know your grandparents names -- you can start from there. Search Grandparents -- your GF and GM separately (after you find out your GM maiden's name - if you don't know -- and should be found on her marriage record) - and then search their parents and so on.
It's free. www.FamilySearch.org
On the OP:
This is great but the majority of ADOS will sadly not benefit from this. The Freedmen's Bureau had many issues in terms of locations. One of the biggest was many were ran by their former enslavers and/ or Confederate supporters -- and they were not properly staffed, funded and spread out enough for many of our ancestors to get to them.
If you know the area (counties) your ancestors were living in after emancipation -- you can use this map to see if those counties had a FB office.
https://mappingthefreedmensbureau.com/maps/
You can also search The Freedmen's Bureau Online -- if you know you ancestors names and locations. It's a lot of reports of violence, killings and general issues on this site. It gives you an idea of the extreme terrorism our ancestors faced during Reconstruction. It was demonic.
If you know your grandparents names -- you can start from there. Search Grandparents -- your GF and GM separately (after you find out your GM maiden's name - if you don't know -- and should be found on her marriage record) - and then search their parents and so on.
It's free. www.FamilySearch.org
On the OP:
This is great but the majority of ADOS will sadly not benefit from this. The Freedmen's Bureau had many issues in terms of locations. One of the biggest was many were ran by their former enslavers and/ or Confederate supporters -- and they were not properly staffed, funded and spread out enough for many of our ancestors to get to them.
Lincoln’s emancipation of the slaves in 1863 was hailed throughout the North as a moral triumph. But the throngs of destitute, minimally educated people it abruptly thrust onto society posed serious problems. For a time, private charitable organizations served as the primary resource for former slaves. But a month before the end of the war, Congress established the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands (popularly known as the Freedmen’s Bureau) to look after the former-slave population. Under the leadership of the Union-army general Oliver O. Howard (who would later establish Howard University), the bureau handled everything from issuing food and clothing to helping people find jobs, promoting education, adjudicating legal disputes, and reuniting families.
The bureau was never adequately staffed, and many Southern whites viewed it with hostility. Nearly 30 years after its dissolution, the social historian and civil-rights activist W. E. B. Du Bois took stock of the bureau’s successes and failures, identifying the forces that led to its demise.
The bureau was never adequately staffed, and many Southern whites viewed it with hostility. Nearly 30 years after its dissolution, the social historian and civil-rights activist W. E. B. Du Bois took stock of the bureau’s successes and failures, identifying the forces that led to its demise.
The Atlantic: The Freedmen’s Bureau
If you know the area (counties) your ancestors were living in after emancipation -- you can use this map to see if those counties had a FB office.
https://mappingthefreedmensbureau.com/maps/
You can also search The Freedmen's Bureau Online -- if you know you ancestors names and locations. It's a lot of reports of violence, killings and general issues on this site. It gives you an idea of the extreme terrorism our ancestors faced during Reconstruction. It was demonic.
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I can’t wait. Been waiting all my life to know the real story. Props and rep all day
xoxodede
Superstar
That's great. But, please know you could have already done that via www.FamilySearch.org
The OP is apart of FamilySearch.org's "Freedman Bureau" Collection. Freedmen’s Bureau Project -- it's FamilySearch.org though.
You can also search the Family Search's FB records on The Freedmen's Bureau Records
OfTheCross
Veteran
imo, if it were as easy as y'all making it sound you'd know/have proof already...the more tools to help in the search the better, though
xoxodede
Superstar
It is as easy as "y'all" -- being me and others make it.
A few things....
- In many of our families we have a family historian - who knows all of our family history. It's usually a Great Aunt or Uncle - who has passed down information, documents, everything else -- and has the Family Bible (dates, docs, names of ancestors) in their possession. It's usually one family historian on both sides of your family. Both of the family historians in my family have passed. Myself and another cousin have picked up the baton.
- With the Great Migration -- you will see many ADOS who do not live in the South, who were not made to visit the South during Summer vacations or family reunions, ----- and do not have that close connection with their family in the South -- tend to not know much about their family history. Therefore, you will have people saying they have to check with their parents and so on.
- The issue is people out here don't even know their Grandparent's real names. Or where in the South their Grandparents or GGreatparents once lived -- before the Great Migration I&II. It's sad - but it's leads me to my final point.
- Lastly, sadly, many ADOS people have some type of unnecessary shame tied to our ancestors experience in this country - whether conscious or unconscious that has led not only them - but their parents to not even start the process.
Don't confuse any of the above with the level of difficulty.
InfinateOpulance
All Star
Threads like this one is why is still come to this site every now and then. Thanks OP.
I used family search and was surprised at how good they were. I found records going back to the early 1800s, birth, death and marriage certificates. Most of these records will have another family members name on it and signature if they were literate. Would Recommend
Same thing I was saying but some of these posters don’t want to face reality out here.It is as easy as "y'all" -- being me and others make it.
A few things....
- In many of our families we have a family historian - who knows all of our family history. It's usually a Great Aunt or Uncle - who has passed down information, documents, everything else -- and has the Family Bible (dates, docs, names of ancestors) in their possession. It's usually one family historian on both sides of your family. Both of the family historians in my family have passed. Myself and another cousin have picked up the baton.
- With the Great Migration -- you will see many ADOS who do not live in the South, who were not made to visit the South during Summer vacations or family reunions, ----- and do not have that close connection with their family in the South -- tend to not know much about their family history. Therefore, you will have people saying they have to check with their parents and so on.
- The issue is people out here don't even know their Grandparent's real names. Or where in the South their Grandparents or GGreatparents once lived -- before the Great Migration I&II. It's sad - but it's leads me to my final point.
- Lastly, sadly, many ADOS people have some type of unnecessary shame tied to our ancestors experience in this country - whether conscious or unconscious that has led not only them - but their parents to not even start the process.
Don't confuse any of the above with the level of difficulty.
xoxodede
Superstar
Yeah, it's better than Ancestry in my opinion. And once you know how to search and tricks/tips to know where to look - it gets better.
I work on my family tree almost every weekend - and this weekend I found another paternal 3rd Great Grandfather.
He is the 5th GGrandfather I have found that was enlisted and fought in the United States Colored Troops (USCT). https://www.thecoli.com/threads/the...oops-usct-who-fought-in-the-civil-war.564130/
He also received a pension for his USCT service - which is the first for me in my genealogy search. The four other GF ancestors who fought in the USCT never received a pension.
I am trying to find out how many of the enslaved men who fought in the USCT got to different states to enlist. For instance he was in Alabama, enlisted in Missouri. I have NO clue how he got to Missouri. I know during that time it was easier to leave the area and get to Union lines - but still.
Organized March 11, 1864, from 1st Mississippi Infantry Colored. Attached to Post of Goodrich Landing, District of Vicksburg, Miss., to December, 1864. 1st Brigade, 1st Division, United States Colored Troops, District of Vicksburg, Miss., to February, 1865. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, Steele's Command, Military District of West Mississippi, to June, 1865. Dept. of the Gulf to June, 1866.
SERVICE.--At Lake Providence until May, 1864. Post and garrison duty at Goodrich Landing, La., until December, 1864. Action at Langley's Plantation, Issaqueena County, March 22, 1864. Flod, La., July 2. Waterford August 16-17. Duty at Vicksburg, Miss., until February, 1865. Moved to Algiers, La., February 26; thence to Barrancas, Fla. March from Pensacola, Fla., to Blakely, Ala., March 20-April 1. Siege of Fort Blakely April 1-9. Assault and capture of Fort Blakely April 9. Occupation of Mobile April 12. March to Montgomery April 13-25. Duty there and at Mobile until June. Ordered to New Orleans, thence to Texas. Duty on the Rio Grande and at various points in Texas until June, 1866. Mustered out June 16, 1866. 51st U.S. Colored Troops Infantry
SERVICE.--At Lake Providence until May, 1864. Post and garrison duty at Goodrich Landing, La., until December, 1864. Action at Langley's Plantation, Issaqueena County, March 22, 1864. Flod, La., July 2. Waterford August 16-17. Duty at Vicksburg, Miss., until February, 1865. Moved to Algiers, La., February 26; thence to Barrancas, Fla. March from Pensacola, Fla., to Blakely, Ala., March 20-April 1. Siege of Fort Blakely April 1-9. Assault and capture of Fort Blakely April 9. Occupation of Mobile April 12. March to Montgomery April 13-25. Duty there and at Mobile until June. Ordered to New Orleans, thence to Texas. Duty on the Rio Grande and at various points in Texas until June, 1866. Mustered out June 16, 1866. 51st U.S. Colored Troops Infantry
BTW: if anyone has an ancestor who fought in the USCT - please make sure to check Pension records: USCT Pension Files: A Rich Resource for African American Genealogy | IAAM Center for Family History
I also found my paternal 3rd Great Grannie's brother. I verified another set of African 4th Great Grandparents - which for my maternal side hasn't happened yet -- but my paternal I have a few sets of African 3rd and 4th Great Grandparents.
