12 Websites to Start Genealogy Research for African Americans

I began my journey in genealogy, jumping in without any real preparation beyond a lineage focus and knowing ancestry.com. Once I began, I quickly realized I should have done more research on how to research and where to search. There are hundreds of resources for discovering family history, and knowledge of history opens knowledge of self.

Below are websites that are incredible resources for understanding the genealogy research aspect of ancestral healing and heirloom creations.

1. African Ancestry African Ancestry is a one-of-a-kind company that provides DNA testing specifically for individuals with African roots. You can trace the exact present-day African country and ethnic group of origin dating back more than 500 years along your paternal or maternal bloodline.

2. Freedman Bureau Search Portal The Freedmen’s Bureau Search Portal digitized millions of post-Civil War records, including documents that helped formerly enslaved African Americans transition from slavery to freedom and citizenship. This enables research on slavery, Reconstruction, and citizenship.

3. Slave Voyages Launched in 2008, Slave Voyages shares The Trans-Atlantic and Intra-American slave trade databases thanks to several decades of independent and collaborative research by scholars drawing upon data in libraries and archives around the Atlantic world.

4. Digital Library on American Slavery Search the Digital Library on American Slavery site for thousands of records relating to all 15 slave states and Washington, DC, and possible additional states. With an expanded collection of race and slavery petitions, the project now contains information about more than 150,000 individuals, including enslaved people, enslavers, and free people of color.

5. Enslaved: Peoples of the Historical Slave Trade Reconstruct the lives of individuals who were enslaved, owned slaves, or participated in the slave trade on this site.

6. International African American Museum Center for Family History In preparation for the museum’s opening, this site serves up videos, photos, lessons for all ages, and blog posts, plus searchable marriage records, obituaries, Bible records, and more.

7. Family Tree A robust resource that is a favorite of mine, Family Tree Magazine, is for those who want more than the typical genealogy research. Their site and magazine include resources on ethnic heritage, family reunions, memoirs, oral history, scrapbooking, historical travel, and other ways families can connect with their pasts.

8. Cyndi's List Cyndi's List is a FREE genealogy resource providing over 300,000 links and categories to help families and genealogists begin their genealogy journey. FamilySearch Free for all, FamilySearch provides billions of digital images and indexes of records from all over the world. Users can create family trees with the website.

9. Access Genealogy Boosted as the largest collection of free genealogy material for researchers in the United States.

10. FindAGrave Curated by volunteers, Find a Grave shares information about cemeteries to help identify the final disposition information of people buried there for free. Gravesites can provide supporting details to assist in your research.

11. MyHeritage My Heritage is much like Ancestry, but their DNA tests offer more geographic regions at over 2,100, compared to AncestryDNA's 1,800.

12. Ancestry.com Ancestry.com has free and fee-based access to historical and genealogical resources to assist in building your family tree. You can also receive DNA testing to connect with living relatives and to view a map of your ethnicity estimates.

I began on Ancestry.com, but the cost was not always worth it as I was a beginner and did not utilize the site as frequently in some months as others. Plus, I was unaware of the amount of free resources available as well. They do provide free collections you can explore before deciding on a membership.

Before choosing a genealogy site, consider your specific research needs, the geographic focus of your ancestry, and whether you prefer a collaborative or individual approach to building your family tree. Happy Research!