African-American Genealogy

This list represents a core of materials -- in book form and on microfilm -- available in the collections of the Pennsylvania Department and useful to researchers working on African-American Genealogy:

Handbooks, Manuals, Etc.

Blockson, Charles
Black Genealogy
CS21 .B55 1991x

Bransom, Marlene Garrett
Early African American Deaths in the Pittsburgh Courier
PENNA rq E185.96.B736 2011x bk. 1 & 2
This compilation includes deaths that encompass both local, southwestern Pennsylvania towns and towns across the United States. Book 1: March 25, 1911-December 27, 1912. Book 2: January 13, 1923-December 27, 1924.

Burroughs, Tony
Black Roots: A Beginner's Guide to Tracing the African American Family Tree
E185.96.B94 2001
Designed for those who have little or no experience researching their family's past, this book tells you where to search close to home, where to write for records, how to make the best use of libraries and the Internet, and how to organize research, analyze historical documents, and write the family history.

Gates, Henry Louis
Finding Oprah's roots: Finding Your Own
E185.96.G383 2007
Tied to a PBS special, "Finding Oprah's Roots" delves into the family background of America's most powerful and beloved female celebrity, while presenting a user-friendly methodology that will help 35 million African Americans discover their own roots.

Gates, Henry Louis
In Search of Our Roots : How 19 Extraordinary African Americans Reclaimed Their Past
E185.96.G384 2009
Scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr., backed by an elite team of geneticists and researchers, takes nineteen extraordinary African Americans on a once unimaginable journey, tracing family sagas through U.S. history and back to Africa.

Matthews, Harry Bradshaw
African American Freedom Journey in New York and Related Sites, 1823-1870: Freedom Knows No Color
PENNA r E185.93.N56 M38 2008
Meticulously researched, Harry Bradshaw Matthews' history discusses antislavery movements in African American communities in New York State, as well as Pennsylvania and South Carolina, and their role in national movements during the 19th century.

Rose, James M.
Black Genesis: A Resource Book for African-American Genealogy
PENNA r CS21.R57 2003

Smith, Colette Thomas
Secrets to African-American Roots: A Guide for Researching American Records
PENNA E185.96.S651185 2006x
This hands-on procedural guide for researching Afro-American sources in early records covers the ten basic steps, the ten basic questions to ask, and the ten basic procedures to follow while identifying family records in all jurisdictions.

Smith, Franklin Carter
A Genealogist's Guide to Discovering your African-American Ancestors: How to Find and Record your Unique Heritage
PENNA q E185.96.S6514 2008x
Tracing one's African-American ancestry can be uniquely challenging. This guide helps overcome the obstacles and pitfalls of specialized research by offering a proven, three-part approach.

Taylor, Frazine K.
Researching African American Genealogy in Alabama: A Resource Guide
PENNA E185.93.A3 T39 2008
Taylor is the head of reference for the Alabama Department of Archives and her work on the massive migration of Alabama's freedman to urban areas of Alabama and to northern cities through most of the twentieth century is impressive.

Thackery, David T.
Finding Your African American Ancestors: A Beginner's Guide
E185.96.T425 2000
Finding Your African American Ancestors takes you through your ancestors' transition from slavery to freedom, and helps you find them using the federal census, plantation records, and other helpful sources.

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