Rockford Research | Vivian G. Harsh Collection | Newberry Library |Post Slavery Research
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Rockford Research
First African-American Churches in Rockford
Allen Chapel, 206 S. Winnebago St. Rockford, IL 61101, (815) 962-3725 - The only Black Church in Rockford until 1925. In the beginning, African-Americans of all denominations attended this church.
New Zion Missioary Baptist Church, 604 Wall Street, Rockford, IL (815) 964-3114
Pilgram Baptist Church, 1703 S. Central Ave., Rockford, IL (815) 968-4449
Bethel Baptist Church, 724 Harrison, Rockford, IL (815) 397-8775
Jefferson Horton American Legion Post - First and only African-American post in Rockford
African-American Newspaper at the Rockford Public Library - The Crusader
That Men Should Know So Little of Men by Barbara Chapman - a book about some of Rockford's earliest African-American settlers
Booker Washington Center, 524 Kent Street, Rockford, IL (815) 968-8861
Questions about African-Americans in Rockford - e-mail Johnella McIntoush
Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection
Carter G. Woodson Regional Library
9525 South Halsted Street
Chicago, IL 60628
(312) 747-6909
Hours: Mon. - Thurs. 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Friday -Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Materials relate ONLY to the African-American experience
- Second largest African-American collection of any US public library
- Over 70,000 volumes covering the whole spectrum of research topics
- Collection includes histories of families, communities, institutions, churches, military, labor and more
Services:
- Closed Stack - materials brought to the patron
- Copy machines available
- No research done by the staff; but, the library will provide a list of people to hire to do research
- Annual workshop for genealogists in February presented by the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society and by the Chicago Chapter patricia Liddell Researchers
Periodical Collection Includes:
- Complete run of the Chicago Defender newspaper
- All major African-American newspapers throughout the US
- Major African-American journals and magazines in the US dating back to mid-1800s
- Collection begins with an 1827 issue of Freedom's Journal, the first African-American newspaper in America
Microform Collection Includes:
- Slave Schedules of the 1850 and 1860 Census
- Registers and Letters received by the Commissioner of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and abandoned lands 1865-1874
- Records of the Education Division of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and abandoned lands 1865-1871
- Ante-Bellum Southern Plantation Records, part I and II, series A to F
- Sources include:
- journals
- account books
- letters
- overseers' reports
- slave lists
- Freedman's Savings and Trust Company microfilm records
- Microform editions of:
- Atlanta University, Black Culture Collection
- Schomburg Clipping File
- Hampton University Clipping File
- Tuskegee University Clipping File
Manuscript Collection Includes:
- The Illinois Writers Project, "The Negro in Illinois" papers; Although the information was collected in 1936-1942, the information itself pre-dates that time period.
African-American Genealogical Resources at the Newberry Library
Located at: 60 West Walton, Chicago, IL
Services:
- Closed stack library
- Photo Identification required to get a library card
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Good Collection of Southern records, examples include:
South Carolina Holdings
- Microfiche of records of a substantial number of low country churches
- Baptismal registers dating to 1700's contain sections for slaves, identify parents as well as slaveowners
Mississippi Holdings
- Mississippi marriages up to 1926 - useful because many African-Americans migrated North by way of the Mississippi River
Published transcripts or abstracts of antebellum records which contain slave information
- Deeds
- Probate records
Details on slaveowning families
Census, printed census indexes, and soundex indexes
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Examples of some Microform Records
Complete set of microfilmed assistant commissioners' records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands (the Freedmen's Bureau") - Mississippi's collection is especially good
Alabama |
Arkansas |
District of Columbia |
Georgia |
Mississippi |
North Carolina |
South Carolina |
Tennessee |
Texas |
Virginia |
Microfilmed records of Freedmen's Savings and Trust, a bank set up by the US government for emancipated slaves
Microfilmed index of Civil War and Service records - approx. 170,000 African-Americans served in the United States Colored Troops (USCT) - pension files and service records available through the National Archives - the Newberry has comprehensive holding of state adjutant general reports
Microfilm series - Ante-Bellum Southern Plantations from the Revolution through the Civil War, series A-I
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Post-slavery research
IRAD Collection of Interest to African-American researchers - check Sourthern Illinois IRAD depositories
Southern Illinois Coal Mines - records between 1870 and 1930s - many African-Americans were hod carriers, hoisting engineers, general laborers, etc.
Miners Examining Board "Certificate of Competency"
- Name, age, height, weight, color of hair and eyes, nationality, distinctive marks and number of years of experience
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Population Census at National Archives and the LDS Family History Center
- Until 1920s many kinsmen lived next door or in the immediate area - check the neighbors
- The Agricultural Census - just what kind of farm did your ancestor have and what did he sell
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Also check
- Railroad records - porters
- Vital Statistic Records - County Clerk's Office
- Cemetery Records - Genealogy Societies and Libraries
- Social Security research - On-line
- Major City Directories and telephone directories - Libraries and Historical Societies
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What's in the Chicago Defender Newspaper
Inception in 1906
- Carried birth, death and marriage info
- Names and addresses of individuals who were contestants in a contest
- World war draftees
- Sick List
- Elementary and high school graduates and school information
- Ads seeking information on lost relatives
- Youth who were members of the Bud Billiken Club
- Social column for Chicagoans, southern Illinois communities and other major cities in US
Additional Collection Locations and Suggestions
African-American Genealogy Collection at the Avalon Branch Library, 8828 South Stony Island Avenue, Chicago, IL
Allen County Public Library, 900 Webster Street, Fort Wayne, IN 46802 (Records include some of those previously mentioned; and, in addition, the Pennsylvania Abolition Society Papers, Slavery in Ante-Bellum Southern Industries and State Slavery Statutes.
The African-American Genealogy and Historical Society of Chicago (AAGHS)
Patricia Liddell Researchers (PLR) at the Carter G. Woodson Library
The Perrin Collection (Slave Register) at the Illinois State Archives in Springfield, IL
African-American Genealogy Research At:
The State Historical Society of Wisconsin Library
Madison, Wisconsin
- Guidelines for researching ethnic family histories.
- Go from present to past. Lack of records before 1865 makes it essential that you go back in time. You may find that your most valuable information comes from a family member alive today or a diary hiding in your family archives. Check home sources first!
- Organize as you research. Use family group forms and pedigree charts. This will allow you to make the most of the time you spend in records repositories. Again, because of the lack of records that were kept on ethnic groups, you will need all of the time and concentration that you can create to answer very difficult questions. Document everything that you find. You may need to look at records over and over again for small hints to history.
- Consider indifference, bias. and omission of record keeping when doing research on ethnic genealogies. Study the racial elements of the community. You may have to find alternative ways to locate your ancestors. An example of this is found in pre-1865 America. Names of slaves were not written in censuses but can sometimes be found in slave owners probate records (wills, etc.).
- Federal Censuses: We own all censuses that have been released to the public.
- 1870-1920 enumerated all African-Americans.
- 1790-1860 enumerated free blacks. Slaves were tallied by sex and age under the name of the slave owner.
- Do a complete census check on your ancestors before going further. They can give you more information than you might realize at first glance.
- Post-1865.
- Check the usual genealogical sources. Vital records, church and cemetery records, probate, tax records, land records, family histories, passenger lists, state censuses, county⁄state⁄town histories, newspapers (obits, etc.), PERSI for articles on the family or location, military records, etc... Pre-1908 Wisconsin vital records are found in the Microforms Room. Check the subject catalog for other collections.
- Pre-1865.
- There are few written records (accounts) because of illiteracy and few artifacts because of mobility, inability to get property and priority of needs.
- Names changed. New names were given to slaves by owners. African-Americans chose their names at emancipation but may have gone under many names before that point. Land⁄property records and diaries of the slave owners are vital in finding an ancestor who may have gone under many names or was sold many times.
- Laws did not recognize slave marriages. Births and deaths were not recorded by anyone except the slave owner and this was not guaranteed. Again, the records of the slave owner are very vital in your search.
- Port of entry. Maryland and Virginia were major ports of entry for slave ships. The Caribbean Islands were used as "seasoning grounds". Slave ships arrived at every port at different points in history. All ports must be considered. You may have to research the history of the different ports and the slave trade as a whole.
- For more specifics, read the books listed below.
AFRICAN-AMERICAN GENEALOGY BIBLIOGRAPHY
- Black Genesis. Rose, James and Eichholz, Alice. CS 21 R57.
- Black Genealogy. Blockson, Charles L. CS 21 B55.
- The Beginner's Guide To Black Genealogy. Smith, Rose and Della.Pam 78-2361.
- Beginning An Afro-American Genealogical Pursuit. Scott, Jean Sampson. Pam 86-3473
- Family History "Starter Kit". Tarharka Publishing Company. Pam 76-2097.
- Journal Of The Afro American Historical And Genealogical Society. Vol. 1-8 (Summer, 1980-present). E 185.96 A46 v.1-8. Ask at Circulation Desk for current issues.
- Afro-American Family History At The Newberry Library. Thackery, David T. Pam 89-4232.
- Researching Black Families At The Maryland Hall Of Records. Jacobsen, Phebe R. Pam 87-3458.
- Black America Retraces A Proud Heritage. New York Black Librarians Caucus - Bicentennial Genealogy And Oral History Institute. Pam 85-1048 and Pam 85-1048 1980.
- Black Society. Major, Gerri. E 185.96 M22.
- Black Courage 1775-1783 Documentation of Black Participation in the American Revolution. Greene, Robert Ewell. Pam 86-2088.
- Somerset Homecoming. Redford, Dorothy Spruill. E 185.96 R42 1988.
- The Fred Hart Williams Genealogical Society. Pam 90-2376. Ask at circulation for current issues.
- Rootsearching. Childs, Marleta. Pam 81-1426 v. 1-2.
- Slave Genealogy: A Research Guide With Case Studies. Streets, David H. Pam 86-4348.
- Black Family Tree "Slavery to 1984". Harris, Milton Stephen. Pam 87-168.
- Black Studies-A Select Catalog. National Archives. Microforms Room.
- Generations Past, A Selected List of Sources.. Compiled by Sandra M. Lawson Government Publications LC 1. 12⁄2: Af8⁄4.
- The Source. (ed.) Eakle, Arlene and Cherny, Johni (pp.578-595).Microforms and Reference.
African-American Links on the Internet
Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society, Inc
African-American Perspective - From the Library of Congress
African-American Genealogy Mailing List
African-Ameri can Genealogy Group - Family Tree Maker
African-American Genealogy Group of Pennsylvania
Christine's Genealogy Web Site (Afrigeneas Homepage)
Cyndi's African-American Genealogical Links
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Last updated: Monday, 18-Apr-2005 10:02:53 MDT