African American Genealogy What the Fly on the Wall Said

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African American GenealogyWhat the Fly on the
Wall Said

• Presented by Donald Payton,
• Vergie Freeman, and Stacey Dwyer
• Texas Library Conference
• Dallas, TX
• April 17, 2008

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HOW TO GET STARTED

• ORAL HISTORY
• VALIDATE INFORMATION
• ORGANIZE YOUR INFORMATION

STOP
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ORAL HISTORY

• STEP 1

Collect Photographs
STOP
Interview Oldest Living Relatives
Family Stories -newspaper articles, etc.
Life/Work Stories
Names of People
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Validate Information

• STEP 2 Establish Timeline

• Marriage
• Death
• Divorce
• Court Minutes
• Births
• Social Security

County Records
STOP
Census Records
1930 1790
Pedigree Chart
Grandma
Momma
Grandpa
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ORGANIZE

• STEP Know What You Have

STOP

• Year
• 2. Family Name
• 3. Scan
• 4. Photographs

Utilize Folders/Binders
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Overlooked Records

• Newspapers
• City Directory
• Cemetery
• U.S. WWI Draft Registration Application
• Military Records
• Sanborn maps
• PERSI
• Freemans Bureau Record
• Miscellaneous Records
• Southern Claims Commission

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TAKE A WALK BACK IN TIME

• CASE STUDY
• Emma Giles and Herbert Giles
• Goal Identify date of death
• Sources Used
• City Directory
• Newspapers
• Funeral Home Records
• Social Security

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City Directory

• Similar to Telephone Book
• Most cities had City Directories
• Provides names of ancestors, addresses, race,
  name of spouse, occupation or place of employment
• Benefits Assist to locate individuals in the
  census, find death information, and identify
  others in household

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Newspapers

• Information that may be found on Ancestors
• Birth
• Marriage
• Death
• Advertisement
• Community Activities
• Military Information

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Funeral Home Records

• Locate all funeral homes in the general area.
• Contact funeral home to determine if you can view
  their records
• Benefits
• Funeral home records can include pictures,
  obituaries, military information, next of kin,
  insurance policies, wills, and marriage
  certificates.

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Social Security Application Records

• Background
• Came into existence in 1935
• Individuals had to apply for SS
• SS cards issued as early as 1937
• Other information In 1962, electronic requests
  for benefits became commonly used, thus creating
  the SS index.
• Ancestor may not be in the SSDI because death was
  not reported or person died before benefits were
  requested.

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Antique Shops

• Bibles
• Pictures
• Yearbooks

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Im with the GOVERNMENT and Im Truly Here to
HELP You!!!!

• GOVERNMENT RECORDS
• WWI Draft Application (1917-1918)
• Southern Claims Commission (1871-1880)
• Civil War Pension (1890)

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WWI Draft Registration Applications

• Information contained in record
• - Permanent address
• - Date of Birth
• - Race Citizenship
• - Occupation
• - Name of employer address
• - Next of Kin
• - Physical characteristics
• - Physical restrictions (missing limbs)
• Benefits
• Assists with Gaps in Census (cant find relative
  on 1920 Census or 1910)
• Records organized by County and then arranged
  alphabetically by Last name and then by first
  name.

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WWI Draft Application Records

• 3 Selective Service Draft Registrations
• June 5, 1917
• Men ages 21 to 31 years old (born 1886 June 6 to
  1896 June 5)
• June 5, 1918
• Men who reached 21 years after June 5, 1917
• August 24, 1918 for men who reached age 21 after
  June 5, 1918
• September 12, 1918
• Men ages 18 to 45 years old (born 1873 Sept 13 to
  1900 Sept 12)

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Southern Claims Commission

• Background
• Commissions of Claim (Southern Claims
  Commissions) was established by Congress on March
  3, 1871.
• Role of commission
• Review claims from Southern Loyalist who
  provided supplies for the use of the U.S. Army
  during the Civil War. Also extended the claims
  to include property taken or furnished to U.S.
  Navy.

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Southern Claims Commission

• Other Information
• Claims had to be filed by March 3, 1873. Evident
  to support their claims had to be filed by March
  10, 1879. African Americans (former slaves and
  free blacks) filed claims. African Americans
  also served as witnesses for other African
  Americans and for their former slave masters.
• Benefits
• Names and ages of former slaves
• Place of residence
• Former slave owner
• Plantation conditions (Crops and livestock)
• Type of employment

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Civil War Pension Files

• Background Special Schedule of the 11th Census
  (1890)
• - Name of the veteran (or if he did not survive,
  the names of both the widow and her deceased
  husband)
• - Veterans rank, company, regiment or vessel,
  date of enlistment, date of discharge, and length
  of service in years, months, and days
• - Post office and address
• - Disability incurred by the veteran

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Civil War Pension Files

• If relative is listed in the 11th Special Census
  Schedule, then a pension file should exist.
• For African Americans, look at the US. Colored
  Troops Index on-line
• http//civilwar.nps.gov

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Civil War Pension Files

• Information in Pension Files
• - Pensioners physical description (height,
  weight, and pulse)
• - Civil War Unit and Battles fought
• - Pensioners occupation
• - Pensioners list of all residences throughout
  their life
• - Pensioners marriage date and location
• - Pensioners date and place of birth
• - Former slave masters name, including
  plantation.
• - Name of acquaintances, friends, and neighbors.
• - Names of some relatives with addresses
• - Undertakers name and address
• - Pensioners date of death
• - Pensioners burial location

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Civil War Pension Index

• CASE STUDY
• Hannah Sampson and her parents (Sam Sampson and
  Caroline Berryman)
• (not located in any Census records prior to
  1910)
• Goal Identify family members
• Sources Used
• Civil War Pension File of Uncle Sidney Berryman
  and others in his Unit.