My Diaspora Search

11/08/2021

Did you know that you can find out if your ancestor served during the Civil War?

According to the National Archives website, “By the end of the Civil War, roughly 179,000 black men (10% of the Union Army) served as soldiers in the U.S. Army and another 19,000 served in the Navy. Nearly 40,000 black soldiers died over the course of the war—30,000 of infection or disease.”

My ancestor, Barney Stewart served in the United States Colored Heavy Artillery 12th Regiment in Camp Nelson, KY. On June 18, 1864, he died from tuberculosis.

The National Park Service has a Soldiers and Sailors database located on its website. You can find the names of soldiers, sailors, regiments, and prisoners at this website. If you happen to find your ancestor, you can order a copy of their records through the National Archives website too!

https://www.nps.gov/civilwar/soldiers-and-sailors-database.htm

Photo credit: The National Archives

11/05/2021

Some states have state census records and Mississippi is one of them. The Mississippi Department of Archives and History website has census records going back to the 1800s including before and after the Civil War.

African American researchers can use this wonderful website to break down that 1870 brick wall! Click the link below to get started today!

Some of our archives are viewable online; others, only in person. Explore all the ways MDAH can empower you to find, preserve, and share your Mississippi stories.

11/03/2021

State records are a great free resource you can use to search for your ancestors.

For example, if your ancestor died in Arkansas between 1935 to 1961, you can visit the Arkansas Department of Health website and check the Death Certificate Search and Order Service. - https://ark.org/doh_dcs/

11/01/2021

If you have Alabama ancestors but hit that 1870 brick wall, the Alabama 1867 Voter Registration Record Database is free and available online. You can search by first name, last name, and county.

Once you enter your ancestor’s information, you can find your ancestor’s county, precinct, and election district. Also, if you click on the image link, you can see the Qualified Voters list. You might discover potential relatives too!

Just a reminder, after the Civil War, only men were allowed to vote. White women did not have the right to vote until the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920. Many Black women and other women of color had to wait until the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

Alabama Voter Registration records were created in accordance with the federal, post-Civil War Second Reconstruction Act of March 23, 1867. The act required the commanding Union officer in each military district to register all resident male citizens, 21 years and older, to vote after they had taken...

10/30/2021

State archives are great free resources you can use to search for your ancestors. The state of Georgia has the Georgia Vault Archives.

You can look up your ancestor’s death certificates from 1918 to 1927 on their website! You can discover the names of your ancestor’s birthplace, their parents’ names and birthplaces, and your ancestor’s marital status!

FYI, beware of misspellings. My husband's ancestor, Stephen J. Talley's death certificate leaves out his first name, Stephen and the "e" in his last name, Talley. So don't get frustrated and get creative!

https://vault.georgiaarchives.org/digital/collection/gadeaths

10/27/2021

Hi Everyone! I haven't posted because I had contracted covid. It was awful. I am better now and will start posting genealogy videos this week! Remember your history is Black history!

09/30/2021

Did your ancestors serve in the Civil War? I'll show you a way to find them!

09/06/2021

Here are five free websites you can use for African American genealogy!

Family Search - https://www.familysearch.org/en/
Find A Grave - https://www.findagrave.com/
Google Books - https://books.google.com/
Library of Congress - https://www.loc.gov/
US Genweb - https://www.usgenweb.org/

09/01/2021

"A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots." - Marcus Garvey