Researching Formerly Enslaved Ancestors - Help from Family Tree DNA

I ran across a two part series on the Family Tree DNA blog recently. Entitled Researching the Ancestry of Formerly-Enslaved African American Families, the series was written by two well-known and respected researchers - Paul Heinegg and Ayo Heinegg Magwood. They have been researching and documenting both formerly enslaved and early free people of color for a long time.

Heinegg and Magwood are both frequently found on genealogy lecture schedules. The authors have combined all the knowledge that they have gathered over the years in this series to share and empower others taking the same research journey.

Each part of the series contains extensive information and puts links to the FamilySearch Wiki convienently at your fingertips at each new step. The FamilySearch Wiki is a knowledge base known for its vast and thorough content. 

Part 1: Up to the 1870 Brick Wall - The "brick wall" being the 1870 census, part 1 includes strategies for using all the standard vital records as well as some more specialized ones including cohabitation records, Freedmen's Bureau records, Mortgages, and crop liens and chattel. Examples provided include walking a family of interest back in time to the 1870 census, tracing  a woman through multiple marriages, and strategies to trace landownership after 1870.

Part 2: Beyond the 1870 Brick Wall - Building on Part 1's foundation, Part 2 previews material from the authors' recently published article “Tracing an African American Family Lineage from the 17th to the 20th Century: The Kee Family of Northampton County, NC,” published in The Genealogist magazine this summer. In the article the authors managed to trace their ancestors back to the mid-1600s. They offer advice on using the Genealogical Proof Standard, provide guidance on using Ancestry and FamilySearch, along with historical background information. 

In conclusion, they demonstrate the strategies in action with a step-by-step case study that takes their Kee family back to the 1670s via their suggested strategies. 

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Whether you're starting your research or hitting the 1870 brick wall, if you face a similar challenge, don't skip this series. Heinegg and Magwood have made these powerful research tools readily available to speed your research. 

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