African Americans, how much of your family history do you know ?
I'm interested in American History, specifically during the slave trade years just prior to the Civil War. I have been reading Twelve Years a Slave, and Harriet Tubman's biography as well as some other books on the Underground Railroad and some biography's of people like John Brown and Frederick Douglas. I wonder though, how many African American's have a written or oral history of their families and how far back do you have records or stories of your family ? It's just for my own understanding and enlightenment, not a school project or assignment. Any response will be appreciated, thanks.
2014-03-06T13:07:29Z
I appreciate the answers so far, but I was looking for a more personal account. Basically, what do YOU as an African American know about your family history ?
?2014-03-06T17:24:53Z
Favorite Answer
I don't feel like typing a lot so here is a site about my ancestor free Mary "The Poppaw" Queen (9th great-grandmother).
1. (Mini family tree) http://spacely.unl.edu/cocoon/dccourts/gen.queen.html
3. (Chapter on my ancestor in a book) http://books.google.com/books?id=6XWZdM7rzAgC&pg=PA89&lpg=PA89&dq=pappow+queen&source=bl&ots=Xwkp1bp3Lz&sig=EWmRX86x_OZN9dG7-WRN6AzA47Q&hl=en&sa=X&ei=4h0ZU5rxNcTuyQGlkYHwBQ&ved=0CEMQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=pappow%20queen&f=false
4. Through her I can get back to the 1720s in documentation, 1704 in birth date.
I am also proud of one of my enslaved ancestor named Primus Young who fought in the Civil War. His son (George) ran away before Primus did an was a musician playing drums during battle. Primus ran away from his owner about a month after his son George did with most of the slaves on his plantation. Primus was literate and his father was as well. His father was a free man of color and his mother a slave. He was seperated from his parents around the age of 10 and never met his siblings born after he was sold away from NC to TN. I came to find that Primus' father (George Blount) had quite a few siblings. One of whom owned their sister and 4 other slaves (which I found VERY odd). After his death (name was Abraham Blount) he set them all free and sent them to Philadelphia to maintain their freedom.
@Ranae if you would like I could help you research you ancestry?
I went back as far as my 4th and 5th grandparents on my family tree. I know that all my family was poor and lived in the south picking cotton long after slavery was over to make an income. I have discovered a slave census record that listed the slave owner of my 4th grandparents and my 3rd granddaddy. All my earliest ancestors where born in Alabama and then traveled to the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, & Texas. I'm 20 years old and my great grandfather was born 1863 so he was born a couple of years before slavery ended. He was told by his mother who was a slave for her entire life that her mother was born in MADAGASCAR. I haven't found any document proof because its basically IMPOSSBLE!! I believe this to be 100% true because not only does my family look exactly like Malagasy people. I think the fact that a slave was able to pass on the information of where their parent came from is very credible. Why would a slave women lie about where her mother was born? How many blacks have been told a exact location which they derived from? And without a DNA test? Before the 1870 census with the exception of the one 1860 slave schedule my family doesn't exist! I guess I'm a native ALABAMIAN! @Primus-If that's you on Ancestry I sent you my tree.
There are census records that were maintained during the slave era listing the slaves as well as numerous other types of documents available. Written or Oral histories have been used in conjunction with actual documentation to compile African American family histories, in many cases.
Preston Jackson does most of his works based on African American History including slavery, Jazz Musicians a sculpture of Miles Davis and other prominent African Americans. Do to his influence I included the Harlem Renaissance in my General survey of art courses.
The average African American who can trace his ancestors to the civil war actually has an advantage, as the breeding and sales records during the slave era are extensive and well organized.