National Resources

The following links are sites with free access to resources based outside of New England. Many offer direct access to some materials and guides to their holdings that are useful for placing orders or preparing for an on-site visit.

AAHGS  The Web site of the national office of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society and links to all other nation wide chapters.
African American Civil War Memorial & Museum Preserving and telling the stories of the United States Colored Troops involvement in the American Civil War
African-Native American Genealogy  A useful site for people interested in researching African Americans with Native American connections. It also offers links to other organizations and resources with such a focus.
Christine’s Genealogy List Specializes in African American genealogy resources and links.
Civil War Slave Compensation Claims A searchable index to slaves who enlisted or were drafted into the U.S. military during the Civil War. Maintained by the St. Louis County Library in St. Louis, Mo., the site allows visitors to search slave compensation claims filed against the federal government by loyal slave owners whose slaves fought for Union forces. You can search the index by either the former slave’s name, or the former owner’s name. The claims come from slave owners in Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Tennessee and West Virginia.
Documenting the American South Provides information about the lives and times of people in southern colonies/states. It is sponsored by the University Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Its purpose is to provide access to digitized primary source records and images so people can learn about the history of southern America.
Freedmen’s Bureau  Offers useful information online, and gives a guide to useful data sources available through the National Archives system. It does not include the records of the Freedmen’s Bank, which can be consulted at regional or national offices of the National Archives.
Preview of The Georgetown Memory Project Portal at NEHGS 

This image is taken from the article A Community Betrayed. The Fate and Legacy of Slaves Sold by Georgetown University, which begins on page 24 of volume 19. The image is a preview of the forthcoming GU272 Memory Project portal; which will contain a wealth of research tools designed for GU272 descendants and others interested in African American family history. The two main components of the site will be a new database and a collection of oral histories.

Mormon Church The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has established the most extensive collection anywhere of genealogy relevant information, some of which can be directly accessed free of charge. At the site, you can identify resources that can be ordered and perused through local Mormon Family Centers. This collection is increasing its coverage of persons and communities of African American descent.
NARA Research Room This is the genealogy section of the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration Web site. It offers some material online and can guide the researcher to a wealth of resources available at regional branches, at national repositories, and/or that can be ordered on microfilm.