African American Genealogy Sites – Free
Resources for the slave trade, historical documents and a database (wiki format)
African American Cemeteries Online
Includes extensive cemetery transcriptions for the Lowcountry Southeast
Christine’s Genealogy Website | Who are your people?
Directories of searchable databases, extensive transcriptions relevant to the Lowcountry, new historical documents coming online here daily
Transcriptions of Freedmen’s Bureau records for several states, from Christine’s Genealogy Website. Extensive transcriptions for Lowcountry FL, GA and SC. A must for your Lowcountry research toolkit
Essential starting point for identifying slaveholders by state
USGenWeb special project: document database and more
African-Native American Genealogy
From Angela Walton-Raji, this site celebrates the Oklahoma Freedmen and all blended families with African and Native American histories.
From Bennie J. McRea, Jr. – The untold history of America. History, culture, preservation efforts, and current events of African-Americans and other ethnic groups.
South Carolina Resources
SCIWAY is your essential starting point for state and county-level links for South Carolina. The definitive list of South Carolina genealogy links!
The Lowcountry Digital Library digitizes and makes accessible unique local resources that document the history and culture of the region. Their expanded digital library provides all patrons with access to information through local, state, regional, national, and international electronic networks.
South Carolina Digital Library
The South Carolina Digital Library (SCDL) is a collaborative effort that includes South Carolina’s schools, libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural heritage institutions. SCDL’s mission is to encourage collaborators to create, maintain, and promote digital collections that represent South Carolina’s historical and cultural resources.
Lowcountry Africana: South Carolina Slave Records on Fold3
South Carolina Estate Inventories and Bills of Sale, 1732-1872 contain thousands of images of estate inventories which list assets of property owners in Charleston, South Carolina. The records include the names of hundreds of plantations and thousands of enslaved ancestors.
South Carolina USGenWeb Project
A large collection of online resources and records for South Carolina Research
U.S. Colored Troops Organized in South Carolina
Of the colored soldiers who joined the Union effort, more than 5,000 were recruited from the state of South Carolina, comprising the enlisted ranks of six infantry regiments (21st, 33rd, 34th, 103rd, 104th and 128th) and one artillery battery (Battery “G”, 2nd Light Artillery Regiment). John Raymond Gourdin shares hundreds of documents that document the history of these regiments.
African Americans in the South Carolina Room
A rich collection of documents shared by E.E. Vaughn
The Georgetown County Digital Library provides the opportunity to explore the unique and diverse history of the people and places that shaped Georgetown County. Explore the past through rare photographs, newspapers, real estate indentures, journals and letters.
Greenville County Library South Carolina Room – Genealogy & History
The Carolina First South Carolina Room in the Hughes Main Library has an extensive collection of material to assist researchers interested in historical and genealogical research. While the major focus of the collection is Greenville and the Upstate, there are many sources for other locations in South Carolina and other states.
Furman University: Special Collections and Archives
Special Collections and Archives contains six distinct sections: Furman University Archives, Manuscript Collections, South Carolina Baptist Historical Collection, South Carolina Poetry Archives, Special Collections for Music, and Book Collections (Baptist, Furman, and Special Collections). Also see their Digital Collections
Old Edgefield District Genealogical Society
The purpose of the OEDGS is to promote genealogical and historical research in Old Edgefield District. To this end, the Society maintains a large collection of newspapers (both hard copies and microfilm); many Old Edgefield County records, such as probate records (wills and deeds), censuses and mortality tables. There is an extensive collection of more than 2,000 family histories (Bible records, newspaper clippings, letters, lineage charts, diary excerpts, and other information) as well, with new titles being acquired regularly. Many of these histories were donated by the authors or by family members.
African American Research and Studies Heritage Library Foundation
Hilton Head, SC
The Library’s collections are excellent for researching the origins of African-American families in this country from before the Civil War era down to the present time. They encompass both historical and genealogical data, with the richest material information on South Carolina and the Lowcountry region.
Georgia Resources
The Georgia Virtual Vault is your portal to some of Georgia’s most important historical documents, from 1733 to the present. The Virtual Vault provides virtual access to historic Georgia manuscripts, photographs, maps, and government records housed in the state archives.
Records and resource guides from the GA state archives
Genealogy and Family History of the Southeastern U.S.
Comprehensive in Georgia family and county histories, the H. Ross Arnold Jr. library at the Kenan Research Center contains 4,000 volumes regarding genealogy and family history of the American Southeast. The library also contains substantial holdings pertaining to North and South Carolina, Tennessee, and Alabama genealogy.
By David E. Paterson: In 1865, after emancipation, William A. Cobb, the Ordinary for Upson County, was confronted with the unprecedented requirement to issue marriage licenses to ex-slaves. He composed his own marriage license form which differed from that given to whites in that it asked the marrying official to supply, not only the names of the bride and groom, but also the names of their previous owners. Cobb used this unique marriage license form from October 1865 until the end of December 1869; thereafter, reverting to the same form for colored marriages as was used for white marriages.
Georgia African American Cemeteries
From Access Genealogy, a comprehensive list of links for GA cemeteries
Georgia Statewide Indexes and Collections
From FamilySearch. In the United States, information about your ancestors is often found in town and county records. If you know which state but not the town or county your ancestor lived in, check these statewide indexes to find the town or county. Then search records for that town or county. The indexes and collections listed in this guide index various sources of information, such as histories, vital records, biographies, tax lists, immigration records, etc.
Searchable online at FamilySearch, name Index and images of Georgia statewide deaths. Original records are arranged chronogically by year and then by certificate numbers.
Name index to marriage records from the state of Georgia. Microfilm copies of these records are available at the Family History Library and Family History Centers. This set contains 1,152,385 records. Due to privacy laws, recent records may not be displayed. The year range represents most of the records. A few records may be earlier or later.
An extensive collection of records for every county in Georgia. Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the page to access the thousands of county-level records there!
Track changes in county boundaries over time
The Kenan Research Center, public archive and research facility, collects primary and secondary source materials in all formats conveying the history of Atlanta and the culture of the American south.
Find many more Georgia records and resources to further your research!
Florida Resources
Florida African-American Heritage
From the FLGenWeb Project
The Florida Memory Project website presents a selection of digitized historical records that illustrate significant moments in Florida history, education resources for students of all ages and archival collections for historical research.
Florida Births and Christenings, 1880-1935
Searchable at FamilySearch online, name index to birth, baptism and christening records from the state of Florida. Microfilm copies of these records are available at the Family History Library and Family History Centers. This set contains 28,301 records.
Searchable online from FamilySearch, name index to death and burial records from the state of Florida. Microfilm copies of these records are available at the Family History Library and Family History Centers. This set contains 24,800 records.
Name index to marriage records from the state of Florida. Microfilm copies of these records are available at the Family History Library and Family History Centers. This set contains 860,110 records.
Schedules of the Census of Florida taken by that state in 1885. All counties then in the state are represented with the exception of Alachua, Clay, Columbia and Nassau. The 1885 Florida State Census is comprised of four schedules – Population, Agriculture, Manufactures and Mortality. Population schedules are available for all counties, but there are no agriculture, manufactures or mortality schedules for some counties. This collection coincides with NARA publication M845.
Population census for the State of Florida for the year 1935. This 1935 Florida State Census is an every-name list of the state’s inhabitants. The census is arranged alphabetically by county and then geographically by election precinct. All counties within the state are represented, although some election precincts are missing. The collection details include an estimated precinct locality that is based on the census precinct number within a county.
Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers
Hosted by the Library of Congress. Search, view and download newspaper pages from 1900 to 1910 from CA, DC, FL, KY, NY, UT and VA
Detailed information and driving directions for Florida cemeteries, by county
Track changes in county boundaries over time
Jacksonville City Directories, 1867-1925
Online images at the Jacksonville Public Library
Find many more Florida records and resources to further your research!
