Records to Consider 

This includes:

• U.S. Federal Census Record (taken every ten years, available until 1950); the 1870 census is the first one after Emancipation; the 1900 census shows the number of children a woman gave birth to and also the number of children living at that time 

• State Census Records, taken periodically 

• Slave Schedules (1850 and 1960), listed by enslaver with a count for the number of enslaved people (with ages, gender, and race) 

• Census of Agriculture, taken every five years (shows acreage, crops and earnings) 

• The 1867 Voter Registration List- Explore them here or Read more

This includes city and business directories (sometimes separate documents and sometimes combined). As a result of systemic racism and wanting to keep people segregated, most directories will notate an African American name with either an asterisk or a small letter 'c' in parentheses beside the name. For researchers, this can help find the right person and/or relatives. In later years, newspapers sometimes printed business directories, but varies according to location and time period.

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For later time periods, you may also find yearbooks and alumnae programs. 

These records include the following documents, often found under the names of enslavers but can contain helpful information about enslaved ancestors, such as names, family relationships, ages, sometimes descriptions, or other information. Each one is different. 
 

• Bank records 

• Tax lists 

• Bills of Sale

• Receipts

A rich resource that includes: 

• Court documents, lawsuits

• Wills 

• Probate records 

• Estate Valuations 

• Manumission records 

• Land deeds or transfers of land and land grants 

• Social Security applications 

Most enslaved people were not allowed to learn to read or write and so letters or diaries were rarely written. There are some letters preserved in which formerly enslaved people had others help to write letters. The majority of these types of records will be written by enslavers. Several archives contain diaries kept by white wives of enslavers. These documents can offer some information about life during that time and, depending on the details written, may contain information about specific enslaved people. However, it is important to keep in mind the context of who is writing or why. 

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Learn about freedman Jack Hannibal's 1878 letter, written from Tuscaloosa to his former enslaver to inquire about lost relatives. 

Pension applications may exist for your African American ancestors if they served in the USCT (United States Colored Troops) during the Civil War or were forced to serve on provide labor for the Confederae side during the war. 

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Learn more about the USCT 

Explore records 

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There are also many locations often called "contraband camps" or refugee camps which were camps that sprouted up near Union troops when enslaved people self-liberated during the Civil War. These camps became recruitment centers for the USCT. Many became little cities with schools, hospitals, churches, commisaries, and homes. Many are still in existance today and managed by the National Park Service. Some of the sites contain small libraries, which may have some records on the families who sought freedom there or joined the USCT.  

An Interactive Map of the Civil War Refugee Camps
 

Watch a short video about the camp in Corinth, Mississippi from the National Park Service. 

Newspapers contain ads, articles, obituaries and other information about daily life. It must always be remembered to keep context in mind: who is writing and why. Older newspapers pre-Emancipation contain many runaway ads that can contain physical descriptions, family information, or location, as well as names of enslavers. Other ads list information about public slave auctions or sales of enslaved people. Many articles relate details that can offer an understanding to the local news, landscape, and atmosphere of the time.

Unfortunately, many of these do not still exist or easily accessible. Many large plantations, in particular, kept records concerning how they managed their plantations. This varies according to the record keeper, which is not always known. Context can also be elusive, depending on how they were preserved. Some information that can be found include lists of enslaved people, records of births and deaths, healthcare provided to enslaved people and other details of their lives and experiences. It is important with these records, as well as others, to remember that they were witten from the enslaver's perspective.  

These records can include: 

• Church records 

• Cemeteries

• Funeral Cards 

• Obituaries

• Family Bibles 

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Find a Grave is an online database in which voluntters contribute information and sometimes photos of burial sites, usually grouped by cemetery and searchable by names and locations. 

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Tuscaloosa has several historic African American Churches. If you think your relative may have been a member, contact the church to see if they have old church minutes or other records.

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Funeral cards and obituaries can be a goldmine because they can contain information about other family members, birth locations, and family history that may not be foudn elsewhere. 

There are also a number of known cemeteries within Tuscaloosa County and nearby counties that were used as burial sites for enslaved people. Watch this video about one location, in which community members are fighting to preserve. 

Many enslaved people were transported by ships along the U.S. coast, from one port to another. The ships were required to keep a manifst, or record, that lists the enslaver, ship captain, and names of the enslaved people (and usually age,race). Read more about these records and how to use them. 

These include records related to births, marriages, deaths, and possibly divorces. Birth certificates were not often kept or required until much later.

Death Certificates may list the names of parents and birthplaces, a cause of death, birthdates, occupations, and an informant (usually a relative). However, these records can sometimes contain incorrect information due to the emotional situation. Also, the informant may not have known exact information or did not have the right information.

There are also mortality schedule record kept at various intervals between 1850-1885 to notate deaths, causes, and dates. Usually a physician was responsible for these records. They can be found through Ancestry and the Alabama Department of Archives and History, as well as Family Search.