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10 Nov Where Can I Learn African American Genealogy? Courses, Teachers and Free Resources

Posted at 04:53h in African American Genealogy by

The best place to start learning African American genealogy is with free guides from the National Archives and the Library of Congress, followed by the African American sessions on the FamilySearch RootsTech page. Then join a society such as the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society (AAHGS) for teaching and a community of researchers. This guide lists each place I checked, what each one actually offers, and where to go next. By Aisha LaDon Abdul Rahman, MLIS, PhD.

I checked every page below on November 10, 2026. Where a page did not say whether something is free, current, or open to new students, I say so instead of guessing.

Where can I learn African American genealogy for free?

National Archives: African American Heritage

The National Archives gathers its Black history material on one page, African American Heritage. It links to a reference paper called “Black Family Research, Post-Civil War Federal Agencies,” which is where many researchers learn which federal offices created records about freed people. It also links to “Transcribe Records Relating to Black History,” a citizen archivist project where you can practice reading handwritten records.

The page also points to two articles worth reading slowly. One is Damani Davis’s 2010 Prologue article on using federal records to explore the lives of African American ancestors in the nation’s capital. The other is a 2005 article by Donald R. Shaffer and Elizabeth Regosin on Union pension files that give voice to formerly enslaved people. The page does not list genealogy workshops or webinars by name, so treat it as a reading list, not a class.

Library of Congress: a starting guide

The Library of Congress Local History and Genealogy Reading Room has a short guide, Afro-American Genealogical Research: How. It tells beginners to read the “How To Begin” section of the free publication Genealogical Research at the Library of Congress, and then James D. Walker’s Black Genealogy: How to Begin (University of Georgia, 1977). The guide is dated February 23, 2018 and the book is from 1977, so use them for method and habits, then check newer sources for online records.

Enslaved.org

Enslaved.org is run by Michigan State University and documents the lives of named enslaved people. A June 2025 release added information on about two million named Black Americans born before emancipation, drawn from the 1900 U.S. census, and it links to original census images and FamilySearch Family Tree records. Family Tree access requires a FamilySearch account, which is free. Source: MSU Today, June 16, 2025. The article does not say whether Enslaved.org itself charges for anything.

Which sessions and classes cover African American research?

FamilySearch’s RootsTech site has a page called African American Resources with 18 sessions at the time I checked. Titles on it include:

  • “Records of the Freedmen’s Bureau: There’s Something for Everyone,” presented by Renate Yarborough Sanders
  • “Find and Connect Your African American Ancestors with FamilySearch,” presented by Julia A. Anderson
  • “The Homestead Act and Southern Black Homesteaders,” presented by Jessica Korgie and Bernice Alexander Bennett
  • “Nobody Knows The Trouble I’ve Seen – Culling Evidence From Freedman’s Bank Postmortem Records,” presented by Cecelia McFadden
  • The FamilySearch 101 series, five short episodes on the basics of the site

The page does not say which sessions are free, so open it to see what you can watch today.

Is there a society for African American family historians?

Yes. The Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society, Inc. is a nonprofit whose stated mission is to “preserve African-ancestored family history, genealogy, and cultural diversity” by teaching research techniques and sharing information. Its site says it has chapters in cities across the continental United States. Member benefits listed there include a members-only area, digital copies of the AAHGS Journal and AAHGS News, discounted registration for its annual conference, and a 10% discount to the Boston University Genealogy Studies Program. The page gives no conference dates, so check the site for the current year.

Are there paid courses and institutes?

The Institute for Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR) offered a 2026 virtual course titled “Building African American Families: Records, Resources & Documentation.” Its registration page shows that registration closed on June 27, 2026, and it lists no dates or instructors. Watch the IGHR site for the next course list. The Boston University program mentioned above is one more option. I could not open its page when I checked, so look at its details yourself before you decide.

What do I teach, and where?

I have done genealogy research for almost 30 years. Separately, I have 3 years of professional archival work. I am one teacher among many on this list, and here is what I offer plainly:

What should I read here on aishaladon.com while I learn?

Frequently asked questions

Where should a complete beginner start?

The Library of Congress guide above sends beginners to Genealogical Research at the Library of Congress and James D. Walker’s Black Genealogy: How to Begin. Then use the FamilySearch 101 episodes to learn the site, and talk with the oldest relatives you can reach before you search for anyone else.

Which records should I learn about for ancestors after the Civil War?

Start with the National Archives reference paper “Black Family Research, Post-Civil War Federal Agencies,” which is linked from its African American Heritage page. The FamilySearch RootsTech page also lists sessions on Freedmen’s Bureau records and Freedman’s Bank records.

Can I use Enslaved.org without paying?

MSU’s announcement says that viewing Family Tree records through Enslaved.org requires a FamilySearch account, which is free. It does not state whether Enslaved.org charges for other features, so check the site itself.

Is there one place that teaches everything?

I did not find one. The National Archives and Library of Congress give reading and records guidance, FamilySearch gives sessions and tools, AAHGS gives community and a society journal, and institutes such as IGHR give structured courses when they are open.

Bring one question to the Reference Desk

If you are learning and get stuck on a record, a name, or a place to look next, bring that one question to the Reference Desk. I work through reader questions on camera every Thursday at 7:00 PM Pacific. Anyone can send one, and you never have to appear on camera. About six questions are answered live in each session, so I cannot promise every question will be taken. Send yours at aishaladon.com/reference-desk.

Sources

Featured photo by Taylor Burnfield on Unsplash

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