African American Archives and Libraries

United States African American Research  Archives and Libraries

Most archives and libraries collect records about local residents (biographies, family histories, and local histories) and about nearby places (maps, gazetteers, and place-finding aids). They often compile reference helps and special indexes to important local sources. In many communities they serve as a meeting place for local historical and genealogical societies, and may be able to provide referrals to people who are willing to look up information in local records. Before you visit an archive or a library, contact them and ask for information on their collection, hours, services, and fees.

When one of these institutions is referred to elsewhere in this outline, return to this section for the address.

The Family History Library has copies of many of the records found in archives and libraries, but most repositories will have additional sources.

Many archives and libraries have helpful sources for locating information about Alabama, such as maps, gazetteers, and other place-finding aids. They frequently have collections of previous research, such as family and local histories and biographies. Many have record-finding aids, such as guides to their own collections or inventories of records housed elsewhere in the state. Archives and libraries near state boundaries usually collect records relating to the adjacent states.

The following archives, libraries, and societies have collections or services helpful to African American genealogical researchers:

Family History Library 35 North West Temple Street Room 344 Salt Lake City, UT 84150-3400 [Note: Room 344 is a mail room only, not a room patrons can visit.] Local Telephone: 801-240-2331 Toll Free: 1-800-346-6044 (Inside United States and Canada) Toll Free: 1-801-240-1000 (Outside United States and Canada) Internet: www.familysearch.org/

National Archives 700 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20408 Telephone: 202-501-5415 Fax: 301-837-0459 Internet: http://www.archives.gov

National Archives - Regional Branches Internet: http://www.archives.gov/facilities/index.html

Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center 900 Library Plaza, P.O. Box 2270 Fort Wayne, Indiana 46801-2270 260-421-1225 Email: Genealogy@ACPL.Info Internet: http://www.GenealogyCenter.org African American Gateway: http://www.genealogycenter.info/africanamerican/ NOTE: Microfilm from the rich collection of the Family History Library can be ordered at The Genealogy Center.

National Underground Railroad Freedom Center 50 East Freedom Way Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 Telephone: 513-333-7500 or 877-648-4838 Internet: http://www.freedomcenter.org/

The Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum 1901 Fort Place SE Washington, D.C. 20020 Telephone: 202-633-4820 Internet: http://anacostia.si.edu/ Kalamazoo College Africo-American Black History Museum 1200 Academy Street Kalamazoo, Michigan 49006 Telephone: 269-337-7000 Internet: http://www.kzoo.edu/africa/links.htm The University of Pittsburgh Hillman Library 3960 Forbes Avenue Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260 Telephone: 412-648-7756 Internet: http://www.library.pitt.edu/libraries/hillman/hillman.html

The University of Pennsylvania African Studies Center 647 Williams Hall 255 S 36th Street Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-6305 Telephone: 215-898-6971 Fax: 215-573-7379 Email: [mailto:africa@sas.upenn.edu africa@sas.upenn.edu] Internet: http://www.africa.upenn.edu/AS.html

Birmingham Civil Rights Institute 520 Sixteenth Street North Birmingham, Alabama 35203 Telephone: 205-328-9696 Toll Free: 1-866-328-9696 Fax: 205-251-6104 Internet: http://www.bcri.org/index.html

The Black Archives of Mid-America 2033 Vine Street Kansas City, Missouri 64108-3007 Telephone: 816-701-3590 Email: [mailto:info@blackarchives.org info@blackarchives.org] Internet: http://www.blackarchives.org/Internet: http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/african/intro.html

Duke Univeristy John Hope Franklin Collection for African and African-American Documentation Durham, North Carolina 27708 Telephone 919-684-8111 Internet: http://library.duke.edu/specialcollections/franklin/ Internet: http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/african/intro.html

UNC University Libraries

Documenting the American South (DocSouth): Collections

The Library of Congress The African-American Mosaic: A Library of Congress Resource Guide for the Study of Black History and Culture 101 Independence Avenue SE Washington, D.C. 20540 Telephone: 202-707-5000 Internet: http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/african/intro.html

See the tutorial at the FamilySearch Learning Center on "African American Genealogical Research at the Library of Congress"

New England Historic Genealogical Society 101 Newbury Street Boston, MA 02116-3087 Telephone: 617-536-5740 Fax: 617-536-7307 Internet address: www.americanancestors.org

See the tutorial at the FamilySearch Learning Center on "African American Resources at NEHGS"

Godfrey Memorial Library 134 Newfield St. Middletown, CT 06457 Telephone: 806-346-4375 www.godfrey.org

Newberry Library

60 W. Walton St. - Chicago, IL - 60610 Reading Rooms: Tue - Fri 9am-5pm Sat 9am-1pm

Note: Microfilms from the Family History Library can be ordered at this Public Library


 * Jack Simpson and Matt Rutherford, A Bibliography of African American Family History at the Newberry Library  (Chicago : The Newberry Library, ©2005). PDF version online..

General Resources for African American Research

The following resources can be helpful as you begin your research:


 * Tony Burroughs, Black Roots: A Beginner's Guide to Tracing the African American Family Tree  (New York : Fireside Book, ©2001). ..


 * Dee Parmer Woodtor, Finding a Place Called Home: An African-American Guide to Genealogy and Historical Identity  (New York : Random House, ©1999). ..