District of Columbia Court and Emancipation Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
This collection will include records from 1820-1863.

Images of National Archives records from three the microfilm publications. Records of the Board of Commissioners for the Emancipation of Slaves in the District of Columbia, 1862-1863, M520, 4 rolls in Records of the Accounting Officers of the Department the Treasury, RG 217, Records of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia relating to slaves, 1851-1863 M433, 2 rolls and United States. Circuit Court (District of Columbia), Habeas Corpus Case Records,1820-1863, M434, 2 rolls in Records of the District Courts of the United States in RG 21.

Record Content
Court records may contain the following information:
 * Name
 * Age

Emancipation records may contain the following information:
 * Name
 * Date of emancipation

How to Use the Record
To begin your search it is helpful to know:
 * Your ancestor’s name.
 * Other identifying information such as residence, birthdate or age, names of other family members and family relationships.

Search the Collection
To browse by image: To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒ Select the "National Archives Microfilm Publication" category ⇒ Select the "NARA Roll Number and film description" category which takes you to the images.

Look at each image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination. Keep in mind:
 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life.

Using the Information

 * Use the estimated age to calculate a birth date and locate birth records.
 * Use the residence to find family in census, church, and land records.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?

 * Check for variant spellings of the names.
 * Look for an index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume. In addition local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records.
 * Search the records of nearby localities (or military units, counties, parishes, etc.).

General Information about These Records

 * Physical description or format of the original material
 * History of the record
 * Why the record was created
 * Reliability of the information in the record
 * Percentage of the population covered in the record
 * Preservation quality of the record

Related Websites
District of Columbia History and Genealogy

Related Wiki Articles

 * District of Columbia Court Records
 * District of Columbia African Americans
 * District of Columbia Genealogy

Citations for This Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.

Collection Citation:

Image Citation: