Center for Family History

For far too long, African American family histories have been obscured and buried. But there are records to trace and stories to uncover.

Explore Your Untold Story

Welcome to the Center for Family History, a groundbreaking research center dedicated to assisting individuals, like you, reconnect with their family history and ancestors. Whether you are an experienced genealogist or just getting started on your journey, we’re here to help you find connections to your ancestors and discover more of your story.

Want to visit the Center for Family History? Admission to the museum includes access to the Center, its FamilySearch kiosks, storybooth, and more.

DIGITAL ARCHIVES
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How to Use Our Resources

New to genealogy? Expand your research skills and uncover your own family’s stories with the help of our on-demand Resource Center.

EXPLORE RESOURCE CENTER

Virtual One-on-One Consultations

Want to get additional support from our expert staff on your ancestry journey? The Center for Family History team can point you to online and brick-and-mortar archives, repositories, and specialist collections that hold invaluable African American records and documents that documented the lives of enslaved people as well as free people of color. The team will also point you to digital and physical resources and records you may not be aware of – or thought of – to help you break through a research brick wall.

Our services provide you with deeper insight into how to research and where to look for records. Unfortunately, we are currently unable to provide the following types of research support:

On-site/face-to-face one-on-one consultations
Creating online family trees – or adding information and ancestors to existing family trees
Creating accounts on popular family tree-building websites (We can certainly explain how to do this!)

Please reserve your 45-minute virtual one-on-one consultation by clicking the button below.

Consultation Hours: Monday-Friday from 10 AM to 4 PM Eastern
$49 Fee

RESERVE YOUR CONSULTATION

Find your family. Explore our growing collections of historical documents, photos, family histories, and more.

Explore Our Digital Archives

11:00 am - 11:30 am

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Supporting IAAM Supports the Center for Family History

The Center for Family History is a one-of-a-kind resource that’s home to a robust collection of photos, records, archival tools, and the largest collection of United States Colored Troop records outside of the National Archives. By supporting the International African American Museum, you help ensure that every story can be told, including those uncovered by the Center for Family History. Together, with your help, we will reconnect people with their history—and secure it for generations to come.

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Hours

Museum & Garden