Researching Ancestral Pathways of Enslavement in the U.S.

This presentation is for Intermediate to Advanced level enslaved African American researchers. It does not introduce new types of genealogical records or resources for enslaved people – although you will need to be familiar with what these are and where to find them.

The concept is based on asking – and answering – eight (8) questions. Three (3) considerations are covered if an enslaver was a minor child or a sheriff’s sale/auction were part of a pathway.

The aim of the presentation is to conceptualize a research process to better enable researchers of enslaved African American lineages to think about:

1. Identifying who enslaved an ancestor.

2. How enslaved ancestors came to be enslaved by a specific enslaver (or a series of different enslavers) who held them at any given stage during their lifetime.