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In preparation of IAAM King- A Day of Service in honor of MLK Day, the International African American Museum will be closed on Saturday and Sunday. For inquiries about the museum, please contact us at [email protected].

AFRICAN AMERICAN DIGITAL ARCHIVES

Explore your family’s ancestry with our ever-growing collection of records.

Uncover Your African American Family Story

Our growing digital African American archive collection features primary source material by, from, and about the African American community spanning the colonial era of the Americas through the 20th Century.

The digital resources below contain a variety of unique and previously unpublished artifacts such as African American military records, family photographs, and funeral programs.

While the following list is not exhaustive, archival additions in the near future will include oral histories, slavery-era documents, as well as marriage, death, and birth records.

View Our Digital Collections

African American Family Photographs (Pre-20th Century)

Our collection of donated private family photographs documents African American ancestors and family life prior to 1900.
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African American Family Photographs (20th Century)

Our collection of donated private family photographs documents African American ancestors and family life from 1900 to the 1970s.
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African American Funeral Programs & Obituaries

Our collection of donated African American funeral programs and obituaries provides a treasure trove of genealogical information for family history researchers and genealogists. The collection also contains a wealth of information for historians and history researchers about the lives of African Americans through the ages: from career information to military service, occupations, education, organizational and political affiliations – and so much more!
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Family Bible Records

Prior to the early 1900s, vital records (birth and death, specifically) were not recorded at the state level. Some cities and counties kept official records before then, however, this early record keeping practice was not common. Private birth, death, and marriage events were most often recorded in family Bibles. In turn, family bibles can be priceless resources for genealogists in search of early vital records.
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USCT Pension Applications

The United States Colored Troops (USCT) pension application records following on from the Civil War service provide a treasure trove of information for descendants and researchers of formerly enslaved and free-born African Americans. These applications can support African American researchers to push their African American ancestry back to the 1860s and sometimes even earlier.
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New to genealogy and not sure where to start? Our beginner’s resources are for you.

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Help build our digital collection by sharing your family’s photos, bible records, marriage records, obituaries, and more.

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