African American Genealogy -
FamilySearch Wiki
The African American Genealogy Wiki on FamilySearch is a comprehensive, continually updated online guide designed to help researchers trace African American ancestry. It offers step-by-step instructions, key historical context, and direct links to records and tools, especially curated for the unique challenges faced when researching African American genealogy.
General United States Records
When researching your ancestors in the United States, begin by using national-level records and then move to state and local sources. These records often provide key clues about names, relationships, locations, and historical context, especially for African American families whose records may be fragmented.
Topics that may be available on your state’s page, depending on the records available.
- ➡️ Adoption
- ➡️ Bible Records
- ➡️ Cemeteries
- ➡️ Census
- ➡️ Church Records
- ➡️ Colonial Records
- ➡️ Correctional Institutions
- ➡️ Court Records
- ➡️ Crime & Punishment
- ➡️ Directories
- ➡️ Divorce Records
- ➡️ Education
- ➡️ Emigration
- ➡️ Genealogies
- ➡️ Land & Property
- ➡️ Medical Records
- ➡️ Military Records
- ➡️ Naturalization
- ➡️ Newspapers
- ➡️ Obituaries
- ➡️ Occupation
- ➡️ Online Collections
- ➡️ Periodicals
- ➡️ Probate Records
- ➡️ Social Orgranizations
- ➡️ Taxation
- ➡️ Vital Records
- ➡️ Voter Records
| Wiki - African American Resources for States | ||||
| Alabama | Hawaii | Massachusetts | New Mexico | South Dakota |
| Alaska | Idaho | Michigan | New York | Tennessee |
| Arkansas | Illinois | Minnesota | North Carolina | Texas |
| Arizona | Indiana | Mississippi | North Dakota | Utah |
| California | Iowa | Missouri | Ohio | Vermont |
| Colorado | Kansas | Montana | Oklahoma | Virginia |
| Connecticut | Kentucky | Nebraska | Oregon | Washington |
| Delaware | Louisiana | Nevada | Pennsylvania | West Virginia |
| Florida | Maine | New Hampshire | Rhode Island | Wisconsin |
| Georgia | Maryland | New Jersey | South Carolina | Wyoming |
| Wiki African American Resources for DC | ||||
| District of Columbia | ||||
Wiki - Africa Online Genealogy Records
The Africa Online Genealogy Records Wiki on FamilySearch is a valuable resource that guides researchers to online genealogical records for countries across the African continent. Rather than hosting records directly, the wiki serves as a curated gateway, linking users to external databases, indexes, and archives for vital records such as births, marriages, deaths, census data, and church registers. Each African country has its own page, which outlines the types of records available online, the institutions responsible for those records, and tips for accessing them.
Wiki - Caribbean Online Genealogy Records
The Caribbean Online Genealogy Records Wiki on FamilySearch functions as a curated directory of online record links for Caribbean nations rather than hosting the records itself. Accessible through the broader “Online Genealogy Records by Location” portal, it includes dedicated pages for numerous countries, such as Barbados, Bahamas, Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana, Grenada, and the British Virgin Islands, each detailing available online collections like birth, marriage, death, and baptismal records
These country pages not only link to external databases—like FamilySearch collections, MyHeritage, or national archival sites—they also provide contextual guidance on record timeframes, repository locations, and tips for navigating potential gaps or searching challenges . One example is the “Caribbean, Births and Baptisms, 1590–1928” index, which aggregates diverse island records into a single searchable dataset on FamilySearch
Wiki - South America Online Genealogy Records
The FamilySearch Research Wiki includes a dedicated “South America” section within its “Online Genealogy Records by Location” hub, offering country‑by‑country guides for genealogical research across the continent. While the Wiki doesn’t host the original records, it acts as a curated directory pointing researchers to external archives, such as FamilySearch collections, National Archives, MyHeritage, and others, along with guidance on record availability, periods covered, and access requirements. For example, the Colombia guide outlines parish registers, transcripts, censuses, and vital records, while the Brazil and Peru pages offer similar rich overviews
