Skip to Main Content

Family History and Genealogy

The Duke University Libraries do not provide genealogy research services, but this research guide is useful in pursuing your own genealogical journey.

African American Ancestor Research

  • AfriGeneas
    This site is devoted to African American genealogy, to researching African Ancestry in the Americas in particular and to genealogical research and resources in general.

  • The Freedmen's Bureau Online
    Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands.

  • North Carolina Genealogical Society -- African American Genealogy Resources

  • Cyndi's List of Genealogy Resources On the Internet -- African American
    A highly curated list of online resources for researching African American genealogy.

  • Ancestry Academy -- Needles and Threads: Piecing Together African American Families
    Collection of how-to videos on researching African and African American ancestors.

  • FamilyTree magazine's "Best African American Genealogy Websites" (updated annually)

  • Slave Voyages
    This digital memorial raises questions about the largest slave trades in history and offers access to the documentation available to answer them. European colonizers turned to Africa for enslaved laborers to build the cities and extract the resources of the Americas. They forced millions of Africans across the Atlantic to the Americas, and from one part of the Americas to another. Analyze these slave trades and view interactive maps, timelines, and animations to see the dispersal in action.

  • African American Genealogy with NC Live

            YouTube video with tips on how to research your African American family history

  • The HistoryMakers -- (requires NetID and password) digital archive where stories are assembled from life oral history interviews with historically significant African Americans from many realms of endeavor.  While this is not specifically for genealogy research, there is a wealth of information about places and events.