Black History Month - Newberry Genealogy Resources

If Black History Month has inspired you to look for your own Black roots, here are some resources which may be of help.

The Bibliography of African American Family History is not intended as an exhaustive list of every African-American family history source in the library, but is a selective guide to materials at the Newberry. A listing of African-American Studies reference sources as well as our geographic guides provide additional research suggestions

For those just getting started, we recommend: Burroughs, Tony. Black Roots: A Beginner’s Guide To Tracing The African American Family Tree. New York : Fireside Book, 2001. Call no. Local History Ref E185.96 .B94 2001

And later this month, we invite you to join us at the weekly Newberry colloquium to hear Sarah Jones Weicksel’s presentation: “The Negro’s Right to the Coat of Blue/To Freemen’s Hopes and Manhood Too”: Outfitting African American Soldiers in the Civil War. The colloquium is a free weekly gathering of Newberry staff members, fellows, scholars-in-residence, and readers. Reservations not required.