by David T. Thackery

There has never been a better time to research African American ancestors. The same advances in technology that have created a boom in the exchange of information have made it possible for a family historian to cover great distances and conduct in-depth investigation for a fraction of the cost of a traditional research trip. Census schedules, plantation records, and military records, among other sources, are at the researcher's fingertips in the form of online databases, CD-ROMs, and individual Web sites.

Although the search for African American ancestry prior to the Civil War is challenging, the difficulties are not always insurmountable. Finding Your African American Ancestors takes you through your ancestors' transition from slavery to freedom, and helps you find them using the federal census, plantation records, and other helpful sources. The book also considers ways to locate runaway slave advertisements, to identify an ancestor's military regiment, and to access the valuable information from The Freedman's Savings and Trust records.