ProQuest African American Heritage

ProQuest® African American Heritage is a groundbreaking digital resource exclusively devoted to African American family history research.

This collection was created in partnership with leading African American genealogists and recognized leaders in genealogical information to develop a comprehensive mix of resources, records, and tools specifically pertaining to African Americans.

As a consequence of slavery and the changing legal status of African Americans, research in this area can be more challenging than other genealogical inquiries.

ProQuest African American Heritage helps individuals address these unique issues by not only bringing together records critical to African American family research, but also by connecting them to a community of research experts, whose mentoring and assistance can frequently be the difference between research success and futility.

Highlights of ProQuest African American Heritage include:

• A user-friendly interface that combines the best elements of our award-winning HeritageQuest® Online database with new, enhanced navigation and tools.
• Primary sources devoted specifically to African American family history, including census records, vital records, freedman and slave records, church records, legal records, and more.
• The newest primary source collections include North Carolina cohabitation records, North Carolina and West Virginia marriage records, U.S. Colored Troops Records (1861-1865), and registers of slaves and free persons of color from select states and counties.
• Unique access to family history books related to African Americans, including titles from Genealogical Publishing Company made available in digital format for the first time ever.
• Exclusive access to an updated, online edition of Black Genesis—an exhaustive guide that makes locating resources pertaining to slaves and free blacks easier.
• Exclusive partnership with AfriGeneas—recognized as a leading social networking site devoted to African American genealogy—that provides direct access to expert advice, moderated forums, chats, mailing lists, surname registry, and more.
• Unlimited site and remote access to extend availability 24/7.