Black Genealogy [Paperback]

Blockson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 22, 1996

first published in 1977, black genealogy remains a unique guide guide among standard genealogical references. author charles blockson, a noted genealogist and african american historian, traced his own family roots back through the 18th century. along his journey, he discovered obstacles and advantages that make searching for black family history a rewarding experience.

Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Black Classic Press (November 22, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0933121539
• ISBN-13: 978-0933121539
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #803,296 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Angry Polemics Mar Book, August 30, 2000

By 

David E. Paterson (Norfolk, VA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Black Genealogy (Paperback)

Unfortunately, I cannotnt recommend Charles L. Blockson, Black
Genealogy because so much of what he writes is either misleading or
unhelpful. Blockson's treatment of Black genealogical records for the
post-slavery era (after 1865) is somewhat adequate but pedestrian.
There are several other commonly-available books that address these
records much better. It is in his treatment of records from the
slavery period that Blockson does his readers the greatest disservice.
His experience with records of slavery seems to be limited to records
of Pennsylvania - which might account for his woefully inadequate
treatment of Southern legal records where most genealogists in search
of slave ancestors may need to look. Some of the most significant of
such records are probate records, deeds, conveyances, and lawsuits
- but the reader would never know it from reading this book.
Blockson devotes a total of only THREE SENTENCES to "wills,
estate inventories, and tax records" (p.71). According to the
single sentence devoted to tax records, their value is merely to
"prove that slaves were valuable assets to ironmasters in the
latter part of the eighteenth century." In his discussion of
Federal Census records (p.45), he says, "Slave schedules were
made for every state. . . with slaves listed under their owners'
names." He fails to explain that slaves are not named in these
censuses, but only listed by age and gender. There is no discussion
of the uses and shortfalls of the slave censuses. Rather than discuss
these most fruitful and likely sources, Blockson urges readers to seek
records of slave "breeding sessions" (p.72), to browse
museum collections for "slave collars" with names on them
(p.75), to search for "branding records" in county
courthouses and branding irons in museum collections (p.75)! These
bizarre recommendations are urged in spite of the fact that the author
does not offer a single example of such things (he admits that it is
"difficult to find any [courthouse branding] records
today"!). Furthermore, if museums have relics such as branding
irons, the author fails to show how finding them would help a
researcher trace his or her ancestors. On p.77, Blockson addresses
the relative difficulty of finding records of slave paternity compared
to slave maternity, but adds, "You may run into problems tracing
your DIRECT family line (father to father)." One has to wonder
why Blockson believes that tracing maternal ancestry is less
"direct" (and by implication, less satisfactory) than
tracing paternal ancestry. Blockson's book is punctuated with
lengthy, angry polemics against slavery and racism, which will
probably be unhelpful to most genealogical searches. The main
objective of Blockson's book seems to be to arouse his readers'
indignation at racism and the "inhuman system of slavery,"
rather than to lead researchers to records of their ancestors.

4.0 out of 5 stars ancestory, June 5, 2009

By 

Brenda J. Parks - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Black Genealogy (Paperback)

somewhat helpful but not what I was looking for. everything else was great though.