15 Slave States & the District of Columbia · 1600s–1865

The Names They Could Not HideFinding Americans of African Descent Before Emancipation — 1865

A dignified home for recovering the names, lives and lineages of your ancestors held in bondage — and for bringing descendants together. Our searches will locate the historical records, re-create them to be legible in an antique parchment paper version of the historical document, help build your family trees, and plan family reunions that honor your ancestors.

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Sample Records

Named Individuals

States & D.C.

Record Types

Fifteen States & D.C., One Search

Each state kept its records differently. Begin with a focused guide for the place your ancestors were held.

Document Archive

Re-created probate records, bills of sale, runaway notices & Slave Schedules with side-by-side transcription.

Research Hub

Guides to the slavery research institutions of 15 slave states and D.C., from the 1600s to Emancipation.

Routes of Migration

Follow coffle trails, river trade, ship manifests and the Trail of Tears, then map your own family's route.

Cousins Lounges

A 'Looking for Descendants' lounge for every state, where members meet cousins through shared surnames.

Family Tree

Build your lineage, tag enslavement records, and preserve each ancestor's story.

Reunion Planning

Organize gatherings — guest lists, itineraries, budgets, and shared memories.

Ancestral Guide

An AI research companion for the hardest records

Ask how to read a probate inventory, locate a county courthouse's deed books, or trace a family through the 1870 census. The Ancestral Guide specializes in pre-1865 genealogy.

Ask the Ancestral Guide