Finding AncestorsBefore Emancipation · 1865
Ancestry Research Hub

A path to your enslaved ancestors

Research before 1865 requires a different approach. Begin with the state where your ancestors were held (from the first arrivals of the 1600s to Emancipation), then work backward from the 1870 census — the first to name formerly enslaved people.

DC

District of Columbia

Federal district 1790 · Border States & D.C.

Slavery 1790–1862 Emancipation: April 16, 1862 (D.C. Compensated Emancipation Act)

Washington, D.C. was home to slave pens and trading firms that sent people south until the trade was banned there in 1850. On April 16, 1862, Congress freed about 3,100 people. Enslavers filed compensation petitions that name each person, often with descriptions and family ties.

Slavery Research Institutions

Civil War Washington: Emancipation PetitionsTranscribed 1862 compensated emancipation petitions.Moorland-Spingarn Research Center (Howard University)One of the largest African diaspora collections.D.C. Public Library: People's ArchiveLocal history, newspapers and photographs.

Where to Search District of Columbia Records

Open a pre-filled District of Columbia search on each repository. You don't need an account to start.

Civil War Washington: Emancipation PetitionsFamilySearch: District of Columbia recordsAncestry: search District of ColumbiaNARA — Freedmen's Bureau Records

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Key Records

  • 1862 Compensated Emancipation petitions (Board of Commissioners, NARA RG 217)
  • Certificates of freedom and manumission records (D.C. Recorder of Deeds)
  • Records of the 1838 Georgetown Jesuit sale
  • Alexandria slave-trader records (Franklin & Armfield)
  • Freedmen's Bureau and Freedman's Bank records for D.C.

Research Tips

  • The 1862 petitions are some of the most detailed records naming enslaved people anywhere.
  • Alexandria was part of D.C. until 1846. Search Virginia records as well.
  • Check the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center for family papers.

National Resources, 1600s to Emancipation

Databases that cover every state, from the Atlantic crossings to the search for family after freedom.

SlaveVoyages: Trans-Atlantic & Intra-American DatabasesShip voyages 1514–1866, including the coastwise trade between U.S. ports.Enslaved.org: Peoples of the Historical Slave TradeLinked records of named enslaved individuals drawn from many databases.Freedom on the Move: Runaway AdvertisementsThousands of transcribed fugitive notices from newspapers, 1700s–1865.Last Seen: Finding Family After Slavery'Information Wanted' ads placed by freedpeople searching for family.Library of Congress: Born in Slavery (WPA Narratives)More than 2,300 first-person accounts of formerly enslaved people.National Archives: African American ResearchFreedmen's Bureau, Freedman's Bank, slave manifests, USCT service records.FamilySearch: Freedmen's Bureau RecordsFree indexed labor contracts, marriages and rations records, 1865–1872.

General Methodology