African American Resources for Kansas

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African American Genealogy

Kansas

African American Resources

Introduction

A list of resources for African American research of ancestors who lived in Kansas.

Online Resources

• Discover Freedmen - this site searches all of the Freedmen's Bureau record collections on FamilySearch altogether (and redirects there)
• Freedman's Bank Records, 1865-1874
• United States, Freedmen's Bureau Marriages, 1861-1872
• U.S., Freedmen’s Bureau Marriage Records, 1846-1867 ($)
• Kansas Births and Christenings, 1818-1936
• Kansas Marriages, 1840-1935
• Kansas County Marriages, 1855-1911
• Kansas Deaths and Burials, 1885-1930
• Kansas City Public Library: Genealogy

Research Strategy

Kansas African American Genealogy

History

The first African American settlers in Kansas were slaves brought into the area in the years before the Civil War. The few slaves that may have been in Kansas before the Civil War may be listed in the United States Census Slave Schedules. The issue of slavery was heavily contested between the pro-slavery and anti-slavery forces in the state; Kansas was known as "Bleeding Kansas" because of violent clashes between the two groups. Kansas entered the Union as a free state months before the start of the Civil War. During the Civil War, African Americans in Kansas formed volunteer military units to fight against the Confederates. To learn more, see African Americans in Kansas. After the Civil War, Kansas was advertised as a good place for African Americans to settle; the 1859 Kansas Constitution opened the state to all settlers regardless of their ethnic or racial background.

A large exodus ("Exoduster Movement") of African Americans out of the deep south into Kansas began in 1879. This exodus occurred in part because of recruitment by other African Americans and the prospect of jobs and in part because of the difficult economic times for poor African Americans in the South. Although the Kansas Constitution welcomed settlers of all races, many African Americans faced discrimination from white settlers and also hard economic times. While some African Americans either went back to the South or migrated west into unsettled territory, the majority of African Americans remained in Kansas indefinitely.

Another huge wave of black migration occurred in the 1920s and 1930s. During this time, the mechanization of the cotton and other industries and hard economic times forced many African Americans out of their homes. Jobs in the meat packing industry in Kansas lured many to migrate there.

To learn more, see these websites:

• African Americans in Kansas
• Museum - African American History

To learn more, see these books:

• Exodusters: black migration to Kansas after reconstruction
• Blacks in Topeka, Kansas, 1865-1915: a social history
• Black towns and profit: promotion and development in the Trans-Appalachian West, 1877-1915
• Narratives of African Americans in Kansas, 1870-1992: beyond the Exodust movement

Resources

Cemeteries

• African American Cemeteries Online

Church Records

• First Presbyterian Church records, Pleasanton, Kansas, 1869-1900

Oral Histories

• Lawrence Douglas County, Kansas African American Oral History Interviews

Military Records

Many of those involved in the Civil War moved west after the War.

• Researching African American Soldiers of the Civil War
• Military history of African Americans in the American Civil War
• Military history of African Americans
• Nicodemus, Kansas: the History of America’s Black Towns

Newspapers

Since 1876, African Americans newspapers have been published in Kansas. See African American Newspapers to learn more about these newspapers and find a list of more than 80 African American newspapers.

Reconstruction Records

Freedman’s Bank

An excellent source is the Freedman’s Savings and Trust Company (visit the African American Freedman's Savings and Trust Company Records page to learn more). This company was created to assist African American soldiers of the Civil War and freed slaves. Freedman’s Savings and Trust Company signature cards or registers from 3 March 1865 to 25 July 1874 may list the name of the depositor, date of entry, age, birthplace, residence, complexion, name of employer or occupation, wife or husband’s name, death information, children’s names, name of father and mother, brothers’ and sisters’ names, remarks, and signature. Early books sometimes contained the name of the former master or mistress and the name of the plantation. Copies of death certificates were sometimes attached to the entries. The collection is organized alphabetically by state, then city where the bank was located, then date the account was established, then account number.

Online collections of Freedman's Bank records:

• United States, Freedman's Bank Records, 1865-1874
• U.S., Freedman's Bank Records, 1865-1871 ($)

Freedmen's Bureau

The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands was created by the US government in 1865 until 1872 to assist former slaves in the southern United States. The Bureau created a wide variety of records extremely valuable to genealogists. Such documents include censuses, marriage records, and medical records. These records often include full names, former masters and plantations, and current residences. For 1865 and 1866, the section on abandoned and confiscated lands includes the names of the owners of the plantations or homes that were abandoned, confiscated, or leased. It gives the county and location, a description of the house, the number of acres owned, and the number of cabins of former slaves. These films do not appear to contain the names of former slaves.

To find Freedmen's Bureau records:

• DiscoverFreedmen - the search on this site will utilize all of the Freedmen's Bureau records on FamilySearch, including:
  • United States, Freedmen's Bureau Claim Records,1865-1872
  • United States, Freedmen's Bureau Hospital and Medical Records, 1865-1872
  • United States, Freedmen's Bureau Labor Contracts, Indenture and Apprenticeship Records, 1865-1872
  • United States, Freedmen's Bureau Marriages, 1861-1872
  • United States, Freedmen's Bureau Ration Records,1865-1872
  • United States, Freedmen's Bureau Records of Persons and Articles Hired, 1865-1872
  • United States, Freedmen's Bureau, Freedmen's Court Records, 1865-1872
  • United States, Freedmen's Bureau, Land and Property Records, 1865-1872
  • United States, Freedmen's Bureau, Records of Freedmen's Complaints, 1865-1872
  • United States, Freedmen's Bureau, Records of the Superintendent of Education and of the Division of Education, 1865-1872

Other FamilySearch collections not included:

• United States Freedmen's Bureau Miscellaneous Records,1865-1872
• United States Freedmen's Bureau, Records of Freedmen, 1865-1872
• United States, Freedmen's Bureau, Records of the Assistant Commissioner, 1865-1872 Images only. These reports primarily contain statistical and historical information.
• More collections are available in the FamilySearch Catalog. Search for "FREEDMEN - INDIANA" in the Subjects search bar to find.

Visit the African American Freedmen's Bureau Records page to learn more about utilizing these records.

School Records

• The History of our Public Schools Wyandotte County, Kansas 1844-2014
• African American Teachers in Kansas

Vital Records

Birth

• Kansas Births and Christenings, 1818-1936 - information may include name, birth date and place, race, and parents and their ages

Marriage

• Kansas Marriages, 1840-1935 - information often includes the bride and groom’s name, age, birthplace, race, parents, and marriage date and place
• Kansas County Marriages, 1855-1911 - lists bride and groom's name, residence, occupation, age, race, place of birth, parents, and number of marriage

The Freedmen's Bureau (1865-1872) was created by the US government to assist former slaves in the southern United States. One of their responsibilities was to record the marriages (past and present) of the former slaves. These records can be found in the collections below and include the lists of marriages that occurred previously, marriage certificates, and marriage licenses. The information contained on the records may include the name of the husband and wife/groom and bride, age, occupation, residence, year or date of marriage, by whom, number of children, and remarks.

• United States, Freedmen's Bureau Marriages, 1861-1872
• U.S., Freedmen’s Bureau Marriage Records, 1846-1867

Death

• Kansas Deaths and Burials, 1885-1930 - information often includes name, death date and place, gender, age, marital status, race, occupation, and burial place

Archives and Libraries

The Kansas African American Museum
601 N Water
Wichita, Kansas 67203
Phone: 316-262-7651

Midwest Genealogy Center
3440 S. Lee's Summit Road
Independence, Missouri 64055-1923
Phone: 816-252-7228

Wichita Public Library
711 W. 2nd
Wichita, KS 67203
Phone: (316) 261-8500

Societies

The Kansas Genealogical Society & Online Library
2601 Central Ave, LL Suite 17
Dodge City, Kansas 67801
Email: kgslibrary@gmail.com