Black Patriots: Black Family History Research, and African American Genealogy

BLACK FAMILY HISTORY RESEARCH CLUES
​The best way to start researching your family history is to begin with yourself and work backwards, collecting and verifying information about your ancestors and their lives.Some of the tips for beginning Black family history research are:

• Talk to your relatives and gather documents, photographs, and records from them.
• Record the basic facts, such as names, dates, and places, for yourself and your immediate family.
• Add spouses and children of your biological relatives to your tree.
• Identify the gaps and decide what you want to look for next.
• Search for records that can confirm or expand your information, such as civil, church, military, or immigration records.
• Cite your sources and document your research process.
• Evaluate the evidence and analyze the data you find.
• Share your findings and collaborate with other researchers.​

ARE BLACK PATRIOTS IN YOUR FAMILY TREE?
Black patriots were African Americans who sided with the colonists who opposed British rule during the American Revolution. They fought in the Continental Army, state militias, and local units, as well as served as spies, poets, and guerrilla fighters. Some of the famous black patriots were:

• Crispus Attucks: He was the first patriot killed in the Boston Massacre of 1770, and is considered the first martyr of the American Revolution.
• James Armistead Lafayette: He was a spy who infiltrated the British camp and provided valuable information to the American and French forces, especially during the Siege of Yorktown in 1781.
• Peter Salem: He was a soldier who fought at the battles of Lexington, Bunker Hill, Saratoga, and Stony Point. He is credited with killing British Major John Pitcairn at Bunker Hill.
• Salem Poor: He was another soldier who distinguished himself at Bunker Hill, where he shot and wounded British Lieutenant Colonel James Abercrombie. He was praised by his officers for his bravery and skill.
  Prince Hall: He was a prominent leader and activist in the black community of Boston. He founded the first African American Masonic lodge in 1775 and petitioned the Massachusetts legislature for the abolition of slavery in 1777 and 1783.
• Phillis Wheatley: She was a poet who wrote poems celebrating the American cause and praising its leaders, such as George Washington and John Hancock. She was the first African American woman to publish a book of poetry in 1773.
• Colonel Tye: He was a guerrilla fighter who led a band of black loyalists against the patriots in New Jersey. He was known for his daring raids and ambushes and inflicted heavy casualties on the patriot forces.

Begin discovering the hidden stories of Black patriots and their descendants in the American Revolution.