A Lifeline to the Past
For too long, the stories of enslaved Africans and their descendants have been overlooked, forgotten, or lost in history’s gaps. These video offers a genuine lifeline—a structured, compassionate guide to begin rebuilding broken family trees, recovering names, lifeways, and legacies that were too often erased.
Tools and Tactics for Reconstruction
The content provides practical pathways: using post-emancipation records, cluster genealogy (studying neighbors and nearby families in the 1870 Census), probate files, slave schedules, and more. These aren’t just records—they are portals into real lives whose stories deserve to be honored.
Breaking Down Genealogy Barriers
Tracing African American lineage is uniquely challenging. Name changes, absent or fragmented documentation, and the legacies of enslavement make the search feel like a detective’s journey. These videos offer both intel and inspiration—proving that while the work is complex, it is possible with the right methods and persistence.
Building Community and Connection
Beyond personal discovery, these resources help you connect with other descendants—offering a chance to rebuild community, reclaim shared stories, and uplift collective memory.
Think beyond your own tree: imagine discovering distant cousins, shared archives, or community histories that enrich your identity and strengthen bonds across generations.
Closing Reflection
This work is more than genealogy. It is restoration. Every ancestor’s name uncovered is an act of remembrance; every connection forged is an act of healing. By using resources like these videos, we don’t just preserve history—we return voice and dignity to those who endured, and ensure their stories endure for future generations.
Aimee Ancestry
How Descendant Groups are Preserving African American History—The Descendants of Enslaved Communities at UVA
Jessica Harris, president of the non-profit, The Descendants of Enslaved Communities at UVA
Names of enslaved that have been identified. A few of these names may be associated to people of the same names in Montgomery County.
Albemarle/Charlottesville
Barbour/Barber • Briggs • Broadus • Brown • Coles • Commodore • Crobsy • Dickerson/Dickinson • Green • Heiskell • Henderson • Hern/Hearn • Maupin • Michie • Price • Salmon/Sammons • Smith • Southall • Strange • Tucker • Watson
Cumberland County
• Skipwith
Fluvanna County
• Brown • Skipwith • Harris
Greene County
• Chapman • Halifax County • Boxley •
Louisa County
Boxley • Brown • Dickerson/Dickinson • Harris • Jackson • Nunn • Price • Sandridge • Watson
Orange County
Barbour/Barber • French
Unknown Locations
Bibb • Childress • Douglass • Ganat • Johnson • Kemper • Meriwether • Mosby • Oliver • Patterson • Perrow • Prentis • Roberts • Simpson • Spooner • Taylor • Timberlake • Wade
Nicka Swell-Smith Freedmen Bureau and Other Records
Freedmen’s Bureau Records, which are now free and available on Ancestry.com – Freedmen’s Records
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