Do African-Americans have difficulty creating a family tree?

Question

Is it more difficult for other races or nationalities to create a family tree?

I've been able to trace my dad's side back to 1690. I've had a more difficult tracing my mom's side since my mom's mom was from Germany. Just curious because of the civil war thing and the records that may not have been kept in Africa

And because of this
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20060716135529AAjjIGL

Answer 1

You actually can have difficulty in tracing family roots for an African American family because:

1. The record keeping efforts were historically very bad
2. African Americans did not have a lot of rights (you couldn't be legally married, hence "jumping the broom", often families were separated by sales of any or all of it's members to different locations making it much more difficult to trace a family line) if they did get any rights, you can bet they were extremely limited, difficult to assert and often ignored).
3. Read the book "Cane River" it is an excellent illustration of just how horrible the record keeping was, how hard it is to trace a family line when your family were originally slaves and a reminder that that is a shameful part of US history.

Answer 2

I know the problems of tracing your roots. It's fairly simple on my mum's side of the family; many of the records are still in England. But on my dad's side; many of the records may have been destroyed during the Russian Revolution in the Ukraine. (Dad's side originated from the present-day Baden Wurtenburg, Germany.) To say it: if there are no written records anywhere on this planet, it may be difficult to trace any family-tree. Good luck in your search.

Answer 3

Yes, and no. There are a lot of old slave trade records around which help formulating family trees, however, the problems with the records is after slavery ended there are not very good records until into the 20th century.

Answer 4

i would think it might be easier sometimes for an african american because if their one of their ancestors was a slave, most likely that slave will be somewhere on file (if the files of the 1800/1700/1600/(because slave traders kept records of the slaves they sold and bought) are still around which i doubt so then it might be hard. but if they did find those types of records than i think it would get hard once they trace an ancestor back to the roots of africa.

Answer 5

GOOD QUESTION! Yes, we do....I have been trying sooo hard to trace my roots....but since we were considered cargo and property we werent always included in the consensus and thus there isnt much of a root to trace! and it sucks.....I'd love to know who my great great great grandpa was....something that most of my fellow white americans have the luxury of enjoying

Answer 6

Yes it can be harder. There really were no records of slaves "births" and "deaths", as well as children being sold from one owner to the other, hence splitting up families. My grandmother's birthdate was "made-up" no one, not even her mother, knew exactly when she was born.

Answer 7

It's actually easier for them. I have found that where I worked and dealt with many over 30+ years, they are religious and most have family bibles where ancestors have listed the names, birthdates, dates of marriages and deaths of all family members and have passed that bible down through the generations.

Answer 8

I'm not sure what's motivating this question, but to answer it, no. Not really. My mom (who is black) is doing it. She's gotten as far as anyone else has.

I'm really curious what makes you think it'd be harder . . . .

Answer 9

Hel ls no! don't say that it aint even funny. Some people could find that offensive.

Answer 10

mybe