Researching African-Americans in Nebraska

Ruby Coleman
Apr 7, 2017
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Content

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Introduction
6m 39s
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Manumission
3m 13s
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Fugitive Slave Acts
4m 25s
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Kansas-Nebraska Act
1m 50s
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Freedom Suits
3m 36s
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Escaping Slavery
3m 19s
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Beginning Research
3m 52s
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Slavery in Nebraska
11m 28s
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Nebraska Statehood
4m 05s
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Migration
16m 33s
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Census
14m 28s
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Marriages
4m 29s
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Anti-Miscegenation Laws
5m 37s
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Military Records
15m 58s
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Homestead Act
11m 57s
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Court Records
3m 18s
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Freedmen's Bureau
1m 34s
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Vital Records
2m 13s
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Church Records
56s
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Newspapers
1m 50s

About this webinar

After the Civil War, blacks began searching for a new life, new freedom which involved the quest for land or the security of employment. The passing of the Homestead Act in 1862 did not restrict the acquisition of land to only the white race. There was an opportunity for blacks from Canada, the east coast, the states along the Ohio River and the deep South to begin a new life. Nebraska was a promising area for new land owners. With the expansion of the west and more settlements, there was a need for military protection, thus many blacks became Buffalo Soldiers, eventually finding themselves at Fort Robinson or Fort Niobrara in Nebraska. As the railroad forged through Nebraska, it brought new settlements as well as employment. Blacks often worked in positions, such as porters, which brought pride and stability to their families. In order to research the lineages of the African-Americans who came to Nebraska, researchers need to use traditional methods of research, and also rely on a certain amount of family information and stories that interweave with the direct evidence found in documents. The research is unusual because of name changes, lack of knowledge of ages or places of birth, along with the innate problems of being a slave. This webinar explores the areas settled by blacks before and after their arrival in Nebraska, the time periods, why they came to Nebraska, their connections and influences. Emphasis will be placed on the types of records that are useful in this type of research and are applicable to other areas besides Nebraska.

About the speaker

About the speaker

Ruby Coleman, who resides in North Platte, Nebraska, spends a good deal of her time doing genealogical research on her families in Nebraska and the plains states, and also professionally. She has lived in Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota, Iowa, and
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