Out of Sight: An Introduction to Unearthing Your African American and Afro-Caribbean Genealogy

The goal of this e-book is to help you efficiently navigate through the challenging and lengthy genealogy searches for African American ancestors. Patience is a virtue for researchers on this journey. The intriguing stories about our ancestors who overcame huge obstacles to allow us to thrive will surely inspire you as a researcher. It is a good time to be a researcher of African American genealogy. When I restarted my interest in family genealogy, it was 2007 and the African American genealogical records were limited. Nearly 15 years later, an abundance of materials is available through government websites, Internet links and private sources that include professional genealogy researchers. African American genealogy discoveries typically include Native American, European and sometimes, West Indian or Afro- American. My cousin and genealogy collaborator, Mark Owen, recognized that our family composition fits the typical African American bloodline. Our family also share a common tortured history as that of our African American and to a lesser extent, Afro- Caribbean brethren and that is explained in one word: Slavery.