Black Genealogy
by Blockson
List Price:
Our Price: $8.67
You Save: $6.28 (42%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $3.10 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: BlocksonEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1996-11-22
ISBN: 0933121539
Number of pages: 112
Publisher: Black Classic Press
Book Reviews of Black Genealogy
Book Review: Angry Polemics Mar Book
Summary: 1 Stars
Unfortunately, I cannotnt recommend Charles L. Blockson, BlackGenealogy because so much of what he writes is either misleading or
unhelpful. Blockson's treatment of Black genealogical records for the
post-slavery era (after 1865) is somewhat adequate but pedestrian.
There are several other commonly-available books that address these
records much better. It is in his treatment of records from the
slavery period that Blockson does his readers the greatest disservice.
His experience with records of slavery seems to be limited to records
of Pennsylvania - which might account for his woefully inadequate
treatment of Southern legal records where most genealogists in search
of slave ancestors may need to look. Some of the most significant of
such records are probate records, deeds, conveyances, and lawsuits
- but the reader would never know it from reading this book.
Blockson devotes a total of only THREE SENTENCES to "wills,
estate inventories, and tax records" (p.71). According to the
single sentence devoted to tax records, their value is merely to
"prove that slaves were valuable assets to ironmasters in the
latter part of the eighteenth century." In his discussion of
Federal Census records (p.45), he says, "Slave schedules were
made for every state. . . with slaves listed under their owners'
names." He fails to explain that slaves are not named in these
censuses, but only listed by age and gender. There is no discussion
of the uses and shortfalls of the slave censuses. Rather than discuss
these most fruitful and likely sources, Blockson urges readers to seek
records of slave "breeding sessions" (p.72), to browse
museum collections for "slave collars" with names on them
(p.75), to search for "branding records" in county
courthouses and branding irons in museum collections (p.75)! These
bizarre recommendations are urged in spite of the fact that the author
does not offer a single example of such things (he admits that it is
"difficult to find any [courthouse branding] records
today"!). Furthermore, if museums have relics such as branding
irons, the author fails to show how finding them would help a
researcher trace his or her ancestors. On p.77, Blockson addresses
the relative difficulty of finding records of slave paternity compared
to slave maternity, but adds, "You may run into problems tracing
your DIRECT family line (father to father)." One has to wonder
why Blockson believes that tracing maternal ancestry is less
"direct" (and by implication, less satisfactory) than
tracing paternal ancestry. Blockson's book is punctuated with
lengthy, angry polemics against slavery and racism, which will
probably be unhelpful to most genealogical searches. The main
objective of Blockson's book seems to be to arouse his readers'
indignation at racism and the "inhuman system of slavery,"
rather than to lead researchers to records of their ancestors.
Genealogy Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Genealogy Books
Oxford Companion Local & Family Histby David Hey
Oxford University Press; Published: 1998-04; Paperback; Book
A History of Shropshire: Wenlock, Upper Corvedale, and the Stretton Hills (Victoria County History)Victoria County History; Published: 1998-01-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $124.09
Price in other shops:
The South African Flag Controversy, 1925-28by Harry Saker
Oxford University Press Southern Africa; Published: 1981-02-28; Hardcover; Book
The Sacred Willow: Four Generations in the Life of a Vietnamese Familyby Duong Van Mai Elliott
Oxford University Press, USA; Published: 1999-04-08; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $13.90
Price in other shops:
My History is America's History: 15 Things You Can Do to Save America's Storiesby S/N 036-000-00069-4
National Found. on the Arts & Humanities; Published: 1999; Spiral-bound; Book
Best price: $23.76
Dodge Dynasty: The Car and the Family That Rocked Detroitby Caroline Latham, David Agresta
Harcourt; Published: 1989-02; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $26.40
Obscure Kingdomsby Edward Fox
Penguin Books Ltd; Published: 1995-02-02; Paperback; Book
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Writing Your Family Historyby Lynda Rutledge Stephenson
Alpha; Published: 2000-01-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $26.86
The Rare and the Beautiful: The Lives of the Garmansby Cressida Connolly
Fourth Estate; Published: 2006-04-03; Paperback; Book
Genealogy Online, Millennium Editionby Elizabeth Powell Crowe
McGraw-Hill Companies; Published: 1999-08-23; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.65
Price in other shops:
Similar books summaries and other product reviews
The Black History of the White House (City Lights Open Media)by Clarence Lusane
City Lights Publishers; Published: 2011-01-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.55
Price in other shops:
Genealogy Online For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/ Tech))by Matthew L. Helm, April Leigh Helm
For Dummies; Published: 2011-01-11; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.29
Price in other shops:
A Genealogist's Guide to Discovering Your African-American Ancestors (Genealogist's Guides to Discovering Your Ancestor...)by Emily Anne Croom, Franklin Carter Smith
Betterway Books; Published: 2002-12-24; Paperback; Book
Best price: $26.90
Slave Genealogy: A Research Guide with Case Studiesby David H. Streets
Heritage Books Inc.; Published: 2009-05-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $16.61
Price in other shops:
Finding a Place Called Home: A Guide to African-American Genealogy and Historical Identity, Revised and Expandedby Dee Parmer Woodtor
Random House Reference; Published: 1999-11-16; Paperback; Book
Best price: $37.97
How to Trace Your African-Amerby Barbara Thompson Howell, Barbara Thompson Howell
Citadel; Published: 1998-01-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.98
Price in other shops:
When I Was a Slave: Memoirs from the Slave Narrative Collection (Dover Thrift Editions)Dover Publications; Published: 2002-07-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $0.15
Price in other shops:
A Genealogist's Guide to Discovering Your African-American Ancestors. How to Find and Record Your Unique Heritageby Franklin Carter Smith, Emily Anne Croom
Genealogical Publishing Company; Published: 2009-12-08; Paperback; Book
Best price: $31.88
Price in other shops:
Finding Your African American Ancestors: A Beginner's Guide (Finding Your Ancestors)by David T Thackery
Ancestry.com; Published: 2001-01-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.91
Price in other shops:
Black Roots: A Beginners Guide To Tracing The African American Family Treeby Tony Burroughs
Touchstone; Published: 2001-02-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $18.00
Price in other shops: