=================================================================== FREE ACCESS TO "SLAVE NARRATIVES" DATABASE =================================================================== For African Americans, piecing together their family history can present unique challenges. A lack of credible documentation can hamper what should be a rich experience. In celebration of Black History Month, Ancestry.com has announced that it is offering free access to the "Slave Narratives" database. (The "Slave Narratives" are part of the U.S. Records Collection subscription normally priced at $79.95 per year.) The "Slave Narratives" collection contains over 20,000 pages of type- scripted interviews with more than 3,500 former slaves, collected over a ten-year period, from 1929 to 1939. This database provides a poignant picture of what it was like to live as a slave in the American South. The interviews, written exactly as they were dictated, mention tens of thousands of people. This rare information is an essential source of history, culture, and folklore. Many of the narratives are also very rich in family history data, often identifying ages, places of residence and birth, and names of spouses, children, siblings, and parents. Along with the life story and details of family relationships of the individuals interviewed, the series contains insights into slave folklore, poetry, songs, recipes and even ghost stories. People interviewed share details about everything from oral traditions to unique medicines employed by those in slavery. Multiple first-hand accounts are given of historical figures such as Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, and Booker T. Washington. This one-of-a-kind collection is also available for purchase on CD ROM from Ancestry.com. Other resources available from Ancestry.com include the book, "Finding Your African American Ancestors: A Beginner's Guide," by David Thackery: http://www.ancestry.com/rd/prodredir.asp?sourceid=831&key=P2166 Along with the "Slave Narratives" database and CD-ROM (http://www.ancestry.com/rd/prodredir.asp?sourceid=831&key=P1950 ), the Ancestry.com site also contains articles and links to additional sources of information on African-American history and genealogy. For these articles and more, visit the Ancestry.com (free) Library at: http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?sourceid=831&targetid=171 ............................................................ Copyright 1998-2003, MyFamily.com Inc. and its subsidiaries.) Reprinted with permission from "Ancestry Daily News"