I'm not sure that I understand what you mean by "where they came from." If you know that they descended from Slaves that had always been in the area, the chances are pretty good that many of the slaves in that area came in on boats from one or two locations. Slaves in certain areas were brought for skills they had for raising certain crops, like rice. Many of the slaves brought into the Delta region of Mississippi, for example, came from West Gambia; hence, the Blues developed from musical traditions from that area. Dialectical patterns sometimes offer clues in areas where populations stayed concentrated despite Reconstruction and the Northern migration of the 1930s. Cultural elements sometimes offer clues. Plantation documents may help. One of the best recent sources is the four-hour PBS documentary: http://www.pbs.org/aboutpbs/news/20050713_africanamericanlives.html SDL -----Original Message----- From: Ms. Fields [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Sunday, March 12, 2006 5:28 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [NC-PCFR] Anyone with experience researching African American genealogy? Importance: High Anyone with experience researching African American genealogy? An ancestor of the slaves once owned by the Speights and Fields' of Greene County is trying to trace where they came from and all the info I have is from 1870 on. Where would you even start looking for where they came from? HELP! ==== NC-PCFR Mailing List ==== Post to this mail list at: [email protected] Visit the PCFR website at http://www.rootsweb.com/~ncpcfr Browse our rich collection of old family photographs, private documents, and public records. ============================== Search the US Census Collection. Over 140 million records added in the last 12 months. Largest online collection in the world. Learn more: http://www.ancestry.com/s13965/rd.ashx

Thanks for the info and the follow up questions! Yes she wants to know where in Africa her ancestors came from and/or how to find out. They were once owned by the Speights and/or Fields' of Greene County, North Carolina, but there are so many in that time period and no names of the individuals (just the slave owners) on the Slave Schedules, so I don't know how to help her. I am descended from that line of Speights and Fields', but have no documentation to help her. She specifically wants to know where Beady or Beddie (various spellings) Speight born Jan 1848 in Greene County, NC and her husband Lewis or Louis Speight's born abt. 1827 in Greene County, NC's ancestors came from in Africa. Both died in the Saratoga area of Wilson County, NC. They are living on land owned by the Bennett Fields in 1870 in the old Fieldsboro area of Speights Bridge Township in Greene County, NC and in the Saratoga area in 1880 and Beddie (sp?) is living with her son Thomas in the Saratoga area in 1900. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Sharon Dean Lee" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, March 12, 2006 7:00 PM Subject: RE: [NC-PCFR] Anyone with experience researching African American genealogy? > I'm not sure that I understand what you mean by "where they came from." > If > you know that they descended from Slaves that had always been in the area, > the chances are pretty good that many of the slaves in that area came in > on > boats from one or two locations. Slaves in certain areas were brought for > skills they had for raising certain crops, like rice. Many of the slaves > brought into the Delta region of Mississippi, for example, came from West > Gambia; hence, the Blues developed from musical traditions from that area. > > Dialectical patterns sometimes offer clues in areas where populations > stayed > concentrated despite Reconstruction and the Northern migration of the > 1930s. > > Cultural elements sometimes offer clues. > > Plantation documents may help. > > One of the best recent sources is the four-hour PBS documentary: > http://www.pbs.org/aboutpbs/news/20050713_africanamericanlives.html > > > > SDL > -----Original Message----- > From: Ms. Fields [mailto:[email protected]] > Sent: Sunday, March 12, 2006 5:28 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: [NC-PCFR] Anyone with experience researching African American > genealogy? > Importance: High > > Anyone with experience researching African American genealogy? > > An ancestor of the slaves once owned by the Speights and Fields' of Greene > County is trying to trace where they came from and all the info I have is > from 1870 on. > > Where would you even start looking for where they came from? > > HELP! > > > > > ==== NC-PCFR Mailing List ==== > Post to this mail list at: [email protected] > Visit the PCFR website at http://www.rootsweb.com/~ncpcfr > Browse our rich collection of old family photographs, private documents, > and > public records. > > ============================== > Search the US Census Collection. Over 140 million records added in the > last 12 months. Largest online collection in the world. Learn more: > http://www.ancestry.com/s13965/rd.ashx > > > > > ==== NC-PCFR Mailing List ==== > Post to this mail list at: [email protected] > Visit the PCFR website at http://www.rootsweb.com/~ncpcfr > Browse our rich collection of old family photographs, private documents, > and public records. > > ============================== > Census images 1901, 1891, 1881 and 1871, plus so much more. > Ancestry.com's United Kingdom & Ireland Collection. Learn more: > http://www.ancestry.com/s13968/rd.ashx >