Cynthia wrote:
"It is possible for black people to get to records BEFORE 1870 when we were counted and this showed how and where."
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Cynthia, How very true your statement re: BEFORE 1870. To date, most of the focus on of these programs has been AA genealogy and history as it relates to slavery immediately preceding the CW.

I would really like to see the exploration of AA genealogy and history research for at least one those many families whose period of enslavement may have ended years, decades and even possibly a century or more before the CW.

There is a 'paper trail' for OUR folks prior to 1870 and many AA genealogists have traveled that trail. Of the 150+ document images I have posted on my AA ancestry the first 47 pre-date the CW and the first 100 predate 1900. A shameless 'plug' for my website

Family History Documents Album
http://mydatabase.tribalpages.com/tribe/browse?userid=mydatabase&view=60&albumid=3&rand=799203206