African American Genealogy in Dallas

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Understanding the geography and evolution of Black Dallas helps explain why records appear where they do. Knowing that an ancestor lived in Tenth Street, Joppa, Deep Ellum, or Freedmantown immediately suggests likely churches, schools, cemeteries, newspapers, and civic organizations to search. These neighborhoods were not simply places to live—they were enduring communities whose institutions preserved the documentary evidence that allows descendants to reconstruct family histories today.

This historical context often provides the key to breaking through genealogical “brick walls” in Dallas County, particularly for families whose documented history begins with emancipation in 1865 rather than with named records during slavery.

Enslaved African Americans Dallas

When Dallas was established in the early 1840s by John Neely Bryan, slavery already existed in North Texas. Early settlers brought enslaved African Americans who cleared land, built homes, cultivated farms, and worked as domestic servants and skilled craftsmen.

The overwhelming majority of enslaved people brought to Texas before the Civil War were descendants of people who had been forcibly transported from West and West Central Africa during the transatlantic slave trade. By the time Dallas was founded in the 1840s, nearly all enslaved people arriving in Texas had been born in the United States or were children or grandchildren of enslaved people born in the United States.

Dallas remained a relatively small frontier town before the Civil War. The 1860 federal census recorded only about 678 residents, but a substantial percentage of the population was enslaved. Because enslaved individuals were listed only by age, sex, and color in slave schedules—not by name—they are among the most challenging ancestors to document before emancipation.

After General Order No. 3 announced emancipation in Texas on June 19, 1865 (Juneteenth), formerly enslaved people began establishing independent communities throughout Dallas County. Rather than dispersing randomly, many African Americans settled together in Freedmen’s Towns, where they could build churches, schools, businesses, and mutual aid organizations. Dallas became home to several of the most important freedmen’s communities in Texas.

Among the earliest communities were:

Note: Location Images were created by ChatGPT.com

For more information, see “Freedmantown/North Dallas” by Marsha Prior in Handbook of Texas Online at https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/freedmantownnorth-dallas

As noted above, Freedmantown was later known as State-Thomas. Beginning around 1869, White landowner William Boales sold lots directly to African Americans – an unusual practice in Reconstruction Texas. By 1873, newspaper accounts estimated that more than 500 African Americans lived there.

The neighborhood became home to:

  • Churches
  • Schools
  • Black physicians
  • Teachers
  • Entrepreneurs
  • Civic leaders

Many of Dallas’s earliest documented Black property owners lived here.

Deep Ellum (originally Deep Elm)

Deep Ellum originated as another freedmen’s settlement immediately east of downtown. Because of the railroads, it rapidly developed into the commercial heart of Black Dallas. By the early twentieth century it contained:

  • Black-owned banks
  • Medical offices
  • Law firms
  • Newspapers
  • Hotels
  • Restaurants
  • Theaters
  • Retail stores

Deep Ellum also became internationally famous as one of America’s premier blues and jazz districts.

The magnificent Knights of Pythias Temple became one of the most important African American business buildings in Texas, housing professional offices, the Dallas Express newspaper, and community organizations.

Schools and Education

Education became a central priority after emancipation. Dallas established separate schools for African American children during Reconstruction. By the early twentieth century, Black schools had become centers of community life. School records may include:

  • Enrollment lists
  • Graduation programs
  • Photographs
  • Teacher registers
  • PTA minutes
  • Yearbooks

These records often survive even when other documents do not.

The Great Migration (1915–1970)

Dallas both received and lost African American migrants during the Great Migration. Many families arrived from:

  • East Texas
  • Louisiana
  • Arkansas
  • Mississippi

Others later left Dallas for:

  • Chicago
  • Los Angeles
  • Oakland
  • Detroit
  • Kansas City

Tracking these migration patterns frequently explains why an ancestor suddenly appears – or disappears – from Dallas records.

The Impact of Highways and Urban Renewal

Beginning in the 1940s and accelerating during the 1950s and 1960s, highway construction dramatically altered Black Dallas. Construction of Central Expressway (US 75), Interstate 35E, and other projects divided or destroyed large portions of:

  • Freedmantown
  • Deep Ellum
  • Tenth Street
  • Stringtown

Entire neighborhoods disappeared, and thousands of residents relocated elsewhere in Dallas County. For genealogists, this means an ancestor may remain in Dallas while changing addresses several times over a few decades.

During highway construction, the long-forgotten Freedman’s Cemetery north of downtown was rediscovered, leading to archaeological investigations and memorialization.

  • See “Forgetful City: Dallas’ first freeway was built over a Freedmen’s cemetery, a cultural clear-cutting in a city built on convenience” by Megan Kimble, published in the Texas Observer on September 17, 2021 at https://www.texasobserver.org/forgetful-city/

Segregation and Community Development

Segregation profoundly shaped where Black families lived. Because housing opportunities were restricted, African American neighborhoods developed rich networks of businesses, schools, churches, funeral homes, and social organizations. These institutions generated an enormous paper trail.

Resources to use when Researching African Americans in Dallas

Churches: The Foundation of Black Genealogy

The first independent Black churches appeared immediately after emancipation. These congregations became far more than places of worship. Their records include:

  • Membership rolls
  • Baptisms
  • Marriages
  • Funerals
  • Cemetery records
  • Minutes
  • Financial records
  • Anniversary booklets

Many families appear in church records decades before they appear in other sources.

Important historic congregations include:

St. Paul United Methodist Church

  • Recognized as the oldest African-American Methodist congregation in Dallas, organized in 1873 in the Freedman’s Town (North Dallas) community

New Hope Baptist Church

Greater El Bethel Baptist Church

Freedmen’s Bureau records

The Freedmen’s Bureau (officially the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands) was a U.S. government agency established in 1865 to assist formerly enslaved people and other Southern refugees after the Civil War. It provided food, medical care, education, labor assistance, and legal support, creating records that are invaluable for African American genealogical research.

Freedman’s Bank records

The Freedman’s Savings and Trust Company (commonly called the Freedman’s Bank) was established in 1865 to encourage formerly enslaved people to save their money after the Civil War. Its detailed depositor records—often naming family members, former enslavers, and birthplaces—are among the most valuable sources for African American genealogical research.

Federal censuses

Dallas city directories

City directory books were published yearly and contain listings of all residents and businesses within a city.  While originally created for marketing purposes, they have become an important historical resource for anyone researching the history of a place, business, or person. City and telephone directories from urban areas across the state are available in print or on microfilm to view when visiting Dallas History & Archives. 

Dallas County deed records

Texas Land Ownership – Dallas County deed records

Dallas County probate files

Texas Land Ownership – Dallas County probate files

Cemetery records

The Dallas Genealogical Society has a long history of providing information about Dallas area family and historical cemeteries.

  • We maintain a searchable database that documents more than 41,000 burials in 28 different cemeteries.
  • In addition, we have more than 50 web pages that provide detailed information abut the cemeteries themselves.
  • We maintain a Google map showing the location of every Dallas Area Cemetery that we have been able to identify.

Joppa – See Burials In Joppa

Newspapers

If Your Ancestors Were Formerly Enslaved: Look especially for newspapers from approximately 1865–1900 that include:

  • “Information Wanted” advertisements searching for separated family members
  • Freedmen’s Bureau notices
  • Emancipation celebrations
  • Labor contracts
  • Church organizations
  • School openings
  • Veterans’ reunions
  • Reunion announcements

Many formerly enslaved people placed advertisements seeking parents, spouses, and children who had been sold away before the Civil War. These can provide names of slaveholders, plantations, counties, and relatives that appear nowhere else.

Church Newspapers

African American churches often published newspapers or conference journals containing:

  • Baptisms
  • Marriages
  • Deaths
  • Minister appointments
  • Membership lists
  • Women’s auxiliaries
  • Youth organizations

Especially valuable are publications from:

African Methodist Episcopal Church

There is no single central repository for all African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church records. Instead, records are scattered among local churches, annual conferences, archives, and historical societies. The following are the best places to begin:

  1. AME Digital Archives – This is the denomination’s primary online historical portal. It includes digitized documents, The Christian Recorder, the AME Church Review, church histories, and a searchable database of more than 3,000 AME congregations.
  2. Local AME Churches – Many churches still retain their own membership registers, baptism records, marriage registers, funeral records, and conference reports. If a church has closed, its records may have been transferred to its Annual Conference.
  3. Annual Conference Archives – Each AME Annual Conference may maintain historical records for congregations within its jurisdiction, especially for churches that no longer exist.
  4. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) – Institutions such as Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library hold significant AME manuscript collections, including ministers’ papers, convention records, church programs, and organizational records.
  5. FamilySearch – FamilySearch has digitized some AME records and has catalog entries for others. Search both the historical records and the Catalog by locality and church name.
  6. State Archives and Local Historical Societies – Some states have collected records from prominent African American churches, particularly when congregations donated their archives.

National Baptist Convention, USA

The National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. (NBCUSA) is not a repository for local church records. Most genealogically valuable records remain with the individual congregation or the local/state Baptist association. However, several important collections are available:

  1. Local Baptist Churches – Membership rolls, baptism registers, marriage records, funeral registers, minutes, and church anniversary booklets are usually retained by the congregation. If a church has closed, records may have been transferred to a local Baptist association or state convention.
  2. State Baptist Convention Archives – Many state conventions preserve historical records of affiliated churches, ministers, and associations. Contact the convention for the state in which the church was located.
  3. American Baptist Historical Society (ABHS) – Although primarily focused on the American Baptist Churches USA (Northern Baptists), ABHS also holds selected materials relating to African American Baptist history and prominent Baptist leaders.
  4. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) – Institutions such as the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center at Howard University and the Atlanta University Center’s Robert W. Woodruff Library preserve manuscript collections of National Baptist ministers, missionaries, and denominational leaders.
  5. Library of Congress – The Manuscript Division contains several National Baptist Convention collections, including the Foreign Mission Board records and the papers of influential Baptist leaders such as Nannie Helen Burroughs. These collections document denominational activities rather than individual church membership.
  6. FamilySearch – FamilySearch includes some Baptist church records, though coverage varies greatly by locality. Search by county, city, and church name rather than by denomination.

Christian Methodist Episcopal Church

Records of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church (CME)—originally the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church—are decentralized. For genealogical research, begin with these sources:

  1. The local CME congregation – Membership registers, baptisms, marriages, funerals, church minutes and anniversary histories usually remain with the individual church. For a closed congregation, contact its CME district or Annual Conference.
  2. CME Church headquarters in Memphis – The denominational office can help identify the appropriate episcopal district, conference or successor congregation. The current contact information is https://thecmechurch.org/, info@thecmechurch.org and 901-345-0580.
  3. Lane College Digital Collection – Lane College, founded by the CME Church in Jackson, Tennessee, provides online historical photographs, documents and materials relating to the college and denomination. https://hbcudigitallibrary.auctr.edu/digital/collection/lane?utm_source=chatgpt.com
  4. Robert W. Woodruff Library, Atlanta University Center – Its Atlanta–Rome District CME Church Collection, 1910–2011, contains church and funeral programs, anniversary materials, histories, conference minutes and photographs. Some material is digital, while other items require an archives request or visit. https://findingaids.auctr.edu/repositories/2/resources/45
  5. FamilySearch, state archives, university special collections and local historical societies – Search under both “Christian Methodist Episcopal” and the older name “Colored Methodist Episcopal,” together with the congregation, city and county.

Local church records are generally the most genealogically useful; national and conference collections are more likely to document ministers, appointments, congregations and organizational activities than individual baptisms or memberships.

Fraternal Organization Newspapers

Many African Americans belonged to organizations whose publications regularly mentioned members. Examples include:

Prince Hall Freemasonry

Prince Hall (circa 1735–1807) was a free Black abolitionist and community leader in Boston, Massachusetts. In the early 1770s, he tried to join the local, all-white Masonic lodges but was rejected simply because he was Black.

Refusing to give up, Hall and 14 other free Black men approached a British military lodge stationed in Boston. The British soldiers accepted them, and they were initiated as Master Masons in 1775. 

When the British army left Boston at the end of the Revolutionary War, the men were allowed to meet as a lodge, but they were not permitted to officially create new Masons. To solve this, Hall petitioned the Grand Lodge of England (the ruling body of the fraternity). In 1784, they were granted an official charter, making African Lodge No. 459 the first official Black Masonic lodge in the world. Prince Hall served as the first Grand Master until he died in 1807. 

Today, Prince Hall Freemasonry is split into independent state bodies called Grand Lodges. Local lodges function much like a family, raising money for scholarships, feeding the hungry, and providing a safe space for Black men to grow as leaders. Famous members include leaders like W.E.B. Du Bois, Medgar Evers, and Booker T. Washington, as well as stars like Shaquille O’Neal and Count Basie.

The central governing body for all Prince Hall Masons in the state is the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Texas:

  • Address: 3433 Martin Luther King Jr Fwy, Fort Worth, TX 76119
  • Phone: +1 817-534-9288
  • Special Highlight: This location also houses the WMC Texas Prince Hall Library Museum, which preserves historical artifacts tracking Black Masonic history across Texas.

Grand United Order of Odd Fellows

The Grand United Order of Odd Fellows (GUOOF) is a historic fraternal society. Founded in Europe in 1798, it came to the U.S. in 1843. The group is famous for creating the first African American lodges in the U.S.. It offered life insurance and community aid before the government did.

The Order still exists today with active lodges in the U.S. and around the world. They continue to do charity work and help their communities. You can learn more about their current work on the GUOOF National Website. 

If you are specifically trying to track down an historical or non-digitized African American GUOOF lodge, you can contact the state-level administrators through the Grand Lodge of Texas IOOF to inquire about any traditional historically Black chapters still operating quietly in the area.

URL: https://iooflodgedirectory.org/directory-index/index/texas/18143-texas-grand-lodge-of-texas.html

Email: james.curtis@gliooftx.org

Knights of Pythias

The Knights of Pythias is an international, non-sectarian fraternal order founded in Washington, D.C. on February 19, 1864, by Justus H. Rathbone. It was the first fraternal organization to be chartered by an Act of the United States Congress.

The organization’s rituals and lessons are built around the ancient Greek legend of Damon and Pythias, which illustrates core Pythagorean ideals of loyalty, honor, and sacrifice. The order follows three main principles: 

  • Friendship
  • Charity
  • Benevolence

Historically open to men 18 and older who believe in a Supreme Being, the fraternity is known for its charitable activities, including the establishment of retirement homes and orphanages.

For the Knights of Pythias Temple (Grand Lodge of the Colored Knights of Pythias of Texas) in Dallas, the historical records are unfortunately split among several repositories, and some records have been lost or remain in private hands.

Dallas Public Library – Dallas History & Archives Division

  • The largest publicly accessible collection is: Knights of Pythias Records (Collection MA 1986.11)
  • This collection contains approximately 11 archival boxes dating from 1943–1982. It was donated by the Dallas Historical Society in 1985–1986.
  • Among the records are:
    • Burial Association membership applications
    • Burial insurance records
    • Ledgers
    • Financial records
    • Membership applications
    • Some organizational records

Dallas Historical Society

  • The finding aid for the Dallas Public Library collection notes an important fact: “The major portion of the original Knights of Pythias materials was retained by the Dallas Historical Society when the smaller group of records was transferred to the Dallas Public Library.”
  • The Dallas Historical Society therefore may hold additional:
    • Grand Lodge correspondence
    • minute books
    • photographs
    • convention records
    • architectural material
    • administrative files
  • Not all of these collections have online finding aids, so it is worth contacting their archives directly.

National Register Documentation

  • It also identifies many original records used by historians, including:
    • Dallas city directories
    • Dallas County deed records
    • building permits
    • Sanborn maps
    • the Dallas Express
    • the Dallas Morning News

Newspapers

These publications frequently printed deaths, officer elections, convention delegates, and lodge anniversaries.

Dallas Express (1892 – 1970)

  • The premier Black newspaper in North Texas. Rich in obituaries, church activities, school news, weddings, funerals, business advertisements, and civic organizations. Outstanding source for Dallas County families.
  • Available on Microfilm at the Dallas Public Library (Jan. 11, 1919-Dec 1928; Sept. 22, 1934-Dec. 1963; Jan 1965-Dec. 1970)

The Chicago Defender (1905 – )

  • Perhaps the single most important newspaper for Great Migration research. Published migration advice, family notices, and extensive correspondence from Southern communities.

The Baltimore Afro-American (1892 – )

  • Excellent obituaries, church news, and regional coverage across the South and Mid-Atlantic.

New York Amsterdam News (1909 – )

  • Valuable for migrants to New York and national African American news.

The Philadelphia Tribune (1884 – )

  • America’s oldest continuously published African American newspaper.

California Eagle ( 1879 – 1964)

  • Essential for western migration research.

School records

1. Dallas ISD Student Records Services (for former students)

If you are looking for records of a specific individual who attended Dallas public schools after about the 1920s, start with Dallas ISD.

Available records may include:

  • Permanent record cards
  • Transcripts
  • Graduation verification
  • Census cards
  • Attendance records (for some schools)

Privacy laws limit access to records of living or recently deceased individuals, but records of long-deceased students are sometimes obtainable.

2. Dallas Municipal Archives (City of Dallas)

This is one of the best places for historical information on Black schools.

Collections include:

  • Dallas Board of Education records
  • School construction files
  • Superintendent correspondence
  • Annual reports
  • School boundary maps
  • Photographs
  • Building plans

These records document schools such as:

  • Dallas Colored High School
  • Booker T. Washington High School
  • B. F. Darrell School
  • N. W. Harllee School
  • Wheatley School
  • Colonial School
  • Dunbar School
  • Washington Elementary
  • Phyllis Wheatley schools

The archives are particularly valuable for understanding when students attended a particular school based on neighborhood.

3. Dallas Public Library – Texas/Dallas History & Archives Division

For genealogists, this is probably the single most useful repository.

Their collections include:

  • School yearbooks
  • Class photographs
  • School newspapers
  • Graduation programs
  • PTA publications
  • Local history vertical files
  • Black history collections
  • Historic photographs

Many Dallas school yearbooks are available even when official student records are not.

The library also has extensive newspaper collections that regularly published:

  • Honor rolls
  • Graduation lists
  • Athletic teams
  • Debate teams
  • School events

These often identify parents and home addresses.

4. University of North Texas Special Collections

UNT has important collections relating to North Texas education, including:

  • Dallas education history
  • Teacher papers
  • Oral histories
  • School integration records
  • African American education collections

Especially valuable for studying segregated schools before the 1970s.

5. SMU DeGolyer Library

The DeGolyer Library contains:

  • Historic photographs
  • School architectural drawings
  • Personal papers of educators
  • Dallas civic organizations
  • School-related manuscript collections

Their photographic collections often include class pictures of African American schools.

6. Texas State Library and Archives Commission (Austin)

Useful for:

  • State Department of Education records
  • Teacher certification files
  • Rosenwald School documentation
  • School surveys
  • County superintendent records

Although Dallas schools were urban rather than Rosenwald schools, state records sometimes contain enrollment statistics and reports for Black schools.

7. Dallas County Historical Commission

Occasionally holds:

  • School histories
  • Oral histories
  • Neighborhood histories
  • Historic marker research files

These often include information about early Black schools.

8. African American Museum (Fair Park)

Their archives include:

  • Community photographs
  • School memorabilia
  • Alumni collections
  • Graduation photographs
  • Educational exhibits

While not primarily a records repository, they have unique materials unavailable elsewhere.

Draft registrations

For Black residents of Dallas, the draft registration process was the same as for all other men, although the military itself was segregated. The draft registration cards identify race, making them especially valuable for African American genealogical research. In fact, the World War I cards included a notation for race (“White, Negro, Indian”), and many cards of African American registrants have a clipped corner that was used administratively to identify them.

Funeral home records

  • McGowan Funeral Home [Searchable Database] – The McGowan funeral home operated in South Dallas from 1955 until the 1990s. The Dallas Public Library holds the collection of records from the McGowan home. DGS members have created a digital index of these records.
  • Ed C. Smith Funeral Home – The Ed C. Smith Funeral Home records deposited in the Genealogy Section of the Dallas Public Library consist of registers starting in 1909 and extending to 1978. From 1909 until 1926 these are in hard-cover binders and from 1927 until 1978 the records are in file folders, but in both cases they are filed by year and then alphabetically within the year. There are some cash books that date from 1884; however, they generally give no genealogical or burial information.

Voting Records

Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) — Best for Reconstruction (1867–1870)

This is the single most important source for the earliest Black voter registrations in Texas.

Following the Civil War, Congress required voter registration of eligible men before the 1869 constitutional convention. The resulting registers include:

  • Name
  • Residence
  • Voting precinct
  • Length of residence
  • Place of birth
  • Naturalization information (if applicable)
  • A remarks column that identifies Black registrants as “colored” or “col.”

These are especially significant because they document many formerly enslaved men who appear in few other records during Reconstruction.

The registers are digitized by county, including Dallas County.

Sanborn Fire Insurance maps

The Library of Congress has digitized all public-domain Sanborn maps, and Dallas is exceptionally well represented. You can browse and download high-resolution scans at no cost: See https://www.loc.gov/item/sanborn08492_005/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Some available Dallas editions include:

Tax Records

Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC)

For African American genealogical research in Dallas, property tax rolls are among the most underused sources. They can establish when an individual first acquired property, where they lived, the value of their land and improvements, and when they disappeared from the tax rolls because of death, migration, or sale. Unlike census records, they are usually annual.

The Texas State Library has the historical Dallas County tax rolls on microfilm for many years from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. These rolls generally include:

  • Name of taxpayer
  • Number of acres or city lots
  • Legal description
  • Assessed value of land
  • Value of improvements
  • Personal property
  • Poll tax
  • Total tax due

Although tax rolls do not identify race, they are extremely effective when combined with census records, city directories, and deed records.

Outstanding Research Resources

For anyone researching African American families in Dallas, these are among the most valuable repositories and references:

  • Dallas Public Library — one of the nation’s premier genealogy collections, with city directories, newspapers, maps, photographs, and local history resources.  [ https://www.dallaslibrary.org/research/genealogy ]
  • Dallas African American Museum — exhibits and educational resources on Black Dallas history.  [ https://aamdallas.org/ ]
  • Dallas Historical Society — lectures, archival collections, and materials on Dallas’s Freedmen’s communities.  [ https://www.dallashistory.org/ ]
  • Texas State Historical Association — authoritative entries on Deep Ellum, Freedmantown, and other historic Black communities.  [ https://www.tshaonline.org/home ]

Recommended Books

Additional Tools and Resources

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