Professional genealogist Tony Burroughs provides valuable insight as to how African Americans can successfully find their family history.  He encourages beginning genealogist to start with themselves, carefully interview all living relatives, and to write down everything on a pedigree chart or family group sheet. A knowledge of American history and Black history is key to knowing what records to search and what to look for. The time periods of slavery, reconstruction and segregation all created different types of records and a family’s oral history can provide valuable clues. Joining an African American genealogical society can also be very helpful. rootstelevision.com