Researching African American Ancestors - February 2026
Find African American ancestors using proven techniques and creativity!
February 2, 2026 - February 28, 2026
Tracing the lives of African Americans is an exciting journey. In general, this research is very similar to researching other groups until the reconstruction and pre-emancipation eras. Documenting the African American experience during these times becomes interesting and offers unique challenges.
Join instructor Shamele Jordon for this 4-week course and learn how to trace the lives of your African American ancestors.
Course Workload:
- Approx. 8 hours to complete
- 100% Online using our eLearning Platform
- 4 lessons complete with skill-building exercises and quizzes
What you'll learn:
- An overview of African American History
- How to locate and analyze special sources
- Tips for gathering information to bridge the gap between slavery and freedom
- Strategies for finding missing records
- Techniques for finding the slave owner
What’s Included:
- Self-Paced Learning
- Expert Support from Course Instructor
- Video Presentations
- Interactive Quizzes
- Student Discussion Board
- Downloadable Course Materials
How FTU courses work:
- Register for the course on this page
- On the start date, log into our eLearning platform
- Access to the course instructor runs until the course end date
- After the course ends, you can read course materials for one year
- Instructor and discussion board access will also end when the course concludes, so make sure you reach out and ask questions!
Meet the Instructor
Shamele Jordon
Shamele Jordon is a professional genealogist, producer, writer, and lecturer. Her biographical highlights include: award winning TV producer of Genealogy Quick Start; 2018 Best Independent Producer, Instructional/Training, presented by Alliance for Community Media; 2017 Learning Award Cammy presented by PhillyCAM, Philadelphia's public access station; 2019 Lawnside Education Foundation honoree; researcher for the PBS series Oprah’s Roots: African American Lives I and II; NJ State Library grant recipient, researching Civil War Burials in Lawnside, NJ; board member and faculty at the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research, University of Athens, Ga, former president of the African American Genealogy Group in Philadelphia, workshop volunteer at the Family History Center in Cherry Hill, NJ.
Find African American ancestors using proven techniques and creativity!
February 2, 2026 - February 28, 2026
Tracing the lives of African Americans is an exciting journey. In general, this research is very similar to researching other groups until the reconstruction and pre-emancipation eras. Documenting the African American experience during these times becomes interesting and offers unique challenges.
Join instructor Shamele Jordon for this 4-week course and learn how to trace the lives of your African American ancestors.
Course Workload:
- Approx. 8 hours to complete
- 100% Online using our eLearning Platform
- 4 lessons complete with skill-building exercises and quizzes
What you'll learn:
- An overview of African American History
- How to locate and analyze special sources
- Tips for gathering information to bridge the gap between slavery and freedom
- Strategies for finding missing records
- Techniques for finding the slave owner
What’s Included:
- Self-Paced Learning
- Expert Support from Course Instructor
- Video Presentations
- Interactive Quizzes
- Student Discussion Board
- Downloadable Course Materials
How FTU courses work:
- Register for the course on this page
- On the start date, log into our eLearning platform
- Access to the course instructor runs until the course end date
- After the course ends, you can read course materials for one year
- Instructor and discussion board access will also end when the course concludes, so make sure you reach out and ask questions!
Meet the Instructor
Shamele Jordon
Shamele Jordon is a professional genealogist, producer, writer, and lecturer. Her biographical highlights include: award winning TV producer of Genealogy Quick Start; 2018 Best Independent Producer, Instructional/Training, presented by Alliance for Community Media; 2017 Learning Award Cammy presented by PhillyCAM, Philadelphia's public access station; 2019 Lawnside Education Foundation honoree; researcher for the PBS series Oprah’s Roots: African American Lives I and II; NJ State Library grant recipient, researching Civil War Burials in Lawnside, NJ; board member and faculty at the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research, University of Athens, Ga, former president of the African American Genealogy Group in Philadelphia, workshop volunteer at the Family History Center in Cherry Hill, NJ.
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