1. There are many free resources to assist you. Getting started can be overwhelming. One of the best places to begin is familysearch.org. This website is sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. You can search by name, country of birth date, marriage date death date, or social security number. 2. Another free resource is cemetery records. Use Google to locate the graveyards where families are buried. Search for cities and counties. I located the cemetery in Mount Pleasant, Texas where the descendants of the White Traylor family were buried. There are separate cemeteries for whites and blacks even if the family names are the same. I called my Dad and asked him did he recognize the names I found. He verified that were his uncles, therefore my great uncles. 3. I discovered that the spelling of names vary. As you research you will at some point end up making use of the Federal Census records. In the earliest census names were spelled by sound only. When it comes to African American names, this name spelling variation is a real challenge. Here is an example of what I am talking about: When I searched for the Traylor family members, I ended up finding the name spelled "Trailer". If you look at my family tree website I compiled. Another example of name spelling variation is the name Fleming. I found it spelled "Flemming" and "Flemings". I suggest that you make a list of as many possible spellings of the name for which you plan to search. Write down first name and last names before you start your search. 4. Personal Ancestral File: I discovered this free software that will help you get organized. You can download software at failysearch.org. This software also compiles all of your records into a format that allows you to create a webpage. The software creates GEDCOM files. These GEDCOM files are a special format that formats the records you find. You can also download and read these types of files from other websites. Click on Order/Download Products Link. 5. Rootsweb.com: This is a genealogy site that is available for every state. This website houses records from all the cities and counties. There are resources such at Genealogical Societies and forums where other researchers can communicate with you and you with them. Rootsweb.com is the "oldest and largest free genealogy site"-its purpose is to connect people and give them a forum for sharing their research. (Tracing Your Family Tree Online; Regina Lewis -AOL Online Advisor. 6. I discovered the Freedmen's Bureau. "The full name of the bureau was The Bureau of Refugee, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands often referred to as the Freedmen's Bureau, was established in the War Department by an act of March 3, 1865. The Bureau supervised all relief and educational activities relating to refugees and freedmen, including issuing rations, clothing and medicine. The Bureau also assumed custody of confiscated lands or property in the former Confederate States, border states, District of Columbia, and Indian Territory. The bureau records were created or maintained by bureau headquarters, the assistant commissioners and the state superintendents of education and included personnel records and a variety of standard reports concerning bureau programs and conditions in the states." This is the agency that kept track of the slaves once freed and allocated the 40 acres promised to them by President Lincoln. You will also find records of slave rebellions. These are events that are not common knowledge, but these rebellions happened and records were kept. 7. Ancestry.com - there are son things worth paying for. Ancestry.com provides birth, marriage, U. S. military records, slave ship records, Ellis Island records, and more. There is a section to save your searches and begin to build your family tree. There are books and updates for records that have been digitized recently. Family Trees that others have created called "One World Tree". The following are available: Immigration and Emigration, Court, Land and Financial, U.K. Collection and more! https://afrigeneas.com/