| Foreword | p. v |
| 1 | In the Beginning | p. 1 |
| Basic Principles of Genealogy | |
| Two Basic Charts | |
| Tips for Success | |
| Creating a Knowledge Base | |
| Consult the Elders | |
| Family Gatherings, Reunions, and Funerals | |
| 2 | Census Records | p. 15 |
| About Census Records | |
| Where to Find Census Records | |
| Using Census Records | |
| Indexes and Soundex | |
| A Case Study: The Search for Ancestors of Elizabeth "Lizzie" (Blount) Armstead | |
| 3 | Federal Sources | p. 34 |
| Social Security Records | |
| Military Records | |
| Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands | |
| Freedman's Savings and Trust Company | |
| Federal Land Records | |
| NUCMC | |
| Southern Claims Commission | |
| 4 | State, County, and Local Sources | p. 61 |
| State Records | |
| County Records | |
| Local Records | |
| Combining Records: The Case of William Collins | |
| Research Guides to the States | |
| 5 | Special Situations | p. 86 |
| "Free Negroes" Before the Civil War | |
| Manumission Records | |
| Free Black Registers | |
| Census Records | |
| Guardianship Records | |
| Tax Rolls | |
| State Records | |
| Land Records | |
| Urban Free Blacks Before 1865 | |
| Native American Connections | |
| Immigrants | |
| For Further Reading: Free Persons of Color Before 1865 | |
| 6 | What's in a Name? | p. 106 |
| Given Names | |
| Surnames | |
| A Case Study: One Crossley Family | |
| The Next Steps | |
| 7 | Location, Location, Location | p. 118 |
| 1870 Families in the North or West | |
| 1870 Families in the South | |
| 1860 Census Schedules | |
| Using Land Records | |
| Miscellaneous Records | |
| On Location: A Study of Thomas Bowen | |
| 8 | The Other Family | p. 129 |
| Studying the Slaveholder Candidate | |
| The Other Family: A Family Profile | |
| Case Study: Caldonia (Short) Hilson | |
| 9 | The Search for Ancestors in Slaveholder Documents | p. 145 |
| The Slave as Chattel Property | |
| The Records | |
| Legal and Public Domain Records | |
| Deeds and Property Records | |
| Estate Documents | |
| Court Records | |
| Business and Personal Records | |
| Other Resources | |
| 10 | Case Study: The Issue of Mixed Race | p. 163 |
| The Search for Henry Dotson | |
| The Post-Civil War Search | |
| The Pre-Civil War Search | |
| William Dotson, The Slaveholder | |
| William Dotson, The Father | |
| 11 | Case Study: A Story of Triumph and Tragedy | p. 177 |
| The First Steps: Tracking Back to 1870 | |
| The Search for a Cluster in 1870 | |
| The Search for the Slaveholder | |
| Focus on Pre-Civil War Documents | |
| Epilogue | |
| 12 | Case Study: All in the Neighborhood | p. 187 |
| Post-Civil War Research: Identifying Archie's Family | |
| The 1870 Community | |
| Pre-Civil War Research: Identifying the Slaveholder(s) | |
| A Candidate Family to Study | |
| The Parent Generation | |
| Appendix A | Free and Slaveholding States and Territories in 1861 | p. 201 |
| Appendix B | Federal Census, 1790-1930 | p. 208 |
| Which Census Reports ...? | |
| First Federal Census Available for Each State | |
| Appendix C | State Archives | p. 211 |
| Appendix D | National Archives and Regional Branches | p. 218 |
| Appendix E | Blank Forms | p. 221 |
| Endnotes | p. 227 |
| Bibliography | p. 243 |
| Index | p. 245 |
