An estimated 10 million people of African descent were enslaved in pre- and post-colonial America.
Now, FamilySearch and genealogical society American Ancestors are looking for to revive their identities to their descendants.
The 10 Million Names project launched in August 2023, and FamilySearch announced their involvement on Feb. 15. American Ancestors will even share the project’s story on the foremost stage at RootsTech on Friday, March 1.
The “historic initiative” will use each individual family histories and historical documents to construct a free, searchable database of data about enslaved African ancestors that encompasses the Transatlantic Slave Trade period from the 1500s to the 1800s, in keeping with a news release.
10 Million Names will even use a network of skilled genealogists, cultural organizations and community-based family historians for a research approach different from the usual methods utilized by genealogists: fairly than starting with living individuals and dealing backward to ancestors, they’ll start with ancestors and move forward to living individuals.
To aid this effort, FamilySearch is sharing its “groundbreaking” artificial intelligence and technology solutions to assist discover enslaved individuals from its hundreds of thousands of freely searchable historical records — the biggest source of records for African Americans of any organization on this planet, in keeping with the news release. FamilySearch will even help 10 Million Names discover, digitize, transcribe and publish latest, previously unavailable collections.
Steve Rockwood, president and chief executive officer for FamilySearch International, said the organization is happy in regards to the joy that may come as people make family discoveries and connections.
“Collaborating with American Ancestors on 10 Million Names aligns with FamilySearch’s vision to make it easier for hundreds of thousands of people of African ancestry in North America to reestablish their African roots and start their family history journey,” he said.
Ryan Woods, president and chief executive officer for American Ancestors, said he’s “thrilled” to collaborate with FamilySearch on 10 Million Names after over 20 years of joint projects and each organizations’ commitment to African American genealogy.
“The desire to know one’s ancestors and their impact is deeply human,” Woods said, adding that FamilySearch’s “extensive collections and expertise will expedite the possibility for 44 million African Americans today to trace their roots to their formerly enslaved ancestors.”
