US Black Heritage PATH - Heritage Exchange

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US Black Heritage PATH - Basic Skills
US Black Heritage PATH - Profile Improvement

Recommended tools:

1. WikiTree Sourcer is a browser extension that can be used to add a source or inline citation
2. US Black Heritage Discord Server - where you can ask for help and collaborate in real time. The invite links expire after 7 days, so ask me for a new one.
3. 6 minute introduction to Heritage Exchange
   
4. US Black Heritage: Heritage Exchange Portal
5. Understanding the Preferred Terminology
6. Heritage Exchange Categories
7. Contact email: wikitrees-usbh-exchange at googlegroups.com (Be sure to replace the "at" with @).

Heritage Exchange Track

This track of the PATH is an advanced track and requires a focused, step-by-step process.

Before you begin:

1. Review the above recommended tools and watch the video.
2. Bookmark the 2 Heritage Exchange Categories linked above as you will need to use them.
3. Bookmark US Black Heritage Project Learning the Heritage Exchange System as this will be your main reference page.

Three Step Process

Step One: Building the Slave Owner/Enslaver profile. We begin with this profile since the records of the enslaved are found through census records, inventories, wills, deeds, manifests, etc...and must be housed with the slave owner.

In this first exercise you will search Family Search to find a slave owner. You will document the number of enslaved (over 10) using a statement with a citation. If there are 10 or less, you will list them. This exercise also introduces you to the categories we require on these profiles.

EXERCISE #1. Finding a Slave Owner
Time given for completion: 72 hours
(If you have a slave owner you know needs a profile, feel free to use that person for this exercise).
If you do not have one, click this link to Family Search: 1860 Slave Schedule.
In the text box for PLACE, type in a county and state of interest to you and click SEARCH. This will take you to a list of slave owners for that county.

1. Choose a name that has an uncommon last name and a full first name.
2. Open the ORIGINAL document. Look for the person on the page.
3. Once you find them, note the people above and below him. Write them down so you have them handy.
4. Now search for the slave owner on FamilySearch - hopefully finding them on the 1860 census. Open the ORIGINAL and use the list of neighbors to check if it is the correct person.
5. Once you find them and you are sure they are the same person, search for them on WikiTree. If no profile is found, create the profile. If a profile exists, choose another name.
6. Create a basic profile for the person, i.e. birth, marriage, death
7. Create the ===Slaves=== heading at the end of the bio.
8. Add a narrative with citation for the slave schedule and record the unnamed enslaved beneath if less than 10. If more than 10, do not list, but indicate in the narrative, i.e. In the 1860 Census John Doe held 16 enslaved people in Mobile, Alabama.
9. If there are named enslaved people from a different source, add the source for them. This will be temporary.
10. Add the following categories from the category picker: USBH Heritage Exchange and <County>, <State>, Slave Owners (If they held slaves in more than one location, add a slave owner category for each location).
11. Since the profile will list slaves who have not yet been identified by name, add the category: USBH Heritage Exchange, Needs Slaves Identified
12. If more than 10 people were held by this person, add: USBH Heritage Exchange, Needs Space Page this will alert the project that a Slave Owner documentation page needs to be made.
13. Questions? Save your work, review the profile for all components, grab the URL and send the link to the email address above with the heading HE Path and ask for help and a review.

Example profile: Wilton A. Head (abt.1803-1882)

Step Two: Building the Enslaved Ancestor profile.

Feel free to watch this video How to Build an Enslaved Ancestor Profile . Be aware that some aspects may look different due to recent updates to WikiTree, however the process hasn't changed. You can access the written directions here.

EXERCISE #2 Read through the directions before you begin. Time given for completion: 48 hours

1. From this page: Slaves of John J. Webster, Texas, you will create a profile of one of the enslaved ancestors listed.
2. First note the slave owner's last name. This name will serve as the placeholder last name at birth when you create the profile for the enslaved person.
3. Choose Add New Person from the drop down menu. (Putting it in a new tab is helpful).
4. Estimate the birthdate based on the year of the document minus the age given.
5. Use Texas as the Uncertain birth location. (We always need a location in the birth location field).
6. Add the {{Slave LNAB}} above the Biography heading. This creates a banner explaining the placeholder last name.
7. Add the {{African-American Sticker}} below the biography heading.
8. Write a short bio based on the information you have about them from the inventory. Include the value given.
9. Add the ===Slave Owner=== heading and link the slave owner's profile beneath.
10. Add the source for the probate inventory.
11. Add the following categories from the category picker: USBH Heritage Exchange and <County>, <State>, Slaves
12. Finally, add the link to the profile on the Slaves of John J. Webster page using the first name only.
13. Questions? Save your work, review the profile for all components, grab the URL and send the link to the email address above with the heading "HE Path" and ask for help and a review.

Example profile: Willis

Step Three: Building the Slave Owner Free Space Page
This step takes you through creating a free space page like the one in Ex. 2, that documents and lists all the enslaved people a particular person held. It will also have sources for where the information came from. This page will have slave owner and slave location categories. Most likely, this page will be created from the slave owner you documented in Ex.1. If you do not have a slave owner from which to create a space page, send a message to the email address above with the heading "HE Path" and ask for us to provide one for you.

EXERCISE #3 Read through the directions before you begin. Time given for completion: 48 hours

1. Go to Add New Free Space
2. Title the page: Slaves of (Slave Owner's name), State - Example page: Slaves of John J. Webster, Texas This is the standard for titling these pages, If the owner held slaves in more than one state, create a space page for them in each state.
3. Create the page.
4. NOTE - These pages DO NOT automatically SAVE a draft. You MUST save your work often!
5. You will need to add the Sources heading with <references /> beneath, as it is not automatically added on space pages.
6. Create an Introduction heading and add the following statement: This page's purpose is to record the people enslaved by ________ and attempt to connect them to their families.
7. Add all lists and information about the enslaved they held. Chronology is often used, but use your own judgement. If there is a large list of NAMED slaves, add them first. Always describe the context and date of the list.
8. Add all necessary categories: slave and slave owner categories; needs slave profiles created or identified (depending on the list)
9. Other headings to consider.

===Will and Probate===

===Slaves Purchased===

===Slaves Sold===

===Slaves Mortgaged===

===Runaways===

===Census Lists===

• Questions? Save your work, review the profile for all components, grab the URL and send the link to the email address above and ask for help and a review.

FINAL REVIEW: Once you have completed all three tasks, send a message to the email address above with the heading "HE Path" with links to the Task #1 slave owner profile, Task #2 enslaved ancestor profile(s) and the Task #3 space page for a final review of your work.

Team Leadership

Team leadership is a vital part of the US Black Heritage Project. We welcome new leaders who have the ability to help with the various teams and communicate with project members. If a team does not exist in an area that you are interested in leading, please contact a project leader to discuss your idea.

Please visit this page to learn more: US Black Heritage Project Leadership