Every family
has a story.
Start with a name. Follow the records. A research doorway for finding your people through U.S. census records, Freedmen’s Bureau collections and family archives.
Who are you looking for?
Fill in what you know. We’ll prepare your search worksheet and point you to the record searches.
Your worksheet stays in this page’s memory and clears when you leave or reload. NEX does not save these details or send them to a record provider. Copy them into the provider’s search when you are ready.
Places to search your family.
1950 census name search ↗
Search the latest publicly released U.S. federal census by name and location. Free public access.
FamilySearchSearch historical records ↗
Name-based searches across historical collections. A free account may be required to search or view records.
National ArchivesCensus records by year ↗
Find census guides and digitization partners for earlier decades. Access varies by partner.
Smithsonian NMAAHCFreedmen’s Bureau search ↗
Look for family connections in records created after emancipation.
National ArchivesFreedmen’s Bureau research guide ↗
Learn which records survive and how to trace marriage, work, education and community ties.
International African American MuseumFamily history collections ↗
Explore additional records and collections for African American genealogy.
Know the gaps in the records.
1950 is the latest public U.S. federal census. Individual census records remain protected for 72 years. This section researches historical records; it is not a directory of living people. Source: National Archives ↗
1870 is a key starting point for formerly enslaved families. Earlier census records named free people, while enslaved people were generally not named in population schedules. Read the African American census research guide ↗
Historical racial labels and spelling can vary. We do not restrict your family search by a racial field. Missing records or no match do not mean a person did not exist.