Chat discussions about Black History Month. Tonight we're going to focus on how people can learn more about their own personal and family histories. Their stories about where the family originated is your first clue. Specifically, you're looking for what counties your family lived in.
County records are the key to open the treasure trove of family history.
With county information you can track your ancestors to federal census records. For African Americans, this is useful until 1850. It lists them as free inhabitants. You'll need to do some more digging in the local records. Consider looking at the neighbors in the W. Va county where your ancestors reside.