Missouri Database Helps Black Families Trace Enslaved Ancestors

Wornall Majors House Museums in Jackson County, Missouri, launched a free online database in February to help Black families trace their lineage. The tool makes centuries-old deeds, wills, probate records and bills of sale searchable by name. Each record includes a plain-language summary, simplifying research for those without specialized skills.

Museum staff discovered the records while researching Alexander Majors, who enslaved at least 23 individuals. They noticed these individuals consistently appeared in county documents. This finding highlighted the difficulty descendants of enslaved people faced in accessing historical information.

Reggie James, a retired schoolteacher, spent nearly 50 years tracing his family history back to 1851. He said such a database was once unimaginable. Enslavement often erased names from official records, leaving descendants with scattered, difficult-to-search, handwritten documents.

The Wornall Majors House Museums offers up to two hours of free research assistance and continues to add names to the database with support from Kansas City’s Monument Coalition.