Records and Resources for African Americans in Hamilton County
When Ohio became a state in 1803, there were less than four hundred free Black men in residence. The slavery ban from the Northwest Territory remained in place, but Ohio passed a number of Black Laws to discourage migration of freedmen from the East or South. The Black Laws denied African American men the right to vote, serve in the militia, and use public services. They were also required to post a bond that they were freemen.
African Americans were drawn to Hamilton County by the availability of jobs and the absence of slavery. As the city developed, they were jobs on steamboats, in trades, and in service industries. Before the Civil War, the Black population in the city never exceeded four thousand.
In addition to census and vital records, there are unique resources for African American research in Hamilton County.
Cemeteries
African American (Colored) Cemetery. Avondale. Extinct. Many graves moved to United Colored American Cemetery.
United Colored American Cemetery. Founded 1883. 4850 Duck Creek Rd.
Indexed in Hamilton County, Ohio Burial Records, Vol. 11. Columbia Township (Heritage Books, 2010). pp. 94-167.
Union Baptist Cemetery. Founded 1864. 4933 Cleves Warsaw Pike.
Indexed in Hamilton County, Ohio Burial Records,Vol. 9. Union Baptist African American Cemetery
(Heritage Books, 1997).
- Statistics: Cemetery of Union Baptist Church (1885–1893) A–F, G–L, M–R, S–Z
- Statistics: Cemetery of Union Baptist Church (1894–1902) A–D, E–J, K–R, S–Y
- Statistics: Cemetery of Union Baptist Church (1902–1923) A, B, C, D, etc.
Beech Grove Cemetery. Founded 1889. 436 Fleming Rd. Managed by Springfield Township.
Indexed in Hamilton County, Ohio Burial Records, Vol. 7. Springfield Township Cemeteries (Heritage Books, 1994). pp. 35-47.
Hillcrest Cemetery. Founded 1926. 749 Sutton Road.
Gravestones indexed in Hamilton County, Ohio Burial Records, Vol. 2. Anderson Township Cemeteries (HCGS, 1990). pp. 131–140.
Mt. Pleasant (Seward) Cemetery. Founded 1852. 1454 Compton Rd. Inactive.
Indexed in Hamilton County, Ohio Burial Records, Vol. 7. Springfield Township Cemeteries (Heritage Books, 1994). pp. 16-23.
Early Churches
Deer Creek Methodist Episcopal Church. Founded 1815. In 1823 joined African Methodist Episcopal Church network.
Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church. Founded 1824. Today the Allen Temple AME Church of Cincinnati.
African Union Baptist Church. Organized 1831 from the Enon Baptist Congregation. Today Union Baptist Church.
Zion Baptist Church. Organized 1842 on Plum Street. Zion Baptist Church records, 1861–1977, n.d. are held at Cincinnati History Library and Archives. Mss 1123.
First Baptist Church of Walnut Hills. Organized in 1863.
St. Ann Catholic Church. Founded 1866. Baptism and marriage records are available on FindmyPast and at the Archives of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, https://resources.catholicaoc.org/offices/archives/genealogy. Sacramental records from St. Ann have been indexed in HCGS series of books on Hamilton county baptisms, marriages, and burials.
Orphanage
The children’s names are indexed in Hamilton County, Ohio Children's Records: Six Orphan Asylums, 1829-1919. Jeffrey G. Herbert (HCGS, 2024).
Newspapers
African American Society Columns, 1884–1896.
See article in June 2019 Tracer.
“Our Colored Population: Cincinnati’s African American Residents in 1867.” The Cincinnati Gazette March 31, 1867.
The Cincinnati Herald (Active). Some years available in Newspaper Archive through the CHPL website.
The Union 1907–1952. Editor: Wendell Phillips Dabney. Some years available in Newspaper Archive through the CHPL website.
Publications
Cincinnati Directories. The Cincinnati directories for several years in the 1830s and 1840s identified Black residents. The following designate African American residents of Cincinnati:
- 1834 directory. “Colored Population” p. 196
- 1836-7 directory. designation (col’d) after name
- 1839-40 directory. “Colored” pp. 465–477
- 1842 directory. “Colored” pp. 440–447
- 1843 directory. “Colored” pp. 391–399
African-American Resources: A Greater Cincinnati Library Consortium Guide (GCLC, 1997). CHPL 016.977100496073. This book includes lists of special African American collections at Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library and the University of Cincinnati Archives and Rare Books Library and Langsam Library.
Black Biography, 1790–1950: A Cumulative Index. Randall K. Burkett and Nancy Hall Burkett. (Chadwick-Healy, 1991). The print book is available at the University of Cincinnati Langsam Library. It is available on microfilm at CHPL. Z1361.N39 B52 1991 v. 1–3. The book indexes the names of prominent African Americans, giving some basic information about the person and where to find the biography (book title, author, page number).
The following names of individuals born in Cincinnati were extracted from the Black Biography and appeared in an article in the June 1993 Tracer (14:2) p. 51. Male spouses are shown in parentheses:
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Arnett, Henry Young
Beasley, Delilah L.
Beaty, A. Lee
Beavers, Louise
Bell, Mrs. Valleta Harper
(William Leroy)
Bentley, Charles Edwin
Bon, Parker
Bryant, George
Buckner, Mrs. Mary Francis Shelton
(James Buckner)
Burns, Mrs. Fannie Kay
(John)
Bush, William B.
Cardozo, Francis Nunez
Chandler, Mrs. Sarah Ann Hatfield
(Abraham Washington)
Cole, R. H.
Curl-Maxwell, Mrs. Connie
Dickson, Moses
Duncanson, Robert S.
Easton, Mrs. Elizabeth Jones
Emanuel, Mrs. Fannie
(William)
Fossett, William Henry
Friason, Harry H.
Gaines, John I.
Grandison, Henry
Gunn, William
Harris, Ruth Miriam
Hartwell, Mary Eliza
Hays, George W., Jr.
Hicks, Mrs. Corrine Bush
Horner, Charles E.
Hubbard, DeHart
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Ingram, Andrew L. Jr.
Jones, Otho Eli
Jones, Thomas Lucius
Jones, Mrs. Virginia May Lacy
(Edward Lacy)
King, Henry Howe
Knight, Laura Troy
(James Knight)
Locker, Jesse D.
McWilliams, Benjamin Franklin
Monroe, James A.
Morgan, Joseph D.
Mundy, James
Nesbitt, Mrs. Ernestine Clark
Page, Wilber Allen
Parrish, William
Payne, Henry P.
Porter, Jennie D.
Reynolds, John Douglas
Robinson, “Jack”
Smith, Mamie
Smith, William M.
Soleo, James E.
Steele, J. C.
Sulzer, William
Taylor, Mrs. Mary E. Beckley
Toliver, Phillip
Townsend, William Saxby
Trotter, Charles E.
Trotter, Mrs. Mamie Johnson
(Charles)
Troy, William Isaian, Jr.
Turner, Charles Henry
Walker, Cora E.
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Black Biography, 1790–1950: Supplement. Randall K. Burkett and Nancy Hall Burkett. (Bell and Howell, 2000). This supplement was published in 2000, to include additional individuals and biographies. Below are the Cincinnati-born individuals in the supplement. Names with an asterisk were also in the original index. Their inclusion here means additional biographies were found:
Austin, George J. Hubbard, DeHart
Clark, Samuel Wilcox McDowell, George Theodore
Corbin, Henry McWilliams, Benjamin Franklin*
Dandridge, Ray G. Tolliver, Phillip*
Dickson, Moses* Turner, Charles Henry*
Duncanson, Robert S.*
Cincinnati’s Colored Citizens: Historical, Sociological, and Biographical by Wendell P. Dabney. (Dabney
The book includes many biographical sketches and photos. There are also a number of lists of names based on occupation, property ownership, etc. in 1925:
Black teachers by school, pp.109–111
Policemen, p. 140
Pathfinders and pioneers, pp.198–204
Clergymen, p. 377
By occupation, pp. 401–413
Pullman porters located in Cincinnati, pp. 414-415
Students at Cincinnati University, pp. 418-419
Prominent property owners, by area, in Hamilton County, Ohio and Covington and Newport, Kentucky, pp. 420–436.
Cincinnati Sites and Stories
Cincinnati Sites and Stories is a free mobile app that puts Cincinnati history at your fingertips. Developed by Cincinnati Preservation, Cincinnati Sites and Stories explores the people, places, and moments that have shaped the city’s history. There are a number of stories about Black individuals, locations, and events. There are over 150 stories in the African /American history section at
Resources at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, 50 East Freedom Way, is a museum and education center dedicated to the history and culture of African Americans. Located on the Ohio River at the boundary of free and slave states before the Civil War, the center provides resources, online videos, and educational materials that support the cause of inclusive freedom.
Tracer Articles
“African American Education in Cincinnati, 1815–1887.” Eileen Muccino. June 2025 (46:2) 33. includes lists of public school teachers and some graduates of Gaines High School.
“African American Society Columns in Cincinnati Newspapers, 1884–1896.” Stephen Headley. June 2019 (40:2) 63–64.
“Bonds Posted in 1841 by Black and Mulatto Men.” Jeff Herbert. Mar 2015 (36:1) 23. Includes list of men who posted bonds.
“Cincinnati and the Fugitive Slave Acts.” Eileen Muccino. September 2018 (39:3) 66, 73–76.
“Cincinnati and the State Black Laws.” Eileen Muccino. March 2019 (40:1) 22–24.
“Cincinnati’s Black Soldiers Who Served in the United States Colored Troops.” Eric E. Johnson. (August 2016 (37:3) 79–81. Includes list of names, ages, regiments, etc.
“Hamilton County Manumissions and Certificates of Freedom.” Jim Dempsey. June 2016 ((37:2) 46–47.
“Heroes with Picks and Shovels: The Black Brigade of Cincinnati.” Albert Hallenberg. March 2015 (36:1) 1, 14–17.
“Manumissions in Hamilton County.” Eileen Muccino. September 2018 (39:3) 77. List of names, dates, and details as reported in the Cincinnati Enquirer.
“Muster Role of the Black Brigade’” Deb Cyprych. March 2015 (36: 1) 19–22, 13. List of names and regiments.
“Phillip Baynum Ferguson (1824–1909): Husband, Father, Carpenter, Minister, School Board Member, Registered Voter” Nettie Ferguson. September 2015 (36:3) 81–84.
“Union Baptist Cemetery Records, 1885–1923, on CHPL Digital Library.” December 2024 (45:4) 115–117.
