Blacks in the West: Researching Cowboys and Buffalo Soldiers by Tony Burroughs; Session part of 1998 National Genealogical Society Conference in the States; Burroughs teaches Genealogy at the Chicago State University. There were approximately 9,000 African American cowboys throughout the West. Some of the first cowhearders in the United States were Black; they started bringing cattle from South Carolina into Texas and beyond- we owe that piece of cultural history from African traditions/knowledge of cow-hearding. Cowboys move the cattle from point a to point b. Ranch hands, rancher, wranglers are also terms to look out for while researching Black cowboy ancestral history because offical records don't always use the explict word "cowboy". You can use databases by searching for specific ranches, descriptions of jobs, etc to find out more detailed records like payment history, etc. Bufflo Soldiers- during the Civil War, 180,000 African Americans volunteered to fight for their freedom- they were even consolidated into white armies during the war. A year after Civil War the US created six all-Black regular army units with white officers- no Black officers who had fought in the Civil War were selected to lead these armies; some of the white officers refused to work with the Black soldiers- this was the first time that Black soldiers were allowed to pursue a career as a soldier within a "peace-time army". These were the Buffalo Soldiers- this was an option for former enslaved Black Americans as they were entitled to food everyday and a paycheck of $13 a month. The Buffalo Soldiers were stationed on the Western Frontier in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, the Dakotas, Utah, and Wyoming in order to "protect" white settlers from the Native Americans and to make sure treaties were being upheld. They made up 20% of the army presence in these areas. They also helped capture Billy the Kid, Geronimo. Name came from Native Americans because their hair was like that of the buffalo. Battled fiecely in wars, but several had to fight for recognition otherwise ignored because of racism. Genealogy; MP3 Converted (no tape), 1998

Blacks in the West: Researching Cowboys and Buffalo Soldiers by Tony Burroughs; Session part of 1998 National Genealogical Society Conference in the States; Burroughs teaches Genealogy at the Chicago State University. There were approximately 9,000 African American cowboys throughout the West. Some of the first cowhearders in the United States were Black; they started bringing cattle from South Carolina into Texas and beyond- we owe that piece of cultural history from African traditions/knowledge of cow-hearding. Cowboys move the cattle from point a to point b. Ranch hands, rancher, wranglers are also terms to look out for while researching Black cowboy ancestral history because offical records don't always use the explict word "cowboy". You can use databases by searching for specific ranches, descriptions of jobs, etc to find out more detailed records like payment history, etc. Bufflo Soldiers- during the Civil War, 180,000 African Americans volunteered to fight for their freedom- they were even consolidated into white armies during the war. A year after Civil War the US created six all-Black regular army units with white officers- no Black officers who had fought in the Civil War were selected to lead these armies; some of the white officers refused to work with the Black soldiers- this was the first time that Black soldiers were allowed to pursue a career as a soldier within a "peace-time army". These were the Buffalo Soldiers- this was an option for former enslaved Black Americans as they were entitled to food everyday and a paycheck of $13 a month. The Buffalo Soldiers were stationed on the Western Frontier in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, the Dakotas, Utah, and Wyoming in order to "protect" white settlers from the Native Americans and to make sure treaties were being upheld. They made up 20% of the army presence in these areas. They also helped capture Billy the Kid, Geronimo. Name came from Native Americans because their hair was like that of the buffalo. Battled fiecely in wars, but several had to fight for recognition otherwise ignored because of racism. Genealogy; MP3 Converted (no tape), 1998, Box: 1. Albuquerque Bernalillo County Special Collections Library.

Blacks in the West: Researching Cowboys and Buffalo Soldiers by Tony Burroughs; Session part of 1998 National Genealogical Society Conference in the States; Burroughs teaches Genealogy at the Chicago State University. There were approximately 9,000 African American cowboys throughout the West. Some of the first cowhearders in the United States were Black; they started bringing cattle from South Carolina into Texas and beyond- we owe that piece of cultural history from African traditions/knowledge of cow-hearding. Cowboys move the cattle from point a to point b. Ranch hands, rancher, wranglers are also terms to look out for while researching Black cowboy ancestral history because offical records don't always use the explict word "cowboy". You can use databases by searching for specific ranches, descriptions of jobs, etc to find out more detailed records like payment history, etc. Bufflo Soldiers- during the Civil War, 180,000 African Americans volunteered to fight for their freedom- they were even consolidated into white armies during the war. A year after Civil War the US created six all-Black regular army units with white officers- no Black officers who had fought in the Civil War were selected to lead these armies; some of the white officers refused to work with the Black soldiers- this was the first time that Black soldiers were allowed to pursue a career as a soldier within a "peace-time army". These were the Buffalo Soldiers- this was an option for former enslaved Black Americans as they were entitled to food everyday and a paycheck of $13 a month. The Buffalo Soldiers were stationed on the Western Frontier in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, the Dakotas, Utah, and Wyoming in order to "protect" white settlers from the Native Americans and to make sure treaties were being upheld. They made up 20% of the army presence in these areas. They also helped capture Billy the Kid, Geronimo. Name came from Native Americans because their hair was like that of the buffalo. Battled fiecely in wars, but several had to fight for recognition otherwise ignored because of racism. Genealogy; MP3 Converted (no tape), 1998, Box: 1. Albuquerque Bernalillo County Special Collections Library. https://nmarchives.unm.edu/repositories/9/archival_objects/536116 Accessed November 22, 2024.