FBA Lineage Standard

Working Standard v2.1: FBA is a lineage-based identity for descendants of the historic Black American population established in the United States.

You Do Not Have to Trace Back to Slavery

An individual does not need a slave schedule, enslaver name, bill of sale, plantation record, or other slavery-era document to establish a documented FBA lineage connection.

Documented Lineage Anchor

A documented FBA lineage anchor is an ancestor connected through a reasonable genealogical chain whose contemporaneous U.S. record identifies that ancestor as part of the historic Black American population using a historically applicable classification such as Black, Colored, Negro, Mulatto, African American, or another applicable designation.

Chronology, U.S. residence, birthplace, parental birthplace where available, family continuity, immigration evidence where relevant, and corroborating records are considered together.

1870 Is Important, Not Mandatory

The 1870 Census is an especially valuable genealogical bridge, but it is not a mandatory eligibility line. Later records can also serve as lineage anchors when the total evidence demonstrates historical continuity with the historic U.S. Black population.