African American History: Research and Resources
This collection contains key reference sources and research materials on the history of African Americans in Montgomery County. Resources include census records, tax records, church records, social services reports, published research, and more. You can access the entire collection through our digital repository here, or explore below for individual links.
Montgomery County, Maryland’s Historic African American Communities
compiled by Ralph Buglass, (rev. 2026)
Photograph-rich vignettes of more than 75 communities, including churches, schools, community halls, recreation, founding families, and modern-day events. Also contains a list of featured communities and a map.
Access online hereThe Segregated Black Schools of Montgomery County
compiled by Ralph Buglass and Sharyn Duffin (revised 2026)
The segregated Black schools in Montgomery County exemplified community commitment and racial pride, supported struggling but dedicated teachers, and maintained perseverance, resilience, and accomplishment in the face of a white-supremacist system.
Document includes overview, source explanations, multiple maps, a timeline, national context sidebars, and “snapshot descriptions” of 45 Black schools.
Excerpt: The Public Schools of Montgomery County, Maryland
David Spence Hill (The Brookings Institution, 1939-08)
This report titled “The Public Schools of Montgomery County, Maryland” was compiled for the Brookings Institution in August 1939. Provided here are the sections reporting on the segregated Black schools of the county in the late 1930s.
Access online here
The Negro Agriculturalist: a Journal for the Farm (1909)
Published by the faculty of the Maryland Normal and Agricultural Institute in Sandy Spring, Maryland: George H.C. Williams, principal. Content includes news from the community, advertisements for local businesses and events, and articles on horticulture.
Access online here
Record of Slaves in Montgomery County at the Time of the Adoption of the Constitution in 1864
(George Patterson, Commissioner of Slave Statistics, 1867)
This report of the Commissioner of Slave Statistics was taken in 1867-1868 in Montgomery County, Maryland, based on the state of enslavement as of emancipation in 1864. Information given about the formerly enslaved includes full names and ages — the majority of surnames ARE included, though some applicant enslavers did not provide them.
Access original ledger entries here NEW transcription available soon!Death Records of African Americans Who Resided in Montgomery County, 1900-1980
Abstracted by June Lynch Cole
Extracted From Microfilmed Maryland State Department of Health Death Certificates held by The Maryland State Archives. Abstracts include all information given on the certificate, which can include birth/death dates, age at death, burial arrangements, parents’ names (often including mother’s maiden name), place of birth/death, age at death, cause of death, certificate number, and MSA number for reference to the original record.
Access online here
Gibson Grove Community Documents
Located along what is now a stretch of lower Seven Locks Road between River Road and MacArthur Boulevard, the former African American community of Gibson Grove is unique in Montgomery County’s history for establishing in 1885 the first documented Order of Moses benevolent society and cemetery in the county. Included: oral histories with residents conducted by Dr. Alexandra Jones (2009), a history of the community by L. Paige Whitley (2021) and a program from the Founders’ Day Celebration (1976)
Access online hereMorningstar Tabernacle No. 88 of the Ancient United Order of the Sons and Daughters, Brothers and Sisters of Moses: Minutes Book, 1904-1914
This bound volume contains minutes and attendance records for Morningstar Tabernacle No. 88, a local chapter based in Cabin John, Maryland, of the Ancient United Order (A. U. O.) of the Sons and Daughters, Brothers and Sisters of Moses. The meeting minutes run from February 24, 1904 to February 11, 1914 and cover a variety of community concerns. The minutes include mentions of active members, dues paid, disputes resolved, and discussions about those in the community requiring assistance.
Access online hereResources available externally
The following records for Montgomery County are available online from other repositories:
Montgomery County Board of Commissioners (Assessment Record, Slaves), 1853-1864
This record is an assessment of property valuation. Entries include owner’s name; first names, ages, and values of enslaved persons; and total assessment. Arranged chronologically, then by district, then by owner’s name; handwritten. The 1853 assessment is complete; subsequent years reflect changes only.
Legacy of Slavery: Beneath the Underground Database
The database features entries of over 400,000 individuals including, white and black, slave owners, enslaved and free individuals from primarily the years of 1830 through 1880 to review. The record series comprising the data and currently searchable online are included in a browsable list.