Last Seen is recovering stories of families separated in the domestic slave trade. Formerly enslaved people placed these ads hoping to reconnect with family and loved ones for decades following emancipation. The ads serve as testaments to their enduring hope and determination to regain what was taken from them.
Mapping the Ads
Formerly enslaved people placed ads looking for loved ones from all over the United States and sometimes from as far away as Africa. Explore the map to see the locations of those placing ads or locations where ads appeared.
Search Thousands of Ads
Genealogists, teachers, and scholars can search our database of ads using names, locations, newspaper titles, and keywords.
Mrs. Emma Thompson searching for John Bryant. In The Weekly Call (Topeka, KS): August 5, 1893
Family Reunions
Although there is no way to know exactly how many of the thousands of ads placed after emancipation resulted in reunion, the Last Seen database includes almost 100 ads announcing successful searches and reunions.
Frederick Douglass reunites with his brother Perry after 40 years separation. In The Loyal Georgian (Augusta, Georgia): July 28, 1867
Did You Find a Family Member?
“Through one of the ads, I was able to confirm my great great grandmother's father and one of her brothers. The ad also gave me the names of two additional brothers and a sister who placed the ad. What a wonderful resource you have provided. Thank you, thank you!”
Patricia Newby, Great, great granddaughter of Sookie & William Toles
Each Information Wanted Ad is full of genealogical information that can provide descendants with information that cannot be found in the census and that can be used to fill in missing information on family trees. In these testimonials, our users let us know what it meant to them to find advertisements naming their ancestors.
We collect these stories and, with permission, share them on our site because we want our users to know how they can use the collection in their own genealogical work.
Rachel Rogers seeking brothers Nick and Nussau Sanders and sister Sookie Toles