Sometimes people of mixed African-American and Native American descent report having had elder family members withholding pertinent genealogical information. Tracing the genealogy of African Americans can be a very difficult process, as censuses did not identify slaves by name before the American Civil War, meaning that most African Americans did not appear by name in those records. In addition, many white fathers who used slave women sexually, even those in long-term relationships like Thomas Jefferson's with Sally Hemings, did not acknowledge their mixed-race slave children in records, so paternity was lost. COUNT 4
QSN1 Who were not identified by name on the census before the civil war? ANS1 slaves QSN2 Who was Thomas Jefferson in a relationship with? ANS2 Sally Hemings QSN3 Not recognizing white fatherhood for multiracial slave children cause what to be lost? ANS3 paternity QSN4 Who will not reveal full ancestral data to mixed race people? ANS4 elder family members