Biographical Sources
The African American national biography, ed. by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Evelyn Brooks-Higginbotham, 2008, 8 v. Print version
American National Biography is the standard American source for biographies of major figures. Can do searches of occupations and limit by date.
ProQuest Black Studies includes the searchable full text of about 300 biographical dictionaries and related works, along with numerous other resources. Limit to the biographical material at Publication/Collection title. Look up and add to search: African American Biographical Database. There is no name-form control, so search unique last names alone (Pyrtle), and try various forms of more common names ("James Sanders" OR "Sanders James").
African American Biographical Database includes over 40,000 articles from about 300 works of collective biography. Profiles Search searches index entries by name, place of birth, birth/death dates, occupation, religion, gender, source. Full Text Search searches the biographical articles themselves.
World Biographical Information System includes full text of thousands of biographical dictionaries accessible by name of biographee. Partly online full text, partly microfiche or print. More information.
Biography and Genealogy Master Index (BGMI) indexes thousands of English-language biographical dictionaries and other compendia. Not full text; one must do HOLLIS searches for retrieved sources.
Who's who among African Americans. NY: Gale Research, 1996- .
Widener | RR 4781.45.10 Latest | E185.96 .W52
--About 10,000 entries in the first edition, increased to over 20,000 in the 19th ed. (2006). Terminal obituaries section, and geographic and occupational indexes. Information largely collected by questionnaires to the biographees.
Indexed in Biography and genealogy master index.
Full text in Biography Resource Center (12th (1998) – 19th (2006))
Internet Archive Full Text: 1998-99 -- 2003 -- 2005 -- 2009
Who's who among Black Americans. 1st-8th ed.; 1975/76-1994/95. Detroit: Gale Research, Inc.
LOCATION: Widener: WID-LC E185.96.W52 Earlier
RR 4781.45.10 Latest
Internet Archive Full Text: 1975-76 -- 1980-81 -- 1985 -- 1994-95
--Indexed in Biography and genealogy master index
Who's who in colored America : a biographical dictionary of notable living persons of Negro descent in America (ed. 1, 1927 - ed. 7, 1950).
--Includes geographical and vocational listings.
--Full text in African American biographical database
Additional sources available in: Finding Biographical Information.