Do you have any black sheep in your family tree? I’ve found a couple in mine and they are generally lots of fun to research if they’ve left a paper trail.

What exactly is a black sheep ancestor? The phrase originally referred to a black sheep born into a flock of other all white sheep. Black wool wasn’t desired because it couldn’t be dyed into other colors. A black sheep ancestor is an English slang term that refers to a member of the family (or a group) that doesn’t “fit in,” based on the culture or societal norms existing at the time of that person’s life.

Did you know there are several websites that focus on those who didn’t exactly toe the societal norms of their times?

The first website is actually called BlackSheepAncestors. This website features links to U.S., Canadian and U.K. records in which our ancestors might be found – criminal records, court minutes, pirates, orphanages, etc.

Apparently, there was at one time a British blacksheepindex.co.uk that is no longer found. I tried the Wayback Machine, which visited the website multiple times through the years. Most of the dates I tried brought up error messages, but when I went back to 2007, the first year available, this page came up. I tried several links (of many) on the home page and each still worked, bringing up lists of names and other data.

Black Sheep Search Swing Riots and Rioters has a specific focus on those who took part in the 1830-1831 riots in England.

The most comprehensive list of websites that relate to black sheep research is the one found on Cyndi’s List.

There are also numerous other resources that focus on the methodology of uncovering the life stories of these ancestors.

Book:
Genealogist and author Ron Arons passed away in 2024, but one of his contributions to the genealogy world was his book, WANTED! U.S. Criminal Records: Sources and Research Methodology.

Articles:
Black Sheep Ancestors by Maggie Stevens on FamilySearch Blog

Social Media:
Black Sheep Ancestry on Facebook

Webinar:
If you have a subscription to Legacy Family Tree Webinars, you can view Black Sheep Ancestors and Their Records.

Society:
Did you know there is even an International Black Sheep Society of Genealogists (IBSSG)? You can check them out on Facebook.

If you are facing a stumbling block, or even a well built brick wall, while researching your black sheep ancestor, this list of resources should help you develop new strategies to bring down that wall.