Family history research

Dangote genealogy: researching a Dangote family history

Practical starting points for tracing a family named Dangote, most of which will lead to northern Nigeria.

Start with what the family knows

1. Interview older relatives. Much family history is never written down. Record names, titles, nicknames, towns, trades and approximate dates.
2. Record full name chains. Note each person’s own name and their father’s name (for example, Aliko Mohammad Dangote). Patronymics often take you back further than the surname does.
3. Collect family papers. Look for letters, Qur’anic school records, land and business papers, marriage documents and photographs. Some older material may be written in Ajami, the Arabic-based script used for Hausa.
4. Note the town and ward. Kano and other old cities are divided into wards (unguwa), and local reputation is often tied to a particular ward.

Archives and institutions in Nigeria

• National Archives of Nigeria, Kaduna. Holds colonial-era administrative records for the former Northern Region, including provincial and divisional files for Kano.
• Arewa House, Kaduna. The Centre for Historical Documentation and Research of Ahmadu Bello University, which collects manuscripts, papers and oral histories from northern Nigeria.
• Kano State History and Culture Bureau. Covers local history and heritage in Kano State.
• National Population Commission. Responsible for birth and death registration in Nigeria. Coverage of older generations is limited.
• Corporate Affairs Commission. Public business registration records can help confirm the names and dates of people who were in trade.

Online records and family trees

Online genealogy databases are strongest for Europe and North America. Their coverage of northern Nigeria is thin, so expect them to help most with relatives who lived or travelled abroad. Search “Dangote” together with the variant spellings.

• FamilySearch: Free genealogy database and family tree run by a non-profit. A good first stop.
• MyHeritage: Subscription records database, family tree builder and DNA test.
• Ancestry: Subscription records database, strongest for UK, Irish and US records, plus the AncestryDNA test.

For surname distribution estimates, see Forebears.

What a DNA test can and cannot tell you

• It can match you with relatives who have tested with the same company, and give a broad regional ancestry estimate.
• It cannot trace a surname, confirm a link to a particular family, or pinpoint a town. Estimates for West Africa are usually broad, because fewer people from the region have tested.
• Matches depend on who else has tested. If few relatives have tested, you may get few useful matches.
• Check that the company ships to your country before you order, and read its privacy terms. DNA data is sensitive, and it is also information about your relatives.

Common pitfalls

• Assuming everyone is connected to the best-known family. Check every link against documents or reliable family testimony.
• Searching only one spelling. Try the variants too.
• Expecting the surname in older records. Older documents may identify a person by their father’s name, a title or a nickname instead.