Civil War Pensions remain the crown jewel of genealogy research for those with enslaved ancestors. The first-hand descriptions of their lives in the testimonies, both before, during and after the war still take my breath away. Though I have no direct ancestors that served, I have some collateral ancestors who did. I also make it […]
You are browsing archives for
Category: Records, Resources and Tools
Racial Covenants in Deed Records
I ran across a startling deed recently. In the May 1927 record, Monroe and Robert B. Warren, of Washington, DC, sell land to Harry E. Mockbee. After the typical legal language comes this (click to enlarge): “…Subject to the further covenant that said land and premises shall never be rented, leased, sold, transferred or conveyed […]
The Terror of Reconstruction
The image above is a famous Thomas Nast drawing illustrating Andrew Johnson’s veto of the Freedmens Bureau in 1866. It shows him kicking the “Bureau” and little black people falling out. The drawing may be a funny caricature, but what black people were experiencing was no laughing matter. Violence: The Order of the Day Often […]
Community History in Newspapers
Newspapers provide details about communities that cannot be found anywhere else. Once a time consuming source to search, great strides have been made by providers, including the Library of Congress, in their digitization. Chicago Defender: A Brief History The Chicago Defender was founded in 1905 by Robert Abbott and catered to an African-American population. It […]
Researching Free Blacks
There is a good probability that many of us researching African-American families will find at least one line that was freed before 1865. A Brief History In 1860, there were over 400,000 free blacks in the U.S. This map (from the Schomburg migrations website) shows the numbers of free blacks in each state: Although Northern […]
Estate Inventories: Peek Into Their Live...
For those doing African-American research, antebellum estate inventories are commonly used to find enslaved ancestors. But all genealogists should make it a regular practice to examine all the items in an inventory. This practice will help us understand our ancestor’s day-to-day lives. Scrutinizing inventories can provide many interesting little details to make a written family […]
The Schomburg and Black Migrations
The Domestic Slave Trade transported over 1 million people to the Deep South and West. This internal trade separated families on an even larger scale than did the African Slave Trade a century earlier. We can learn more about this trade at the Schomburg’s Migrations website. It also includes information about all of the other migrations […]
The Artifacts of Our History: Part 2
I enjoyed those who shared their family artifacts- they were all wonderful! I’ve got to share just a few more of my favorites. Education & Photography My dad attended Howard University and for awhile wrote a column in the school paper, The Hilltop. It’s nice to look into the twenty-something mind that would later become […]
The Artifacts of Our History: Part 1
Artifacts are those items passed down within our families. Pictures and bibles are artifacts. But military papers, diplomas, letters, awards, and even quilts are also good examples. I wanted to post some of the wonderful artifacts from my family. Each has expanded my understanding of their lives and communities. Maybe this post will inspire you […]
Legacy of the Rosenwald Schools
The Rosenwald Rural School Building Program was one of the most amazing things I learned while on my genealogical journey. It illustrates how the efforts of a few visionary people can have results that positively affect hundreds of thousands. This story should be in high school history textbooks everywhere. Background Julius Rosenwald made a fortune […]