Oregon State to Start Digitizing African American Oral Histories
Great news from Oregon State University. Between 1983 and 1992 a series of interviews were conducted of African American Railroad porters. They spoke of their lives in the earlier part of the 20th century. The result was a 29 reel collection of reel-to-reel taped interviews. The interviews were conducted by Michael Grice, who made the documentary Black Families and the Railroad in Oregon and the Northwest. Recently the Oregon Cultural Trust has provided a grant to the university to digitize the collection and to also create a website that will feature the recordings, and also provide transcripts.
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Family History Day in Fredericksburg Virginia
Tomorrow the Fredericksburg Virginia Family History Center is hosting a Family History Day at the center on Bragg Road. The event will begin at 9:00 am, and end at 3pm. The keynote speaker is Dr. William S. Pretzer of the Smithsonian NMAACH (National Museum of African American History and Culture. Among the speakers are Dr. Cara Griggs, of The Library of Virginia, and Dr. Shelley Murphy of Fluvanna County Virginia and other amazing presenters. So if you are in the Fredericksburg Virginia area tomorrow, that is the place to be.
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Articles of Interest from ASALH
Recent issues of the ASALH Journal of Negro History focus on Black education before and after segregation. One essay from the Fall 2015 journal examines the history of the elite Black boarding schools such as Mary Potter Academy and others. Another article looks the recent book by Michelle A. Purdy called “Courageous Navigation: African American Students at an Elite Private School, 1967-1972” fills this gap in the scholarship by focusing on the first black students who attended the Westminster Schools, a private boarding school in Atlanta, Georgia. This is a little known aspect of history, although most Black colleges and universities offered boarding schools in the early part of the 20th century.
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Will Slave Cabin be Preserved?
Story Here
A cabin believed to be over 200 years old in North Carolina is said to be the remains of a slave cabin is being discussed in Elizabeth City North Carolina.
The owner of the structure says that it has not been altered since purchased in the 1920s. My question is whether or not the cabin has been verified as a slave cabin. If so, then it will hopefully be preserved as an artifact from that era. If not–then the true history should also be studied, as it may have also been the residence of share croppers, another period in history that deserves documentation and historical examination. Hopefully the structure will capture the attention of historians as well as archaeologists, anthropologists and more. I hope to follow this story to see how it unfolds in the next few months.
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April Events
Glad to see that our friend Jari Honora in New Orleans Louisiana is stepping out to share some of his genealogical skills with the community. By the look of the classes and topics, this promises to be a wonderful event! This will be held on April 2nd at the Museé de FPC. You may register today by emailing lemuseedefpc@gmail.com or calling (504) 323-5074.
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In Maryland, on April 2nd, a number of events are unfolding. The Reginald Lewis Museum. will host two interesting speakers: Dr. Heather Williams, and Professor Dale Green of Morgan State University. Dr. Green will discuss the history of a community of free people in Talbot County Maryland, and Dr. Williams will discuss the research from her book, “Help Me To Find My People, the African American Search for Family Lost in Slavery”. Registration information HERE.
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Also in Prince George’s County Maryland, the AAHGS chapter will host a presentation on Online Resources for African American Genealogy. (I have the honor of being the presenter at that event. The event starts at 2:00 pm at the Hyattsville Library, 6530 Adelphi Road, Hyattsville, MD 20782
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Free People of Color In Kentucky
The African American Genealogy Group of Kentucky will present a workshop tomorrow in their regular “Third Saturday meeting”, discussing the lives of Dennis and Deademia Doram. Dennis Doram was born a slave and went on to become a wealthy land owner in Kentucky. The presentation will occur tomorrow at 1 pm, at the Kentucky History Center, in Frankfurt, Kentucky.
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Hopefully the story of the North Carolina slave cabin will make us all reflect on the need to study artifacts whether they are standing structures or smaller objects, and document their history. It will important to verify that the structure is as old as is claimed and to reflect the story of the times in which it came. Such stories remind us all to verify even those oral history stories that have passed down from one generation to the next. I have worked on a project recently where documents do not reflect the story that has been told. We live in a nation where millions of records survive time, and most families can be documented to a degree. As a result it is imperative that we follow the narrative and tell the story accurately, and make the effort to document what we are told. We must never stray from this goal.
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Don’t forget to tune in for last night’s episode of Bernice Bennett’s show, Research at the National Archives and Beyond, on Blog Talk Radio. Her guest was Ada Anagho Brown, who hosts the Roots to Glory Tours. This was a different twist on a DNA story. Ms. Brown is from West Africa, and she took a DNA test. She ended up with matches who are African Americans. This somehow gave her a unique perspective on her history, and on her own connection to others in the diaspora. Excellent questions came from the chat room, as well as fascinating observations. If you missed it, tune in to hear last night’s episode, HERE.
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Well thank you for tuning in again this week, and know that you are truly appreciated. Have a wonderful week of research, and remember to keep researching, keep documenting and always, keep sharing what you find.
What time is the podcast? EST