Teachers and the "Port Royal Experiment"

Well meaning missionary teachers, white and black, male and female, journeyed to Port Royal (what the Union called all the area surrounding Port Royal Sound) to help the newly freed slaves learn to read and write.

The image above from our holdings shows a group of ten teachers (among them: Miner, Mrs. Harris, Armstrong, Cahoun, Colburn, H.C. Bullard, Mitchell, Jenners, King and Foote).

William Reed who donated these images to the Beaufort Township Library (our predecessor institution) wrote:

"Home for teachers of the Freedmen sent out by the American Missionary Assn of New York. Several very nice young ladies among them. Taken in February 1865. All but two of those in the picture taught in Savannah."

To learn more about the teachers and their tasks in educating the freed slaves, consult the selective guide to resources entitled "Missionary Teachers to the Freedmen" posted a few days ago under the "Local History Treasures Brought to You by the Beaufort District Collection."

Beaufort County Black Confederate Pensioners

In 1877 the State of South Carolina began to offer pensions to destitute former Confederate soldiers and their widows. Terms were restrictive and the process was completely revamped in 1919. Unfortunately, few applications for Confederate pensions under any of the pre-1919 acts survive either at the state or local level.

The SC Department of Archives record series titled Confederate Pension Applications, 1919 - 1938 consists of 9,823 applications for Confederate pensions or pension transfer documents, as well as about 600 related county pension lists and items of miscellaneous correspondence.

Somewhat surprisingly, over 300 of the Confederate Pension applicants were African-Americans!

Act No. 63, 1923 S.C. Acts 107 allowed African Americans who had served at least six months as cooks, servants, or attendants to apply for a pension. Then in 1924, apparently because there were too many applications, the act was amended to eliminate all laborers, teamsters, and non-South Carolinians by extending eligibility only to South Carolina residents who had served the state for at least six months as "body servants or male camp cooks."

Names of Confederate Pension applicants, witnesses, and commanding officers; places of residence; and selected subjects including military units and the term "Blacks, Confederate Service" are indexed in the SC Archives Records On-line Index.

I went to the Archives Records On-line Index, selected "All" in the drop-down box for Record Group; typed in "Blacks, Confederate Service" in the Topic box as instructed to do on the series description page; and got 331 results -- with online images attached!

Narrowing down the location to "Beaufort County," I found 3 former slaves living in Beaufort County in 1923 and 1924 who applied for Confederate Pensions on the basis of their service to their Confederate soldier masters. Read the applications for

Benjamin Singleton, servant of Capt. John H. Thompson
page 1
page 2

Sam Bold, servant of Michael Jenkins
page 1
page 2
page 3
page 4

Ceasar Scott, servant of John Oswald
page 1
page 2
page 3

We included the book South Carolina's African American Confederate Pensioners, 1923 - 1925 by Alexia Jones Helsley in the BDC Research Room display case to whet one's interest to learn more about this little known fact of South Carolina's history. Come visit us to read it.

Another good source for additional information about Confederate Pensions in South Carolina is Patrick McCawley's Guide to Civil War Records: A guide to the records in the South Carolina Department of Archives and History, also available in the BDC Research Room.

PS: Don't forget you can search the Confederate Pension Applications, 1919 - 1938 for white Confederate veterans, too.

Schedule Adjustments in March

As you are likely aware the BDC Research Room is usually open Mondays through Fridays 10 am until 5 pm. But sometimes we have to make adjustments to comply with federal labor laws for hourly employees. Well, sometimes is coming soon!

Charmaine and I both have accrued significant amounts of leave time and have time sensitive family events to celebrate during the March 8th - March 25th time frame. Therefore, we will be tag teaming staffing the BDC Research Room with only one person throughout that period. (Under usual circumstances, Charmaine and I tag team lunch times. But these are not usual and customary circumstances.) Therefore, the BDC Research Room will be closed for lunch, Noon to 1 pm, March 8 - 25. (We have to comply with Federal labor laws you know!)

Regular hours of operation will resume Monday, March 28th.

African Americans in Civil War Military Service

Black History Month 2011 is themed "African Americans in the Civil War."

To help celebrate, we have compiled a list of library and web resources about the United States Colored Troops, African Americans in the US Navy, and South Carolina's Black Confederate pensioners for you to guide your reading and to help you explore the experience of black soldiers and sailors during the Civil War. The pathfinder is entitled "Selective Materials on African-Americans in the Civil War."

An alternate way to get to this and the other 46 bibliographies (and counting) that the BDC has posted on the web as part of our "virtual services" is to go to

1) the Library's homepage at http://www.beaufortcountylibrary.org.

2) Select "Recommended Reading" from the left hand column section headed "Quick Links." (The "Recommended Reading" page is found at http://beaufortcountylibrary.org/content/recommended-reading-0.)

3) About 1/2 way down on the "Recommended Reading" page, you'll see a section headed by "Local History Treasures Brought to You by the Beaufort District Collection." That's the entry point for most of the list of materials we have on a variety of topics.

4) Click on "Selective Materials on African-Americans in the Civil War."

Please note: Although the list is extensive and includes a number of links (all of which were active as of 2/16), this list is not inclusive. There are certain to be other books, magazine articles, and websites related to the Civil War and the role of African-Americans in and during that war.

Source of the digital image of Sgt. Carney is Digital Vaults.

History Detectives Offer Tips for Genealogy Research

Watch the full episode. See more History Detectives.

While it is often difficult to uncover written documentation about slave ancestors, it is not always impossible. Having a plan, being logical and systematic, learning what resources might be available and locating those that are extant, in short - following the process, and paying attention to clues in written records or oral histories - can illuminate your family history.

What "History Detectives" and "Who Do You Think You Are?" series don't tell you is how much coordination, flexibility, pure hard work and study time is needed to do genealogical research well.

Never forget that Henry Louis Gates didn't do all that research himself! Nor did he include all his known ancestors! He had a cadre of researchers in the fields, courthouses, and probably on the computer working on his persons of interest. The further back in time one goes, the greater the number of direct ancestors. When you hit the proverbial genealogical brick wall on a particular person, there are always other dead relatives to investigate! Try to keep your research in perspective.

This video encourages African Americans to give genealogical research a try. We of the Beaufort District Collection encourage you as well. That's why we offer the basic African American genealogy class from time to time. (Heads up: The next basic genealogy class is set for May 15th in the Bluffton Branch computer lab. Visit the Library calendar for more information.)

By the way, this video shows two images with direct connection to Beaufort District. First up is the image of a African American Family Group on Smith's Plantation -- near Fort Frederick but now the site of the Beaufort Naval Hospital! The individual slaves are not identified by name but contemporary records (1863) indicate the location where the photograph was taken.

The second image with direct relationship to Beaufort District is the watercolor known as "The Old Plantation." It was painted by one of the four John Roses of Beaufort District. Stay tuned in to Connections during March to learn which John Rose painted the watercolor.

SCETV Teleconference "African Americans in the Civil War" Tomorrow

The Struggle Continues: African Americans in the Civil War
Held on the campus of Benedict College, the 24th annual Black History Teleconference pays special tribute to Robert Smalls (pictured), a native son who rose from slavery to become a respected statesman. February 20 at 1:30 p.m. on ETV.

Water is Wide Book Review -- Feb. 21st

In honor of the 300th Anniversary of the founding of Beaufort, the Friends of the Beaufort County Library is highlighting books on local history and people in the Books Sandwiched In series. Next up is a review of Water is Wide written by adopted native son, Pat Conroy, about his short time teaching in Mary Field School on Daufuskie Island.

It may be a little ironic that the reviewer is current Beaufort County School District Chairman, Fred Washington. Conroy and the School Board definitely had different ideas on how best to run a school and teach children!

Monday, Feb 21
The Water is Wide: A Memoir by Pat Conroy.
Reviewer: Fred S. Washington, Jr.
12:00pm – 1:00pm
USCB Performing Arts Center, 801 Carteret Street

Doors open at 11:30 AM! Free, although donations (and new Friends) are always appreciated.

Once a "One County, One Book" selection, the Library offers access to at least 60 copies of Water is Wide for you.

The BDC has a small collection of newspaper and magazine articles about the book in the "Conroy, Pat (1945-- )--The Water is wide" vertical file as well as files on the "Water Is Wide (made-for-tv film, 2005)" and "Conrack (film)." What is most unique, though, is a script adapting the Water is Wide into a musical. Come to the BDC to see these and other local history treasures. Customary hours are 10 am until 5 pm, Mondays through Fridays.

ASSC - Hilton Head: Poplin on Combahee River Ferry

The Archaeology Society of SC/Hilton Head Chapter will host Dr. Eric Poplin of Brockington and Associates Mt. Pleasant office on Wed., Feb. 16th at the Discovery House of the Coastal Discovery Museum. His topic is the recent data recovery excavations at the 1710s-1920s Combahee ferry site. The ferry on the Combahee was a crucial component of the I-95 of its day.

Dr. Poplin (Ph.D., University of Calgary, RPA) has extensive experience with cultural resource management studies in the Southeast. He has performed other archaeological investigations in Beaufort County, including sites on the Anson Barony/Baynard Plantation House, and Palmetto Bluff in Bluffton.

For further information: George Stubbs- 843-363-5058 www.assc.net

Remembering the Way It Was ... on Valentine's Day

Sometimes it's fun to sit back, relax, and remember. Long-time resident journalist, Fran Marscher, conducted interviews throughout Beaufort County to capture the essence of our beloved communities. Before she knew it, there were three volumes. On Valentine's Day she will be reviewing one of those volumes as part of the "Books Sandwiched In" series sponsored by the Friends of the Beaufort County Library.

Feb. 14th -- Remembering the Way It Was by Fran Marscher
Reviewer: Fran Marscher.
Location: USCB Performing Arts Theater, 801 Carteret Street
Time: Doors Open at 11:30am. Program: Noon to 1 pm.
Sponsor: Books Sandwiched In series

The Library has plenty of copies to share through our local history sections. Because this is Black History Month, I would like to point out that Remembering The Way It Was in Beaufort, Sheldon and the Sea Islands features well-known locals Jackson Brown, Norman Banner, Johnny Blue, Lily Blue Chisolm, Ralph Middleton, Eleanor Barnwell, Bobby Middleton, Paul Chisolm and Gardenia White. Visit one of our libraries and check out a copy!

Penn School Pathfinder Now Available on the Web

An aspect of the "Virtual BDC" that gets overlooked too often is the "Local History Treasures Brought to You by the Beaufort District Collection" section found on the Library's Recommended Reading Page. While most of the links are to librarian created guides to materials on topics such as African American Fiction Writers, Mystery Writers or Staff Picks, gradually I've been adapting some paper-based bibliographies once available either in-house or by e-mail request to web format so people have access to the lists 24/7/365.

In honor of Black History Month, I recently posted a pathfinder to library and web resources about Penn School. Penn School was founded by missionaries Laura Towne and Ellen Murray. While it isn't everything we have about Penn School and Penn Center, I think that you'll find it to be a rather extensive list of materials.

Penn School was one of the very first schools for the newly freed slaves. Although the school closed in 1948, Penn transformed itself into Penn Community Services Center and in the 1980s, became Penn Center. The grounds, buildings, and York W. Bailey Museum are on the National Register and are open to visitors.

PS: I made an executive decision to post the pathfinder in its imperfect formatted state. (How I wish I could break the code of the knol to resolve the inconsistent formatting! When I cut and paste from WORD, it looks just right. When I test the format, it looks just right. When I hit the "publish" button, though, something goes cattywampus and the format becomes inconsistent. Therefore, I apologize in advance to any proofreaders out there reading this. Rest assured, if I could figure out what makes the document go cattywampus upon publication, I would have fixed it before you got the chance to see the cattywampusness! However, I think it's more important to share information and help others than it is to insist that every letter, space, and font be consistent. If you come into the BDC and ask for a paper copy, I assure you that one is perfectly formatted. It's a frustration. Sigh.)

Talk on "Kate Gleason," A Most Influential Woman

Recently I was honored to serve on the Beaufort Gazette panel selecting the "Nine Most Influential Beaufortonians" to celebrate Beaufort's 300th birthday on January 17th. It was very difficult to pare down 27 original nominees to 9 finalists. One of the original 27, Kate Gleason, is the topic of the next Beaufort County Historical Society meeting on Feb. 10th.

The original nomination read: Kate Gleason — Catherine Anselm "Kate" Gleason (November 25, 1865 - January 9, 1933) was an American engineer and businesswoman known both for being a revolutionary in the predominantly male field of engineering and for her philanthropy. Her father was the owner of a machine tool company, later named Gleason Works, which later became (and still is) one of the most important makers of gear-cutting machine tools in the world. She moved to Beaufort in 1926, where she built the Gold Eagle Tavern, developed Colony Gardens on Lady's Island and was a main benefactor for the opening of Beaufort Memorial Hospital.

Beaufort County Historical Society is hosting Janis Gleason on February 10th. She will speak on the Life and Letters of Kate Gleason at Noon at the Beaufort Yacht & Sailing Club, Meridian Rd., Beaufort, SC.

Books Sandwiched In Continues Feb. 7th

The Friends of the Beaufort County Library continues highlighting local authors and local history in its 2011 "Books Sandwiched In" series.

Triangular Pegs, penned by St. Helena resident, Heyward Inabinett, is a novel about interracial marriage and race relations based on true events. Mary Inabinett Mack is the reviewer.

Date: Monday, Feb. 7th
Location: USCB Performing Arts Theater, 801 Carteret Street
Time: Doors Open at 11:30am. Program: Noon to 1 pm.

The Friends of the Library groups raise monies to supplement the programs and services offered by Beaufort County Library. The program is free. Donations are graciously accepted. New members encouraged to join.

Display Case: African Americans in the Civil War

The Association for the Study of African-American Life and History selects the theme for Black History Month. This year, the theme is "African Americans in the Civil War." Correspondingly, the BDC Research Room display case during the month of February highlights some of our holdings illuminating the history of African-Americans during the period 1861 - 1865.

Our display emphasis is on the United States Colored Troops (USCT), free black, runaway slaves, and contrabands who joined the Union Army. Approximately 180,000 African Americans joined 163 units in the Union Army during the Civil War. African American soldiers participated in every major campaign of 1864-1865 except Sherman's invasion of Georgia.

Perhaps the most well known of the USCT were the 54th Massachusetts and the 1st South Carolina Volunteers. We are particularly proud to have a limited edition print by Don Trioani on display of the 1st South Carolina Volunteers, with their distinctive red trousers and blue coats uniform. I'll be posting a selective guide to resources on the USCT later this month into the "Local History Treasures Brought to You by the Beaufort District Collection" section on the Library's "Recommended Reading" web page.

In Beaufort, one should never forget the Navy!Approximately 20,000 African Americans served in the Union Navy. In honor of the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War, the US Navy has posted an online brochure "Blacks in Blue Jackets: African Americans in the Civil War."

While not technically in the US Navy, Robert Smalls is best remembered for his military services as a pilot transporting Union troops and supporting raids in the lowcountry's waters. We've included some reproductions of images about Robert Smalls, the Planter, and the Combahee Raid from our holdings of the Harper's Weekly Illustrated Newspaper.

On the bottom shelf are some copies of two Civil War era photographs from our collection. Well meaning missionary teachers, white and black, male and female, journeyed to Port Royal (what the Union called all the area surrounding Port Royal Sound) to help the newly freed slaves learn to read and write. One image shows a white female teacher with her black students posing on the steps leading into their school. The other image shows a plantation row of slave quarters with a group of women and children gathered in the street. I'll post a pathfinder to the role of the teachers before the end of February, too.

While few in number, and not always as a result of their free will, some African Americans were attached to the Confederate Army, usually as servants to their white masters. We include the book South Carolina's African American Confederate Pensioners, 1923 - 1925 by Alexia Jones Helsley to whet a viewer's interest to learn more about this little known fact of South Carolina's history. There will be another Connections blog post later this month on precisely this topic!

Please keeping reading Connections, a service of the "Virtual" Beaufort District Collection, Beaufort County Library.