"All Together Now" BDC Program #1: Africans in South Carolina

This year's Summer Reading theme "All Together Now" is meant to bring us all together no matter of our age, socio-economic status, political affiliation or physical location. As library employees we were tasked with coming up with a program or two for adult audiences related to local history that touched on the theme. Bluffton Branch Reference Librarian Debra Henderson suggested that we explore the historical demographics of our state in a program at her branch library.  

One fact that a lot of people misunderstand about the history and demographics of South Carolina is how decisions made before the year 1700 have resounded through all the ensuing years. We hope that those who attend our next local history program leave having a better understanding of our state's unique colonial and post-Revolutionary War history. 

As one of the original thirteen colonies, South Carolina possesses a rich heritage of African American history because of decisions made in Europe beginning in the 16th century that carried over into the settling of South Carolina and its later history. Africans first arrived in the Lowcountry with the Spanish in 1526. When the English Lords Proprietors established control over the land that would later become South Carolina in 1670, they immediately encouraged settlers to purchase and enslave Native Americans and Africans to carve settlements out of the wilderness. Rather quickly, Africans of diverse origins comprised about 20% of the colony's population. Because enslaved people became the colony's major labor force, by 1720 Africans outnumbered white settlers. 

By 1740, African Americans made up two thirds of South Carolina’s population, many of whom had first landed at the Sullivan's Island Quarantine Station in Charleston Harbor. That year also marked two firsts in South Carolina:  the enactment of a more comprehensive slave code in the wake of the Stono Rebellion (1739) and the enactment of a law curtailing the slave trade. 

Though the Stono Rebellion occurred in what is now Charleston County, it scared the beejezus out of the planters who owned slaves - and hardened their planters' hearts against any attempts at resistance. The laws governing the enslaved were tightened; the behavior of the whites in charge tightened against Black persons in the state.

Peter H. Wood wrote a groundbreaking thesis in 1972 that was turned into a monograph in 1975 entitled Black Majority : Negroes in Colonial South Carolina from 1670 through the Stono Rebellion has remained in print ever since. Wood explored the consequences of importing the largest single group of non-English-speaking migrants to the North American colonies on United States history through a thorough and penetrating case study of the Palmetto State during the period. He ends it with the Stono Rebellion of 1739 and its aftermath. We highly recommend Wood's book as a key source explaining these early years in the colony.

In spite of the change in importation law, over 58,000 Africans were imported into the colony between 1750 and 1775, the highest number for any of the North American mainland colonies. After 1750 the majority of these imported enslaved people were from the West African areas of Senagambia and Sierra Leone who brought along their skills at rice cultivation, a major cash crop of the colony.

Consequently, imported Africans and their descendants were critical to the development of the area's society and economy. Africans also played a critical role in the Revolutionary War. Join us to learn about African life and activity in in the Lowcountry from 1526 to 1790 from African-American Studies Professor, Meldon Hollis, Jr..  

 About Professor Hollis: 

Mr. Hollis has held senior governmental positions at the municipal, State, and Federal levels. He has served as vice president for University Relations at Texas Southern University and as a university administrator at Harvard and the University of Maryland at College Park. He has taught on the faculty of Northeastern University, the University of Maryland, Howard University and as a visiting professor at Savannah State University. 

Over a 35-year work history, he has served in the Army Security Agency; as special assistant to the Assistant Secretary for Education in the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare; as director of the White House Initiative on HBCUs; as an attorney; and as a business consultant. In 1965, while enlisted in the Army, Mr. Hollis received a Presidential nomination to and attended the United States Military Academy at West Point. 

Mr. Hollis holds an M.A. in government and politics from the University of Maryland at College Park, and a J.D. and M.P.A. from Harvard University. He has studied international law and indigenous courts at the University of Legon in Ghana, West Africa.

He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Hilton Head Island Gullah Museum.  

Saturday, June 24, 2023 - "African Presence in the Lowcountry" with Meldon Hollis, Professor of African American History | 10 AM - Noon | BDC@ Bluffton Branch Library, 120 Palmetto Way

Debra and I hope to see you soon! (And if you do attend, you can mark off the "Participate in a Library Event" block on your SRP 2023 Bingo Card!) 

A heads up: 

Genealogy Insider: Finding Enslaved Ancestors Using Enslaved.org

Today's post is totally pirated from Family Tree Magazine's Genealogy Insider e-newsletter that arrived in my in-box on 9 February 2023. I have made some minor formatting changes but the content is wholly from Genealogy Insider. When I searched the database on the place "Beaufort" I got 319 hits. This database - to which you can contribute - is another tool in the toolbox for African American ancestral research. -- Grace Cordial

We have more access to records documenting enslaved people than ever before, thanks in large part to digital initiatives like Enslaved: Peoples of the Historical Slave Trade (Enslaved.org). Kristina E. Poznan is the managing editor of Enslaved.org’s Journal of Slavery and Data Preservation, and she was kind enough to shed some light on this impressive resource.

Q: What is Enslaved.org? How does it differ from other sites?

Enslaved.org launched in 2019 and has been serving the needs of genealogists, students, and members of the public interested in named individuals who were part of the historical trade in enslaved people of African descent. Enslaved.org is a discovery hub that helps users to search and find information from a large and growing number of datasets and digital projects simultaneously. There is no fee and no log-in, just a free search tool.

Q: What sources are in Enslaved.org? How are they different from other sites?

The historians, archives, libraries, and museums that submit records about enslaved and emancipated people to Enslaved.org are generally gathering information from records more obscure than those found on other genealogical resource sites. These include probate inventories, runaway advertisements in newspapers, plantation registries, baptisms, coroners’ reports, and sale receipts. Getting information from these kinds of records is time-consuming, but they often provide a greater variety of details than a census.

Q: Why can I only sometimes see the original source?

Access to the original records is through the website of the project or institution that hosts the records. When they are available, we provide links to digitized sources, but in some cases the sources have not been digitized yet.

Q: Does data on Enslaved.org contain other kinds of information, too?

Yes, in addition to information about enslaved and emancipated peoples, Enslaved.org also contains some information about free people of color as well as some slave owners.

Q: How can I contribute information to Enslaved.org?

If you know of an archival record collection in which enslaved people are named and/or otherwise documented, let us know at enslaved.org@gmail.com and we will try to work with that institution to integrate it into our resources.

Kristina E. Poznan, PhD

Clinical Assistant Professor of History at the University of Maryland

Managing Editor of Enslaved.org’s Journal of Slavery and Data Preservation

Mrs. Hawley Describes Emancipation Day 1863

Latest update: 9 December 2024 - gmc

December 31, 1862 and January 1, 1863 are Red Letter Local History Days. 

On account of the 2021 "Materials Monday : Letters" theme, I came across an unknown (or perhaps unremembered) first person account of what actually transpired on Camp Saxton on 1 January 1863 during the Emancipation Day celebration. It is good to hear about the festivities and schedule of the momentous day from yet another eye witness of the event. 

The title of the document "Notes and Extracts from Letters - Beaufort, S.C. 1862 - 1863, During Occupancy by Federal Troops" by Kate Foote and Harriet Foote Hawley (wife of Colonel, afterwards General Joseph H. Hawley [sic] does not give away the presence of this wonderful gem of local history. It was only during the selection process of deciding on which items to feature in the Facebook series that I learned of this treasure. It is a great complement to other first person accounts of the day featured heretofore in Connections. The most complete inclusion of eye witness accounts was posted in honor of the 150th Anniversary of the Day of Jubilee. 

The document is housed in the Miscellaneous Manuscript Collections with a call number of SC MM#7. It is beyond bland - so this is a particular case when one should not judge a book by its cover. The item is thrice appropriate for the "Materials Monday : Letters" theme as there is one complete letter and extracts from at least two more letters contained in the document. The brown paper binder has a letter from Harriet Ward Foot Taylor (Mrs. Herbert A. Taylor) to Beaufort Township Library's Mabel Runnette dated 25 January 1939, in which Mrs. Taylor describes how the Library acquired the document:  

My dear Miss Runette [sic]: 

            At last __ and it is a very long last, I am sending you a copy of the letters from my two aunts written from Beaufort during the latter part of 1862 and early 1863. I hope they will add to the interesting documents of that period which your library already has. 

            I am sending a copy to the Dormans, as they have been much interested in my family's connection with the town. As you will see from the letters, Mrs. Hawley moved from her first house into one on Bay Street & this house I should be glad to have identified. When I was in Beaufort three years ago, I had forgotten that she lived there altho' [sic] I knew she was in that general neighborhood. 

             Sincerely yours, 

                       Harriet Ward Foote Taylor (Mrs. Herbert A.) 

Included are three pages typed of "Miss Kate Foote's account" mostly of her living conditions, a dinner party she held, and her interactions with some of the freed enslaved. She mentions General Terry, a court-martial, Rev. Dr. and Mrs. Peck, Col. Chatfield of the 6th Connecticut, and her brother-in-law Col. Hawley. 

The transcriptions of undated letters written by Mrs. Hawley runs from page 4 to page 6 of the 7 paged document. In her letter, Mrs. Hawley offers another description of the festivities on "New Year's Day at Beaufort, S. C." 

Jan. 1, 1863. If you at the north had half as happy a New Year's day as we in the Southern Department you enjoyed a great deal. I dare say that many of you remembered that it was Emancipation Day -- but we saw and felt it with every breath we drew. Some days ago Gen. [Rufus] Saxton issued the invitation. It would have taken a heavy storm indeed to have kept us from accepting this invitation. 

But no morning ever rose more magnificently beautiful, cloudlessly clear and cool and bracing, yet not so cool but that a delicate woman might remain out of doors the whole day. It seemed early when we started for the camp of the black regiment, but many were the bright and happy looking black faces we passed and many the New Year's greetings we received from the owners thereof.

The wharf was already crowded with negroes, gay in their bright clean turbans and their best things generally, and it took some time for the motley and most interesting and amusing multitude to get safely stowed away in Gen. Saxton's little steamer, the Flora, which he had kindly offered for the occasion.

The camp being four miles distant from Beaufort and the road a heavy one through the deep sand, of course the sail down the beautiful river was to be coveted -- unless by the happy few who possessed horses.

But the crowd was orderly and quiet and the sail delightful, especially as the band of the 8th Maine gave us music. 

Arrived at the landing, the regiment was drawn up to receive us and were most kindly greeted by Col. Higginson and the other officers - the grand live oaks standing out clear against the southern sky, in the foreground the black soldiers in their bright red trousers and nearer the water groups of negroes of all ages, all styles of costume, their queer made "dugouts" and flatboats crowded with them and the steamer's boat also filled.

The platform for the speakers was erected a little way back from the shore in a grove of live oaks said to be the most beautiful one on the Island and thither we proceeded.

The principal guests and the ladies being seated, prayer was offered by the Chaplain of the regiment and then the President's Proclamation was read by Dr. [William Henry] Brisbane, one of the  commissioners for the sale of lands, a man who, as Col. Higginson said, having in his early manhood given freedom to his own slaves, it seemed fitting should now in his maturer years be permitted to read the the tidings of freedom to others. 

A beautiful stand of colors was then presented to the regiment by Mr. French in a very neat and earnest speech on behalf of friends in New York, and as Col. Higginson received the unfurled banner in his hand and turned to reply, a single quavering voice, evidently that of an aged negro, burst out into the song: "My country, 'tis of thee, Sweet Land of Liberty." 

Instantly other voices among them joined in, -- the audience on the platform, much moved, would have joined also, but waving his hand and saying 'leave them to themselves,' Col. Higginson silenced us and the song went on swelling louder and fuller till the whole regiment had joined and all the great crowd also. Tears filled many eyes around me - for myself I could hardly check the sobs, as I thought, for the first time now they have a country; it is to them now a Land of Liberty.

When they had finished, Col. Higginson spoke most eloquently though he said that words seemed weak and useless after such an answer as had been already given. He had heard many songs sung in camp in the six weeks he had been with them - but never this - they could not sing it before, for they never had a country before. All their songs had been sad, almost touching minor strains, speaking the suppressed sadness born of ages of oppression, and he repeated a verse of which I can recall but a line or two: ''

"I know de moon rise and I know de star rise,

O mourners, lay my body down, --

      I know de moon rise and I know de star rise

           I want to get to Jordan to lay dis body down."

But, now he said they should know the moon rise and the start rise only no more; for them too the sun of liberty had risen. 

I can give no adequate idea of this address. You, who are familiar with his strong earnest mind as a writer, and his graceful manner as a speaker can imagine what he would say and how well he would say it on such an occasion. I know one tough old soldier out on the edge of the crowd, one of a Connecticut regiment, was heard to say with a suspicious winking of both eyes at once, that "It was very affecting, wasn't it."

Finally he called up a sergeant and a corporal and committed the colors to them with a most solemn and earnest charge to each. 

They were intelligent and fine looking black men, and he requested them to say a few words to their friends among the audience. They each made a short address showing how well they understood and how deeply they felt what they were fighting for and especially urging others to enlist. One of them referred in a very neat manner which brought out shouts of laughter from the crowd consisted of women, saying that if it had been the Fourth of July, or anything of that kind, there would have been more men than women present, but they were so afraid of having to enlist that the men dared not come.

Then Gen. Saxton, greeted with rousing cheers, made a short practical address and several other speakers followed.

I ought perhaps to have said that both Col. Higginson and Mr. French were repeatedly interrupted by enthusiastic applause and that the President and everybody else kept getting three cheers.

The final ode written for the occasion was sung, and then Col. Higginson told us he had invited a great multitude there, and he couldn't promise that they would all get fed, but he would say that ten oxen had been roasted for them within twelve hours, and a large quantity of hard bread provided with which most of them were familiar and all of them ought to be. So we adjourned to the barbecue grounds and ate a little of the beef and bread, and then the boat was ready and a great crowd passed down to the wharf and on board again, and a still greater one dispersed in other directions.

But such a good natured and well behaved crowd it was. Not an oath or a drunken man did I hear or see during the entire day. I did not even see any rude jostling.

There were probably 2500 people there, indeed I heard it estimated at 3000, though I thought that too high.

But I certainly never saw any such number collected at the North, so quiet and well conducted on a day of public rejoicing.

I think I shall not need the sprig of live oak which I broke from one of the trees that overhung the platform to make me remember that day. It would not be easy for me to forget it. I thank God that I saw it as I did." 

 As regular readers may have surmised, the BDC is often presents staff with unique and interesting research materials to share with you! Please contact the Beaufort District Collection at 843-255-6468 or email bdc@bcgov.net for additional information about the people, places, and themes relating to the history, culture and natural environment of Beaufort County, Jasper County and Hampton County in South Carolina's lowcountry region. Current hours of operation are listed on the Beaufort County Library website. 

Freedmen's Bureau Records are now on Ancestry Library Edition

Summary:  Ancestry Library Edition (ALE) now includes digitized "Freedmen's Bureau" records held by the National Archives. This is a very big deal for anyone interested in African-American family history.  

COVID-19 mitigation caused a lot of re-evaluation of service delivery. Before the shutdown, ALE could only be used inside our Library buildings on the Library's computers. Because of COVID-19, Proquest has allowed public libraries to provide home access to Ancestry Library Edition for our library card holders. All we know for sure is that ALE will continue to be accessible from our library cardholder's home until the end of 2021. We do not know if it will continue beyond New Year's Eve, 2021. We hope that it does, but that decision is left up to the vendor, ProQuest. In other words, don't delay too long before getting started. 

I emphasize that access to ALE is available for "Beaufort County Library cardholders." All you need is a valid Beaufort County Library card and the password to access the Ancestry Library Edition database for free. If you had a Beaufort County Library card some time ago but haven't used it  in the past two years, you will likely have to get a new library card. You can sign up for a temporary Beaufort County Library card online, get the ALE password from staff at your favorite Branch Library, and start searching. But please take the time to read the introductory information first. 

Genealogical research isn't as easy as the family history television shows make it out to be. If you watch and think about it, Professor Gates cherry-picks which of the celebrity's ancestors he highlights. The whole point is to provide engaging drama for public consumption. That's not how genealogical research is done. Each person on every branch needs to be researched before the most interesting stories emerge. If you're willing to take some advice from me: It would be in your best interest to take 10 to 15 minutes to absorb how the records are arranged and research tips provided before you plug in your ancestors' name. Doing so will without a doubt in my mind, be more efficient and ultimately more likely to lead to success. 

The following information comes directly from the Ancestry Library Edition website's landing page about the recently released "Freedmen's Bureau Records" as held by the United States National Archives and reproduced by NARA on microfilm. -gmc

This collection contains records from the Freedmen’s Bureau between 1865 and 1878. This collection offers a wealth of information. Because enslaved people didn’t have legal rights prior to 1865, it can be difficult to track them through censuses or birth, marriage, and death records. For many African Americans, records from the Freedmen’s Bureau may be the first time their ancestor’s name appears outside of inventory lists included in wills and probate records. Records from this collection may provide vital information, such as age or birthplace, in addition to a number of unique details such as military service and school attendance.

Included within this database are:

Employment registers

Employment contracts

Hospital records

Pension records

Bounties

Ration lists

Court documents

School records

Tax assessments

Freedman’s bank records

Records from this time period are unstandardized. The collection contains records from the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.

Using this Collection

The registry may include the following information:

Name

Sex

Age

Race

Residence

Occupation

Names of family members

Names of fomer enslavers or plantations

Names of employers

Because there are many different types of records in this collection, individuals may be found in multiple records. For example, a teenager may be listed on school records, in an employment record upon gaining an apprenticeship, and then in a bank record if they opened a bank account.

When searching the Freedmen’s Bureau records, there are a few things to consider to aid your search. First, try and trace your history back to the 1870 census. Having traceable records close to the date of the Freedmen’s Bureau records will help you ensure you’ve found the right person. If you’re unsure where to begin, Ancestry’s African American Research guide can help you get started: https://www.ancestrycdn.com/mars/landing/africanamerican/africanamerican_guide_2015.pdf

Consider the status of your family members. If they were enslaved, when were they emancipated? For many, freedom didn’t come until two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. If you aren’t sure, there are a few clues to look for. If a mother was legally freed, any children born afterwards would also be free.

Names are also a useful place to look. A common misconception is that enslaved people didn’t have last names prior to emancipation. Though many enslaved people adopted (or were assigned) the name of their former enslaver or plantation, some did in fact have their own last names passed down from a parent—though they typically weren’t acknowledged by their enslaver and aren’t noted in records from before emancipation. It wasn’t uncommon for people to revert to their family surname or choose a new one to distance themselves from their former enslaver.

In the aftermath of the war, many Black people migrated to different parts of the country. This can make tracing your ancestors difficult. If you can, talk to family members to get an idea of where your ancestors may have traveled to. It’s a good practice to also check bordering states, especially if your ancestors may have lived near the juncture of multiple states. Records from West Virginia will be listed under Virginia, because West Virginia didn’t become a state until 1863.

Collection in Context

The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, commonly known as the Freedmen’s Bureau, was established in 1865 as a means to provide aid to newly emancipated people transitioning from slavery to freedom. It supported more than 4 million people, which included some impoverished white people and veterans of the U.S. Colored Troops.

Aid was provided on a large scope; everything needed to reconstruct a new economy was included. Perhaps the most well-known legacy of the Freedmen’s Bureau was the founding of Freedmen’s Schools, which provided a free education to many formerly enslaved people; however, the Freedmen’s Bureau also offered employment, banks, hospitals, and rations to those in need. Transportation to work sites was even available. Congress voted to extend the Freedmen's Bureau twice, in 1865 and 1866; however the Freedmen’s Bureau ended abruptly in 1872.

Bibliography

Everly, Elaine C. “Marriage Registers of Freedmen.” Genealogy Notes. Published Fall 1973. https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/1973/fall/freedmens-marriage-registers.html

Facinghistory.org. “Changing Names.” Last Modified 2020. https://www.facinghistory.org/reconstruction-era/changing-names

History.com “Freedmen’s Bureau.” Last Modified October 3, 2018. https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/freedmens-bureau

National Archives. “African American Records: Freedmen’s Bureau.” Last Modified June 4, 2021. https://www.archives.gov/research/african-americans/freedmens-bureau

PBS.org. “Schools and Education During Reconstruction.” Last Modified 2021. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/reconstruction-schools-and-education-during-reconstruction/

Reclaiming Kin. “The Complexity of Slave Surnames.” Last Modified March 14, 2017. https://reclaimingkin.com/the-complexity-of-slave-surnames/

To give you an idea of  just how big a project this was, the folks at Ancestry.com digitized records found in the following series at the National Archives to create the database. 

Selected Series of Records Issued by the Commissioner of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1872. Publication Number M742. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Registers and Letters Received by the Commissioner of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1872. Publication Number M752. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Assistant Commissioner for the State of Georgia, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1869. Publication Number M798. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Superintendent of Education for the State of Georgia, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1870. Publication Number M799. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Education Division of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1871. Publication Number M803. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Assistant Commissioner for the State of Alabama, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1870. Publication Number M809. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Superintendent of Education for the State of Alabama, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1870. Publication Number M810. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Assistant Commissioner for the State of Texas, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1869. Publication Number M821. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Superintendent of Education for the State of Texas, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1870. Publication Number M822. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Assistant Commissioner for the State of Mississippi, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1869. Publication Number M826. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Assistant Commissioner for the State of North Carolina, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1870. Publication Number M843. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Superintendent of Education for the State of North Carolina, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1870. Publication Number M844. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Assistant Commissioner for the State of South Carolina, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1870. Publication Number M869. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Assistant Commissioner for the State of Arkansas, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1871. Publication Number M979. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Superintendent of Education for the State of Arkansas, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1872. Publication Number M980. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Assistant Commissioner for the State of Tennessee, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1869. Publication Number M999. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Superintendent of Education for the State of Tennessee, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1870. Publication Number M1000. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Superintendent of Education for the State of Louisiana, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1864-1869. Publication Number M1026. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Assistant Commissioner for the State of Louisiana, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1869. Publication Number M1027. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Assistant Commissioner for the State of Virginia, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1869. Publication Number M1048. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Superintendent of Education for the State of Virginia, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1870. Publication Number M1053. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Assistant Commissioner for the District of Columbia, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1869. Publication Number M1055. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Superintendent of Education for the District of Columbia, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1872. Publication Number M1056. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the New Orleans Field Offices, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1869. Publication Number M1483. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Assistant Commissioner and Subordinate Field Offices for the State of Florida, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1872. Publication Number M1869. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Field Offices for the State of Alabama, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1872. Publication Number M1900. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Field Offices for the State of Arkansas, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1872. Publication Number M1901. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Field Offices for the District of Columbia, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1870. Publication Number M1902. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Field Offices for the State of Georgia, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1872. Publication Number M1903. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Field Offices for the State of Kentucky, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1872. Publication Number M1904. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Field Offices for the State of Louisiana, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1863-1872. Publication Number M1905. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Field Offices for the States of Maryland and Delaware, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1872. Publication Number M1906. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Field Offices for the State of Mississippi, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1872. Publication Number M1907. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Field Offices for the State of Missouri, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1872. Publication Number M1908. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Field Offices for the State of North Carolina, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1872. Publication Number M1909. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Field Offices for the State of South Carolina, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1872. Publication Number M1910. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Field Offices for the State of Tennessee, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1872. Publication Number M1911. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Field Offices for the State of Texas, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1870. Publication Number M1912. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Field Offices for the State of Virginia, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1872. Publication Number M1913. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Mississippi Freedmen's Department ("Pre-Bureau Records"), Office of the Assistant Commissioner, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1863-1865. Publication Number M1914. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Records of the Field Offices of the Freedmen's Branch, Office of the Adjutant General, 1872-1878. Publication Number M2029. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

Selected Records of the Tennessee Field Office of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1872. Publication Number T142. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Record Group 105. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

"Historically Speaking" Series Reservation

Season 3 of the "Historically Speaking" series opens with Dr. Mollie Barnes’ presentation "Reading Between Lines and Across Rivers: Charlotte Forten and Harriet Tubman, June 1863."

Professor Barnes is Associate Professor of American Literature at USCB. This lecture is sure to be a nice complement to the engaging "Women of Reconstruction" lecture about Laura Towne, Charlotte Forten, and Susie King Taylor that Suzie Parker Devoe did last season.

We are pleased to have the Beaufort County Historical Society and the Institute for the Study of the Reconstruction Era as co-sponsors of this local history program.

Delivery of this session will be unique - and multi-faceted - for BDC Local History groupies! 

1) A few folks will be able to attend the lecture in person. 

2) More folks will be able to live stream the lecture on their personal electronic devices the day of the event.

3) Even more folks will be able to watch the recording later on their personal electronic devices on the day and time most appropriate for them. 

Please note: Limited Reserved Seating Opens at Midnight Thursday, September 30th! 

35 lucky people will get the opportunity to reserve a seat in Room 100, CFA (Center for the Arts), 805 Carteret St, Beaufort for the live presentation set to occur at 11:00 AM on Thursday, October 14th.  Sign up for one of those 35 seats at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/reading-between-lines-and-across-rivers-charlotte-forten-harriet-tubman-tickets-176618128577 beginning at midnight on Thursday, September 30th. 

You should get a screen that looks like this: 

If you click the "Remind Me" button shown in red, you can register for a reminder to be sent to your email inbox one hour before registration opens. Reservations will be closed when full. 

But let's just say that you are still a bit leery of in-person events. We have a URL for that, too.

The link is https://us.bbcollab.com/guest/7ed3329806ca4f5cab909350c4f942cf.

But here's the fine print that you must read and understand! That link is not currently active. This is what you will see until 10:30 AM on October 14th (all things going as planned) 

At 10:30 on Thursday, October 14, 2021 (30 minutes before the lecture is set to begin), the link will let people in the room so you can make sure you're connected and happy and ready to tune in. Once you're in the virtual waiting room, you'll be prompted to type your name so that the USCB folks transmitting and recording the session can see who is who and then you can turn your videos/microphones on if you please. But in certain parts of the County (like from my house on Lady's Island) it's usually better to mute your video and mute your audio in order to have sufficient bandwidth to watch Dr. Barnes without aggravating buffering.  

Let's say that for some reason the Live Stream doesn't stream live as planned. There's yet another way to see and learn from Professor Barnes - you will be able to watch a recording of her "Historically Speaking 3.1" lecture once it gets posted within a few days after the live presentation. 

Recap of Black History Month 2021

If you happen to be on Facebook and if you happen to follow the BDC's Facebook page, then you know that posts related to local African American history, people, places, and events are made frequently every month of the year. 

In fact, every Wednesday that the Library is open, I make at least one "Black History Note" (BHN) post. During February 2021, my Wednesday Black History Notes featured materials that the BDC shares about the role of religion in African American life and culture.

Here's a recap of the BHNs I made on Facebook this month: 

3 February 2021 - Religion is a powerful force within most African-American communities. In May 1940, Zora Neale Hurston recorded a 15 minute documentary film of religious services taking place at Commandment Keeper Church in Beaufort South Carolina. In 2005, her film was selected for the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being 'culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant'. 

 

You can see Commandment Keeper Church on the Pioneers of African-American Cinema disc 5. The BDC has one that can only be watched inside our Research Room but Beaufort Branch has a copy of the DVD that cardholders can check out and watch at home. We also have a vertical file about the film and a vertical file for Hurston here in the Research Room. 

 

If you'd like to learn more about this amazing African-American author, playwright, and dynamically outspoken woman, watch "Literature to Life: Zora!, ~ 20 minutes adaption of the theatrical biography of her life by Laurence Holder. 

 

10 February 2021 -  It would be hard to overestimate the power of the church in the African American experience in the United States. ETV's star, Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., explores the 400-year-old story of the black church in America, the changing nature of worship spaces, and the men and women who shepherded them from the pulpit, the choir loft, and church pews. You can watch "The Black Church: This Is Our Story, This Is Our Song" four-hour, two-part series on SCETV on February 16 and February 23 at 9 pm. [You can check out the book upon which the series is based.]

 

17 February 2021 - Continuing on the theme of Black Churches, Slave Missions and the Black Church in the Antebellum South by Janet Duitsman Cornelius (1999) concentrates on the fruitful period in the 1840s and 1850s when evangelization efforts among the enslaved allowed Black people to recreate Western Christianity in such a way that African ritual and practices, European rites, Holy Scripture, and musical forms became distinctly the foundation of the Black Church that endures to this day. Among the Beaufort District area churches mentioned in the narrative are Robertville's Black Swamp Baptist Church, Tabernacle Baptist Church, Grace AME Church, and Brick Church.

 

24 February 2021 - Sometimes PhD dissertations end up as published books. Such was the case for The Abundant Life Prevails by Michael Charles Wolfe. 

 

The BDC has a printed and bound copy of his approved dissertation presented to the Graduate Faculty of the University of Virginia in May 1997 and the book of the same title published by Baylor University Press in 2000. 

Rev. Wolfe is an ordained Methodist minister who examined the collision on St. Helena Island of the religious style adapted by the enslaved with roots in Southern evangelicalism and African traditions with the religious styles of Reconstruction era Protestant Northern missionaries like Laura Towne, William Channing Gannett, Ellen Murray and Harriet Ware. Because this book is based on religious traditions of St. Helena Island, we have a reference copy in the BDC as well as in the Local History sections at the Branch Libraries for you to borrow.

 

The Materials Monday posts in February also featured African-American letters in the BDC. 

 

1 February 2021 - Corp. James Henry Gooding, a 26 year old member of Company C, 54th Massachusetts Volunteers, United States Colored Troops, wrote of his arrival at Port Royal on June 3, 1863:

Messrs. Editors:

-- After a long passage of seven days, we have arrived at Port Royal. We are still on board the vessel, and I write my first letter on the top of my knapsack, with one of the loudest noises around me ever heard, and heat enough to make a fellow contemplate the place prepared for the ungodly. There is nothing interesting to write as yet, for the very good reason that we have none of us been ashore. I write this letter to let the friends of the men know that we are all safe, except one, who jumped overboard the first night out from Boston. I think that he must have been cracked or drunk, more likely the latter. The men are all in good health and spirits, not one man in the whole regiment being now on the sick list. After we are quartered on shore, and have an opportunity to look around, you may expect better letters. -- J.H.G.

And indeed, Gooding wrote about 50 weekly letters to his local newspaper, becoming "a truthful and
intelligent correspondent" (in the words of its Editors) for the staunchly abolitionist New Bedford (MA) Mercury newspaper. Eminent Civil War historian, James McPherson, describes Gooding as "observant, well informed,a fluent writer, passionately committed to the cause of Union, liberty, and black rights. He also possessed a sense of humor that makes these letters a delight as well as an education to read." The letters are one of the few known collections of materials by a United States Colored Troops soldier about USCT military actions and conditions. His eloquence helped persuade the Congress to provide equal pay for Black soldiers in 1864.

 

Gooding enlisted in the Union Army (though he had sea-experience from working on whaling vessels) on Valentine's Day 1863, seeing action in South Carolina including the assault on Fort Wagner, in Georgia, and in Florida where he was wounded in the thigh and captured in the Battle of Olustee. He died in Andersonville Prison on July 19, 1864.

 

The only copy of this title within SCLENDS is in the Research Room. 

 

8 February 2021 - [Today's post] features a letter of congratulations on July 27, 2014 from Bishop Richard Franklin Norris to the Grace Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church congregation.

The letter begins the church's "145th Year Commemorative Journal." Bishop Norris and Mary Ann Norris wrote: 

"This critically important gather of your history is an important undertaking for your church and for our Zion as we continually remember the sacrifices and the contributions made by Richard Allen and other leaders in establishing our church. This is an incredible milestone, and one that the church can reflect back on thankfulness and gratefulness to God who has steered us over the years....You offer a strong witness for the African Methodist Episcopal Church far and near."

The Research Room has almost 100 vertical files about Beaufort District's "Churches", including one about Grace Chapel. We'll be happy to show any - or even all 2500+ of the BDC vertical files to you - by appointment.

 

The Library was closed for Presidents Day on February 15th. 

 

22 February 2021 -One of the major sources for African American military service records are pension records. Securing one for yourself or by your survivors can entail a great deal of paperwork - and documentary evidence. 

 

Thanks to the Heritage Library, we have copies of They Served: Stories of United States Colored Troops from Hilton Head Island, South Carolina compiled and edited by Nancy Burke, Patricia Burke, and Susie Marquis (2017). It includes transcriptions of pension files of Black soldiers who served during the Civil War. 

Among the men who sought pensions was Renty Miller. Miller had been a Black soldier who served in Company G, 21st Regiment, USCT from August 23, 1864 to April 25, 1866. Miller could read and write (albeit with some phonetic spelling like many others in the late 19th and early 20th centuries). He set up a side business as a scribe to other former soldiers on the island. He would write the Pension Commission Office on their behalf. However, in the letter dated August 16, 1916 shown in the image, Renty Miller asks about his own pension payment. 

 

Dear Pension Commission Sir

I have Rote this few line for to ask you when my increse will commence. I have see all of the boys that is belong to the Same Regmeant have reseaved their increase and I having get mine same I have Rote to you for to find out sumthing about it. Please to oblig me to give me answer. Yours truly, Renty Miller, Co. G 21 Regt.

 

The Pension Commission Office registered receipt of Miller's letter three days later. His pension was increased to $21.50 a few days after that on August 23, 1916. At the time of his death, his USCT pension was $50.00 per month. 

 

We have copies of They Served in the Research Room and more that can be checked out from the Local History sections at the Branch Libraries.

 

Other African-American related posts made on Facebook in honor of Black History Month 2021 were about Dr. Brent Morris's lecture on Reconstruction; an online webinar with Amy Murrell Taylor, author of Embattled Freedom, a recently donated religious revival flyer from 1963, Robert Smalls, Missionary Teachers to the Freedmen, other African-American related posts here in Connections, and Turner's seminal work on the Gullah language.  

 

I trust that you will agree that the BDC honored some of the many significant contributions of African Americans to Beaufort District's long and storied history this month.