African American Seamen of the Antebellum Era: Using Seamen’s Protection Certificates to Document Early Black Mariners

During the Civil War, approximately 17,000 men of African heritage served in the Union Navy.  As noted by historian Joseph P. Reidy, this number represented approximately 20 percent of the enlisted men in the U.S. Navy at that time, which was “nearly double the proportion of black soldiers who served in the U.S. Army during … Continue reading African American Seamen of the Antebellum Era: Using Seamen’s Protection Certificates to Document Early Black Mariners

facade of a 2 story brick Georgian brick building

Preserving a Community’s Legacy: The History of The Gregory School

Today's post was written collaboratively by staff from The African American Library at the Gregory School and the National Archives: Miguell Caesar, Lead Archivist/Manager; Sheena Wilson, Archivist/Assistant Manager (both at the Gregory School); Damani Davis, Archivist/Subject Matter Expert of Records Related to the African American Experience; Billy R. Glasco, Jr., Archivist at The Jimmy Carter Presidential … Continue reading Preserving a Community’s Legacy: The History of The Gregory School

Slaves in the Family and Escape on the Pearl: A Report on Two Books that Used NARA Records

Today's post was written by Damani Davis, an Archivist at the National Archives in Washington, DC. Among the most tangible products validating the work of National Archives' (NARA) reference staff are the books written by the many researchers we’ve assisted over the years. Often, there can be a type of synergistic or mutually beneficial relationship … Continue reading Slaves in the Family and Escape on the Pearl: A Report on Two Books that Used NARA Records

Black History Month 2017: Blogs Related to the Post-Reconstruction Era

Happy Black History Month! This year the Rediscovering Black History blog at the National Archives would like to highlight select posts from the past. This public blog was created to inform researchers, scholars, students, and anyone interested in records related to African-American history at the National Archives and Presidential Libraries on the vast amount of … Continue reading Black History Month 2017: Blogs Related to the Post-Reconstruction Era

Freedmen’s Bureau Transportation Records: Letters of “Sold” Former Slaves Seeking to Rejoin Loved Ones

Today's blog was written by Mr. Damani Davis, Reference Archivist and African American records Subject Matter Expert at the National Archives in Washington, D. C. This blog was a part of a presentation titled "The Freedmen's Bureau and the Freedman's Bank: Reconstruction Records at the National Archives," given at the Association for the Study of … Continue reading Freedmen’s Bureau Transportation Records: Letters of “Sold” Former Slaves Seeking to Rejoin Loved Ones

NARA at ASALH’s Centennial

On September 25, 2015, archivists and archives specialists from the National Archives at College Park, Maryland and at Washington, D. C. participated in the 100th meeting of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). In the past, NARA employees shared information on records relating to the black experience that are … Continue reading NARA at ASALH’s Centennial

Freedmen’s Bureau Transportation Records: Letters of “Sold” Former Slaves Seeking to Rejoin Loved Ones

Written by Damani Davis, Reference Archivist at the National Archives in Washington, D. C. Due to the recent popularity of genealogy-based television series such as, African American Lives, Who Do You Think You Are, and Faces of America, the interest in genealogical research has grown rapidly among African Americans. Reference archivists and specialists at the … Continue reading Freedmen’s Bureau Transportation Records: Letters of “Sold” Former Slaves Seeking to Rejoin Loved Ones

Federal Records Documenting Caribbean Immigrants: 1890-1930

Today's blog is written by Damani Davis, Reference Archivist at the National Archives in Washington, D. C. When commencing research at the National Archives, genealogists typically begin with census, immigration, and military records.  In terms of federal records, these are the three that most commonly hold personal information on the ancestors of most Americans.  This … Continue reading Federal Records Documenting Caribbean Immigrants: 1890-1930