Tag: Navy

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

by ncurrie, posted in American Civil War, Antebellum Era, Finding Aids, Military

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

Sold for the Benefit of the Captors

by Ligon, posted in Genealogy, Personal Experience, Slavery and the Slave Trade

Today’s blog was written by genealogist Renée K. Carl   As a genealogist with a background in cultural anthropology, I relish the research project that allows me to put information about a family into the context of the times. When a genealogist in Canada put out a call for assistance on a project regarding his ancestor’s … Continue reading Sold for the Benefit of the Captors