Found 29 collections related to African American families

Interracial organization devoted to the discovery and promotion of talented black artists and educating people on the contributions of black artists to the performing arts. Constitution and bylaws, financial and legal documents, financial reports, correspondence to private individuals as well as government institutions, news clippings, and other printed material relating to the Society. Also, Aldridge family papers consisting of copies of birth, marriage, and death certificates, and correspondence to and from Ira Aldridge and other family members. less

Collection reflects Heyward's professional life and activities, particularly his career as a performer; a significant portion of the collection consists of music manuscripts arranged and/or composed by him. Heyward's personal papers contain biographical data, sketches and programs, performance materials, contracts, family papers, and financial records, 1917-1982. Correspondence consisting of letters received from organizations concerning programs, acknowledgements and solicitations reflecting Heyward's involvement in charitable affairs, organizations, and musical events. Heyward's writings and music consisting of manuscripts of his compositions, lyrics and arrangements, as well as music and lyrics which Heyward copied, and musical arrangements for guitar. Organizational records consisting of Heyward's files from his membership in the New Amsterdam Musical Association, Duke Ellington Society, Overseas Jazz Club, and Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament Alumni. Also, programs of Heyward's performances, and programs of other artists, along with news clippings. less

The Hillman family papers provide documentation on the performance careers of four members of this family. Included are a notebook containing George A. Hillman's monologues and news clippings discussing the vaudeville performances of George and his wife, Ethel Riddick Hillman, and scrapbooks of news clippings and programs illustrating the tap dancing careers of their sons, George I. and Christopher Hillman, known as the Hillman Brothers, (1930s-1940s). Another scrapbook provides information about George I. Hillman's performance in Curley McDimple (1968). less

This collection consists of material pertaining to Harrison's portrayal of "de Lawd" in the play The Green Pastures, written by Marc Connelly. Material primarily includes news clippings about Harrison and the play; Harrison's death in 1935; drafts of lectures given by Harrison; letters to Harrison from family members and others, including Paul Lawrence Dunbar; programs and playbills; and a biography of Harrison entitled "Even Playing 'De Lawd': Some Experiences from the Life of Richard Harrison" written by Olive L. Jeter. Jeter used the materials in this collection and her notes from discussions with Harrison for the biography. Additionally, there are two scrapbooks compiled by Jeter after Harrison's tours with Green Pastures." less

Herbert George Gutman (1928-1985) was a historian and professor of history at Fairleigh Dickinson University and various New York universities. His published works concerned the social and economic structure of American labor. Bulk of the collection consists of Gutman's correspondence and writings. Included are his papers as a student and as a university professor, personal miscellany, research notes, and printed matter. His correspondence with historians, professors of history, academic colleagues, graduate students, and others relates mainly to matters of historical method, to the historiography of the black family and of the working class in America, and to Gutman's and his colleagues' research and writings. Also, papers relative to Gutman's professorships, especially at Fairleigh Dickinson University; manuscripts of his writings including his book The Black Family in Slavery and Freedom, 1750-1925 (1976); and personal miscellany such as photographs of Gutman, his family and associates, and audio tape recording. Correspondents include the American Association of University Professors, Howard K. Beale, Merle Curti, Michael Feldberg, John Hope Franklin, Michael A. Gordon, Samuel Pfrimmer Hays, H. Wayne Morgan, Richard B. Morris, Howard H. Quint, Richard Sennett, Martin J. Sklar, Charles Vivier, William Appleman Williams, C. Vann Woodward, and Alfred Young. less

Writings and research files, along with personal papers, and corrrespondence documenting Davis' multifaceted career, 1923-1972. Includes material on the AMERICAN NEGRO REFERENCE BOOK, 1966, edited by Davis; papers relating to Frederick Douglass, including letters to Douglass from his sons, Lewis and Frederick; historical novel about a frontier family in Louisville, Kentucky; compilation of biographies of black athletes called "Jump High;" short stories and poetry; and manuscript about Liberia entitled "Bitter Canaan," by Charles S. Johnson. Correspondents include Mary M. Bethune, Ralph J. Bunche, and Dwight D. Eisenhower. less

George Weston papers consist of correspondence, writings, printed material, and clippings concerning his career, theology, and politics. One folder pertains to the Pro-Lad Paint company (Africa's Shadow Type Progressive Ladder Paint, Ltd.) and a paint to be made in Antigua especially for tropical climates. Biographical article on Weston by Lionel M. Yard, 1975, and sheet music and words by Weston for "Climbing Africa's Ladder." The Maudelle Weston series include programs and clippings pertaining to Mrs. Weston's career as a dancer during the 1940s-1960s. less

The Berry family collection consists of seven pieces of correspondence, apparently written by members of the Berry family, dating from 1863 to 1918, and spanning three states and Europe. There is also one typescript entitled "My Bit in the World War or the Story of 2921486." The correspondence begins with James Tate in West Point Georgia, although his wife and children appear to be in Mobile, Georgia, or Alabama. The other writers appear to be his wife, son, and nephew, although their relationship to Tate is not indicated. The documents cover important periods and topics in African-American history. James Tate's letter, written in 1863, expresses the anguish and difficulties African Americans faced with trying to establish and maintain a family while enslaved. A letter dated June 20, 1868 documents the role of a Black church as "post office;" the writer indicates mail for him and news for other people in town can be sent care of the church pastor. The letter from Olivia Tate dated July 28, 1887 describes her excitement at the possibility of a "Great Colored National Fair" in Georgia to exhibit the "arts, mechanics and productions of colored people throughout the union." Both of the letters written by Henry S. Berry during World War I, in 1918, tell of his experience in the Army's Medical Unit, 331st Labor Bureau. He expresses his pride in being a soldier and tells how the army built character. The autobiographical typescript, "My Bit in the World War, or the Story of 2921486," is twenty-five pages long and follows Berry, a member of the American Expeditionary Forces, from the receipt of the telegram calling him to duty to being one of fifty men chosen for the Army Medical Department, through war torn France. The typescript seems not to have been finished. Throughout this piece as well, is the theme of pride in being a good soldier. less

The Thomas family--Clara and Henry Thomas and their children Alice, Leroy, Mabel, Marguerite, Percival, and Rosa--was a Black family who lived in Western New York then Washington, DC in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. The Thomas family papers consists of correspondence and ephemera, mostly belonging to Rosa Thomas. less

The ancestors of the Polk Family, Jim and Amey, their daughter, Judah, and her husband, Kit, along with their children, upon reaching the age of twenty-one), were emancipated in 1840. This occurred one and one-half years after the death of their master, plantation owner Thomas Smelly, in Isle of Wight County, Virginia. The newly-freed Smelly family left Virginia that same year, according to the law prohibiting freed slaves to remain in the state more than one year, and migrated to New Jersey. At some point the family changed their name from Smelly to Smiley. In New Jersey, the Smiley family met another freed family from Maryland, the Polks, and the two families intermarried. By 1993, Amey and Jim Smiley had over one hundred descendants. The Smiley-Polk family documents consist of nine holograph 19th-century documents relating to the emancipation of the ancestors of the Smiley-Polk family of New Jersey, and other items concerning the genealogy of this family. less

The Jones-Sadler family was an African-American family living in Greenville, Mississippi, after the Civil War. The Jones-Sadler Family Papers, 1876-1931 consists of correspondence and other documents relating to Cornelius Jones and to Charles and Sarah Sadler and family. The collection includes: transcript from Kansas City General Hospital with a letter offering employment to Callie Patterson; certificate of service and pension request for Charles Sadler; a midwife permit dated 1923 and five documents relating to Sarah Sadler's receipt of her husband's pension; receipt for room, board and tuition for Estelle Walker at Central Tennessee College; a three page obituary, six letters and one flyer advertising Cornelius Jones's Candidacy for the third Congressional District in Mississippi; and two letters to Sarah Sadler Cornelius and Hannah Jones. less

The Riverdale Children's Association was founded by a group of Quakers in 1836, as the Colored Orphan Asylum in New York City; it was the first institution in the United States dedicated to the care of African American children. The Asylum organized its own school, as there were no public school facilities for orphans, and at age 12, the children were indentured to learn a trade. Members of the Board of Trustees were Protestant. The Asylum's facilities moved several times, and its second home at 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue in Manhattan was burned to the ground during the New York City Draft Riots in 1863. In 1918, children began to be placed in foster homes, and in 1944, the name was changed to Riverdale Children's Association; at this time, the majority of the children were not orphans but were neglected and dependent. White children were also admitted at this time. The home is presently closed and the association now serves as a foster home placement agency. Records of the Riverdale Children's Association consist of registers listing names of children admitted; cause of admission; parents' names; name and address of individual who brought in the child; amount of payment person or city agreed to pay per week for board, tuition and clothing; and contagious diseases and immunization records. Some entries include whether the child was baptized, whether siblings were admitted, and discharge date and name of person taking responsibility for child. Registers cover the years 1889-1916, with discharge dates extending to 1925. Collection also contains admission and discharge registers, which includes information on the disposition of the child, 1900-1914; scrapbooks containing news clippings, 1936-1957; and a centennial edition pamphlet of the history of the asylum, 1936. less

This collection consists of original documents and correspondence related to the Horne family, assembled by Gail Lumet Buckley during the research and writing of her book The Hornes: An American Family (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1986). Included are articles, programs, awards, memorabilia, business correspondence and papers, financial data, and other printed material pertaining to the careers of singer Lena Horne; her uncle, Frank S. Horne, a member of the Roosevelt "Black cabinet" and poet; and other members of the extended family. less

Katherine Handy Lewis was an early blues singer who was the first to sing the songs written by her father, W. C. Handy. The Katherine Handy Lewis papers document some of Mrs. Lewis's personal and professional interests and include material relating to her father and to the Handy Brothers Music Company. less

Lillian Wise Ross married World War I veteran, Ira Eugene Ross, in 1919. Their daughter, Dorothy Eleanor Ross, was married to Walter Franklin Anderson, an accomplished musician and the grandson of freed slaves. The Lillian Ross Letters consist of a few personal letters between Ross and her daughter, Dorothy, and son-in-law, Walter Franklin Anderson. Written in 1946, they concern shortages of household items in the village of Yellow Springs, Ohio, during the post-war period. There is a letter written by Anderson to his future mother-in-law explaining that he is the director of music at Karamu House; a flyer advertising his performance in 1942; and correspondence regarding Ross's claims for financial compensation as a veteran's widow. less

Muriel Fortune Bush, the daughter of Walter Fortune (her mother died in childbirth), was born on July 28, 1905, in Long Island, New York. Fortune attended a boarding school outside of Baltimore, and later graduated from Miner Teacher's College in Washington, D.C. In 1935, Fortune married Paul Bush from Louisiana. They had no children, however they adopted a racially mixed child, June Cross. During the Second World War, Paul was stationed overseas with the United States Army. The couple moved to Atlantic City, New Jersey from Washington, D.C. early in the marriage when Mrs. Bush accepted a position to teach at the Indiana Avenue School in the Atlantic City school district. She worked in the school district for 47 years. Though not documented in the collection, Muriel Bush was an amateur photographer. "Aunt Peggy", as she was affectionately called by her family, took pictures of Atlantic City's Black community, especially children. One of her photos was featured in Deborah Willis's book, Reflections in Black: A History of Black Photos, 1840–Present. Two main subject areas for her photography were grade school classes at the Indiana Avenue School and weddings in the community. The Bush Family letters consist of a small body of correspondence among members of the Bush extended family and friends. Included are letters from adopted daughter June Cross, other relatives, and Private Leonard Burwell to Paul, June 24, 1944; vacation postcards; and condolence letters to Muriel Bush following the death of her husband. less

The Wynn family, consisting of the Reverend Robert Daniel Wynn, his wife Rosie D. Wynn, and their daughter, Cora, lived in New York City and Newark, New Jersey. Reverend Wynn was the pastor of the Abyssinian Baptist Church from 1885 until 1902, during the period the church was located in Greenwich Village, New York City. He later pastored at Bethany Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey, where he remained until his death in 1921. His daughter, Cora, was a pianist and performed in a number of recitals both before and after her marriage, when she was also known as Cora Wynn Alexander. The Wynn Family collection contains a small amount of material representing two members of this family. Rev. Robert D. Wynn's documents consist of a program celebrating the 90th anniversary of the founding of Abyssinian Baptist Church (1898); lyrics for a song he wrote, "I Would Live Longer"; and a program from Newark's Bethany Baptist Church (1907). Cora Wynn Alexander is represented by a letter written to her by a missionary friend in Cape Town, South Africa (1898), and several programs for music recitals, a few for which she performed. There are fifteen legal documents for property that the family owned in various locations in New Jersey (1919-1927). less

The Rev. Dr. Nathan Wright, Jr., an Episcopal minister and scholar, was an early and prominent advocate of Black power. The Nathan Wright papers reflect his numerous interests and endeavors in the fields of religion, Black power, education, and race relations. less

The World War II letters from African-American Soldiers collection consists of letters from African-American servicemen to Elnora (Nora) Bing Williams and her husband, Edgar Thomas (Ned) Williams of Brooklyn, New York. The correspondents are relatives and friends, and the letters describe their social and recreational activities on and off U.S. military bases. The soldiers share news about other family members and friends back home as well as those also in the military. In only a few letters were their lives as African-American servicemen portrayed, or their relationships with white military men or townspeople described. The letters from friends also describe training to become non-commissioned officers. All of the servicemen had been drafted; a few men attained the rank of sergeant, corporal and lieutenant. Several were stationed in the Pacific and Europe, and obliquely wrote about general conditions there. less

This collection consists of personal and professional material related to both William Henry and Sadie Winslow. The material contains biograpical papers, such as resumes, personal correspondence, and obituaries; professional correspondence; documents, including printed matter and research material, related to the couple's involvement in various community and political affiliations; and in the case of Henry Winslow, some writing. The bulk of the collection relates to the couple's community affiliations. less