Found 25 collections related to African American families

The National Research Council Committee on the Status of Black Americans working papers consist of thirty-three essays prepared by prominent scholars in several fields as background for the publication, A Common Destiny: Blacks and American Society (National Academy Press, 1989). 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

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

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

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

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

Mama, I Want to Sing is a gospel musical in 2 acts. The book and lyrics are by Vy Higginsen and Ken Wydro. Original music is by Rudolph V. Hawkins, Wesley Naylor and Doris Troy. The play opened at the Heckscher Theatre, Off-Broadway, on March 25, 1983. Produced and directed by Vy Higginsen and Ken Wydro (a married couple), it depicts the real life story of Higginsen's family, and in particular, her younger sister's desire to sing. This scrapbook contains highlights in the three year life of the production, Mama, I Want to Sing. It consists of photocopies of reviews and other articles, programs, letters, and a press kit. The photographs were transferred to the Photographs and Prints Division; photocopies of the photos were left in their place. A press kit is included with the collection. The press kit contains profiles of Vy Higginsen and the actors who have preformed major roles in the musical, including Deitra Hicks, Doris Troy, Katheleen Murphy-Palmer, Rudolph V. Hawkins, Charles Stewart, and Keith Pringle. less

The Kenneth Marshall Papers document his career as an administrator for several federally funded urban youth group programs and related endeavors. The bulk of the collection contains New York City Youth Board process records (accounts of interaction with and observations of street gangs) for 1951-1953. Also included are the process records of a co-worker, Daniel Belknap, and a monograph published by the N.Y.C. Youth Board entitled "Reaching the Fighting Gang" (1960). There are files from his work with HARYOU, the proposal and other reports for the Mobilization for Youth program, papers on juvenile deliquency, education and social work issues, two drafts of his dissertation pertaining to street gangs, in addition to publications from Metropolitan Applied Research Center, and files and publications from his work with AT&T. Of particular interest are Marshall's files for the National Black Economic Development Conference (1969) and the related Black Manifesto. Marshall drafted a proposal for the initiation of the Black Manifesto's program. 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

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 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

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

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

In 1992 and 1993 City Lore coordinated an oral history project focusing on the Northern migration experience and the maintenance of southern folkways within New York City's African-American church community. Fifty men and women who migrated from the South to New York during the post World War II years were interviewed. Topics covered in the interviews include how and why individuals left the South (generally for economic reasons, not blatant racism and violence); their experiences adjusting to life in New York; their retention of Southern cultural practices (food, especially soul food, gospel music, crafts including quilting, worship practices and church activities); the individuals' ongoing connections to the South through regular family visits, homecoming, etc.; and their thoughts on moving back to the South (or for those few who had already moved from New York, they compared their lives in both areas). The informants recount their positive relations with other black families and with white neighbors in the South and school experiences with strict yet caring black teachers. Neighborhood life in Harlem, central Brooklyn and parts of Queens during the 1940's through the early 1960's were recounted, as well as discussions covering life up to the early 1990's during the time of the interviews is included. The New York City interviews were conducted by City Lore Project Director Ray Allen and the Virginia interviews were conducted by Dr. Marilyn White. less

Dr. June Jackson Christmas was an American psychiatrist and served as New York City's Commissioner of Mental Health and Mental Retardation Services. These photographs document key moments in her professional and personal life from 1941 through 2005. The majority of the material is photographic prints, as well as some negatives, and related ephemera. less