Gathering African American History

1850 US Federal Census, Slave Schedule for Montgomery County, VA

Family Search version is free but have to create an account:

https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/1420440

If you’re searching for a specific enslaved individual, please note that their names are generally not listed, except in rare instances. To browse the records, enter the names Preston, Hoge, or Wade (all enslavers), and then navigate through the document.

1860 US Federal Census, Slave Schedule for Montgomery County, VA

Ancestry.com Access A subscription is needed

Family Search version is free but have to create an account: https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/3161105

Primary Source Series: The First Negro Churches in the District of Columbia, 1922

https://docsouth.unc.edu/church/cromwell/cromwell.html

The First Negro Churches in the District of Columbia, John W. Cromwell, 64-106 p., Lancaster, Pa.; Washington, D. C.
The Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, Inc., 1917
From the Journal of Negro History 7, no.1 (January 1922), 64-106.
Call number E185 .J86 v. 7 1922 (Davis Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

Many names associated with Montgomery County, Virginia: Anderson, Bell, Green, Hunter, Johnson, Muse, Saunders, Stewart, Taylor, Walker

Odd Fellows as well as the history of the establishment of churches in the District of Columbia.

District Of Columbia Resources

https://matthewbgilmore.wordpress.com/2017/09/11/online-washington-dc-history-resources-city-directories-online/

Grand United Order of Odd Fellows and Currier & Ives Print

Symbols hold significant importance for members of the Grand United Order of Odd Fellows (GUOOF).

By the early 1900s, the Grand United Order of Odd Fellows had gained significant popularity, with both men and women joining its secret societies. This benevolent group was established in Blacksburg, Christiansburg and Pulaski, Virginia to improve their communities by providing charitable support to orphans, the sick, and the poor.

Symbols hold significant importance in education and as visual reminders for members of the Grand United Order of Odd Fellows (GUOOF) for several reasons:

Simplification of Complex Ideas: Symbols distill complex concepts into simple, recognizable forms, making it easier to convey teachings and principles.
Memory Aids: They serve as mnemonic devices, helping members remember key teachings, values, and rituals.
Engagement: Visual representations engage members more deeply than text alone, fostering better understanding and retention.
Communication: Symbols transcend language barriers, enabling diverse groups to share common understandings and values.
Constant Presence: They act as continual, visual reminders of the GUOOF’s values and principles, reinforcing them in daily life.
Identity and Unity: Symbols create a sense of belonging and unity among members by providing a shared set of images and meanings.
Moral Guidance: They encapsulate moral and ethical lessons, guiding members in their conduct and decision-making.
Tradition and Continuity: Symbols connect current members to the historical roots and traditions of the GUOOF, promoting continuity and respect for the organization’s heritage.

This Currier & Ives of New York 1881 print illustrate the common symbols which the order’s members would recognize and hold dear.

Skull and Crossbones – Life is short and we have much to do

Series: At Work – Tending to the Dead

Collection of Morticians, Undertakers, Funeral Home Directors in Southwest Virginia

C.C. Williams, Mortician and Ambulance Service, Roanoke Virignia — CC Williams, Mortician & Ambulance Service in Roanoke (The Church News, 1 Feb 1934, pg 4)

R.W. Clark Citizen’s Undertaking Establishment, Roanoke, VA (The Church News, 1 Feb 1934, pg 4)

Series: Historic Newspaper Sources

Library of Virginia Collection Search for newspapers of the area

Title: The Church News, Available online: Feb 1934 (only one edition), Place of publication: Roanoke, VA

Title: Southern Workman, Available online: 1 January 1872 – 1 July 1939 (811 issues), Place of publication: Hampton, VA

Reconstruction Era Documents and Freedmen Bureau Timeline

The Index of census returns, registers, and lists of freedmen is overseen by the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, commonly known as the Freedmen’s Bureau. Established in 1865 after the American Civil War, its responsibilities include supervising relief efforts such as education, healthcare, food, clothing, refugee camps, marriage legalization, employment, labor contracts, and ensuring back pay, bounty payments, and pensions.

Family Search records are free but registration is required.

United States Freedmen’s Bureau, Records of Freedmen – FamilySearch Historical Records

What is available:

Virginia, Roll 130, Registers of freedmen sent to New England states, 1866-1867
Virginia, Wytheville, Roll 198, Census returns of the black population of Montgomery, Grayson, Smyth, Giles, Roanoke, Craig, and Floyd Counties, 1865 (Images 214-412)
Virginia, Christianburg, Roll 68, Census returns of blacks in Montgomery County

Transcription Abbreviations

The transcription project is done by the public and not complete.

Click here to search on a name

History of the Freedman’s Bureau, official title: The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands

A helpful explanation and timeline is provided on page 9 of this document, hosted by Family Search. “Records of the Field Offices for the State of Virginia.”

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-DWR3-MLN?view=index&action=view

Seven Year Timeline of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands (Freedmen’s Bureau): March 1865 to June 1872.

September 2, 1862: “President Lincoln issued the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, declaring that as of January 1, 1863 “all persons held as slaves within any State, or designated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.”” (Library of Congress)

January 1, 1863: President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation

April 9, 1865: Lee surrenders to Grant at Appomattox, ending the Civil War.

Juneteenth, 1865 – Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American of History & Culture

National – 3 March 1865: the bureau was created by the War Department of the US Government. Commissioners and Assistant Commissioners as well as General Superintendent of Schools were established.
Virginia – June 1865 to May 1866: Orlando Brown established an office and operated as Commissioner of Virginia, in Richmond.
Virginia – 4 July 1865 to 14 April 1867: Virginia Bureau is organized into 10 districts with an Agent/Superintendent in charge.
Mont. Co – Sept 1865: Buel Carter became the 8th District’s first Superintendent, establishing an office in Christiansburg but move the office to Wythville in September of the same year.
National – Oct 1865 to Jan 1867: Rev. John W. Alvord became Inspector of Finances and Schools to address schools.
Mont. Co – May 1866: Capt Charles S. Schaeffer arrives in Christiansburg as the agent, working under Brevet Maj. George P. Sherwood became Superintendent of the 8th District in June 1866.
Virginia – May 1866 to Aug 1866: Maj. Gen. Alfred H. Terry is Assistant Commissioner, Richmond.
National – 16 July 1866: the Bureau of Freedmen is extended by Congress.
Virginia – Aug 1866 to March 1867: Maj. Gen. John M. Schofield is named Assistant Commissioner .
Virginia – 15 April 1867: The state is reorganization into 10 Sub-districts with Sub-Assistant Commissioner in charge.
Mont. Co- 15 April 1867: District 8 , the central office remained in Wythville. CA Schaeffer remained in Christiansburg.
Virginia – March 1867 to May 1869: Orlando Bowen becomes Assistant Commissioner and Superintendent of Education.
National – 6 July 1968: The Bureau of Freedmen is extended for the last time.
National – 25 July 1868: Congress removes the Bureau’s Assistant Commissioners from the states, but claim agents remain in place.
Mont. Co. – Dec 1868: Freedmen’s Bureau closes its Christiansburg office. Schaeffer retained as Assistant Superintendent of Education.
Virginia – 1 Jan 1869: the 10 Virginia districts are reorganized into 8 Education Sub Districts and Assistant Superintendent of Schools are appointed.
Virginia – 1870: New constitution was ratified which included Public School Funding for all children as a requirement. By 1870 the legislation was set to allow this to happen, though the education would be segregated.
National- Summer 1870: Superintendents of Education removed and headquarters staff reduced.
National – 30 June 1872: The Freedmen’s Bureau was terminated by Congress.

Primary Source Series: Congress Investigates KKK 1872

In 1872, a 13-volume compilation of reports and testimonies, including those from previously enslaved individuals, documented a Congressional committee’s investigation into the Ku Klux Klan and other insurrectionary movements in the former Confederate states.

Report of the Joint Select Committee to Inquire into the Condition of Affairs in the Late Insurrectionary States by United States. Congress. Joint Select Committee on the Condition of Affairs in the Late Insurrectionary States

While Virginia is absent from this congressional report, the testimonies offer valuable insights into the beliefs, attitudes, misconceptions, and misdirections surrounding the mistreatment of newly freed people residing in the former Confederate states.

Graduation Series: Lucy Hairston Graduates from Nursing School (Lucy Maleta Hairston)

Montgomery News Messenger, 21 October 1965

“Lucy M. Hairston, daughter of Mr. And Mrs. John W. Hairston of Cambria, graduated March 5 from the Lucy Addison High School-Burrell Memorial Hospital School of Practical nursing.

Miss Hairston is a 1962 graduate of Christiansburg Institute. Mr. Hairston is an employer of N & W railroad, at Schaffer’s Crossing, Roanoke.

Miss Hairston is presently employed at Burrell Hospital”

Sick Benefits & Death Tax – Mutual Aid of the Independent Order of St Luke

In Blacksburg, Virginia, the Independent Order of St Luke shared the same building with the Grant United Order of Odd Fellows, Tadmore Light 6184, located in New Town. That order’s copy of the Constitution and By-laws may be lost to history, but the Queen of Sheba Council’s 1921 version is fortunately accessible. This document highlights the significance of mutual aid within the framework of the function of the Order of St Luke.

Independent Order of St. Luke. Queen of Sheba Council No. , Randall K. Burkett, Lucy Emanuel, and Amos M. Gailliard. Constitution And By-laws of Queen of Sheba Council No. 1307, I.O. of St. Luke, Organized January 28th, 1921, White Plains, N.Y. [White Plains, N.Y.]: [The Council], 1921.

Madame Maggie J. Walker’s Vision for the Independent Order of St Luke Reflected in the Constitution and By-laws

During the Jim Crow era, white-owned firms refused to grant disability and life insurance to the black community. In response, IOSL provided weekly sickness and disability benefits as well as funeral assistance for its members starting in 1895. Similar to contemporary insurance companies, it offered various premium options. Mrs. Walker’s effective leadership in membership drives bolstered the organization’s finances, enabling prompt payment of death claims and reduced premium costs.

Sick Benefit

Members who wished to receive financial support in the event of being sick or disabled, paid monthly dues into the Sick Benefit fund. The Sick Committee manages the implementation of this benefit. The member could receive no more than $35/year. That equates to about $t00 in current value.