Genealogy Gems in PULSE Magazine – A Washington DC Publication from the 1940s
I recently located a copy of PULSE Magazine. The front cover is torn off, so I was unsure of the date. The magazine contains articles about blacks in Washington, DC, during World War II and advertisements for black Washington, DC businesses.
The magazine contained a wealth of information that would be of value to people’s family history research. So, I reached out to some of the people on Ancestry.com who had the names of some of the people mentioned in the articles on their family tree and offered to share.
I decided to write a blog post to share information about the PULSE magazine and some of the articles this edition contains because it may also be valuable to others.
Pictures of various service members.
Out in Front – by Al Sweeney, Sports Editor, Washington Tribune
Article about William Mathis, Cardoza High School track star
Here are People You Know and Love – by Pearl Beldon Cox
Article about Dr. Joseph C. Brazier, Miss Cecilia Brazier, Dr. and Mrs. Charles Pinderhughes
A few other articles are:
Spotlight on the Case of Truman Gibson’s Report on the 92nd Division
by Ernest J Johnson, Chief Washington Bureau Associated Negro Press
Article about Truman K. Gibson, the civilian aide to the Secretary of War
Oil Tank Murder
by Bob Queen
Article about the unsolved murder of 26-year-old Mary I. Howard, whose body was discovered in a Standard Oil Company tank on the morning of October 20, 1941, at, Danville and Baylis Streets in the industrial area of South Baltimore.
I contacted the Library of Congress’s Newspapers & Current Periodicals department to learn more about the publication. Amber Paranick, Reference Librarian, responded with the following information:
We have access to a monthly periodical title called Pulse via a database called America’s Historical Newspapers. It looks like we may not have hard physical copies here at the Library of Congress unfortunately but according to the record, a microfilm edition was produced by the African-American Press Preservation Project at the Wisconsin State Historical Society. The record indicates holdings are available at the New York Public Library as well: https://www.nypl.org/research/research-catalog/bib/b14305928.
She also attached the cover and title pages from the April 1, 1944 edition and provided a description from the Sam Houston State University Library’s holdings record.
Uniform title: Pulse (Washington, D.C.)
Title:
Pulse.
Publication info:
[Washington, D.C., Pulse Pub. Company]
Current frequency:
Monthly
Volume/date range:
v. 1- Feb. 1943-
Volume/date range:
Ceased with v. 6, no. 6[sic] July 1948?
Subject term:
African Americans–Periodicals.
From these documents, I learned the PULSE Magazine was published monthly by PULSE PUBLISHING CO. located at 2627 Bowen Road SE, Washington, DC. The editors were James C. Mason and Helen S. Mason.
Finding My Shakespeare Roots
I am a Shakespeare descendant. No, not William Shakespeare, the great poet, and playwright, but Sancho Shakespeare of Spotsylvania County, Virginia. Sancho (aka Sanker) is my 3rd great-grandfather.
In this post, I will share the experience of researching an enslaved family by describing the steps I took to trace my Shakespeare ancestors. It is somewhat lengthy, but I hope it will give others some tips on finding their enslaved ancestors.
From my family history research, I knew my great-grandfather, Overton Woodfork/Woolfolk, was from Caroline County, Virginia, and his parents were William and Louisa Woolfolk. Family oral history stated Overton’s family was from Spotsylvania County, Virginia, and they were related to the Shakespeare family; however, how the two families were related was unknown.
It took me many years, but I eventually learned my paternal 2nd great-grandmother, Louisa was the link between the Shakespeare and Woodfork/Woolfolk families.
I began my Shakespeare family history journey by searching for Shakespeare’s in the Caroline County and Spotsylvania County, Virginia, census. I noticed there were a few of them in Caroline County. I found no information to connect the Shakespeares with my Woodfork ancestors, so I put the information aside.
Armed with the new information, I set out again to make a connection between my Woolfolks and the Shakespeares. I created a Shakespeare family tree using the information from the census and noticed all the Shakespeares were related and often lived near my Woolfolk ancestors.
Sometime later, I found a cousin related to Susan Woolfolk Waugh. Susan was the daughter of my 2nd great-grandparents William and Louisa Woolfolk and the sister of my great-grandfather, Overton. The cousin had the family Bible that initially belonged to Louisa Woolfolk and was willing to share the information recorded in the Bible. The Bible contained two entries for Shakespeare:
• Sancho Shakespeare (born 1799, died August 20, 1882)
• Lucinda Shakespeare (died Jan 1887).
I then checked the Freedman’s Bureau cohabitation records for Caroline County, where I located Sancho and his wife, Lucinda. The information in a cohabitation register is extremely valuable because it contains information on the husband, wife, and their children and the name and location of their last enslaver. Locating the last enslaver’s name is the key to researching the family history of enslaved African American ancestors.
If an enslaved man and woman wanted to marry, they had to ask their enslavers for permission. Even in cases where they were allowed to marry, the union was not considered legal or binding.
Shortly after the end of the Civil War, two February 27, 1866 acts of the Virginia General Assembly made provisions for the registration and legalization of slave marriages and the issuing of marriage licenses. The Freedmen’s Bureau began to register the names of freedmen who were “cohabiting together as man and wife” and issue marriage licenses. The official title of the register is Register of Colored Persons…cohabiting together as Husband and Wife on February 27 1866; however, they are frequently referred to as cohabitation registers.
Caroline County, Virginia, has two cohabitating registers:
- Register of Colored Persons of Caroline County, State of Virginia, Cohabiting Together as Husband and Wife on February 27 1866
- Register of Children of Colored Persons in Caroline County, State of Virginia, whose Parents ceased to cohabit on February 27 1866, which the father Recognizes to be His.
I was able to locate my Shakespeare ancestors in both cohabitation records. The husband and wife document contained an entry for Sancho Shakespeare (age 60) and his wife, Lucinda Jackson (age 63). They had begun cohabitating as husband and wife circa 1831. It also listed their children:
• Eliza (age 34)
• Richmond (age 32)
• Louisa (age 32)
• Nancy (age 30)
• Matilda (age 28)
• Beverly (age 26)
• John (age 24)
• Martha (age 19)
Mary Wigglesworth of Spotsylvania County, Virginia, was listed as the last slave owner for both Sancho and Lucinda.
The Register of Children contained an entry for Jno (John) Lewis (age 8).
• His mother was Matilda Shakespeare (age 26),
• His father was Edward Lewis.
• The last slave owner for Jno and Matilda was Jeff Flippo of Caroline County.
• Abt. Flippo of Caroline County was Edward’s last owner.
Enslaved people were considered property and were not listed in the census before 1870; therefore, it is necessary to search the enslaver’s family history to perform family history research for enslaved family members. Now that I had Sancho and Lucinda’s last enslaver’s name, I began researching Mary Wigglesworth’s family to obtain more information about my Shakespeare ancestors.
I learned that Mary Wigglesworth’s maiden name was Waller, and she was the wife of Elijah Wigglesworth. I was able to locate Elijah Wigglesworth in the 1830 Berkley Township of Spotsylvania County, Virginia, census. I also found M.D.M. (Mary) Wigglesworth and her children in the 1850 Berkley Township of Spotsylvania County, Virginia census.
Since Mary Wigglesworth was listed as the last enslaver of Sancho and Lucinda Shakespeare and was the head of household in the 1850 census, I suspected Elijah Wigglesworth had died between 1830 and 1850.
I traveled to the Spotsylvania Court House to learn more about Mary Wigglesworth and her family. I searched the microfilm index for Court Records to locate Elijah Wigglesworth’s will, which I hoped would contain a list of his property. The index included a document titled: Inventory and Appraisement of the Estate of Elijah Wiglesworth dec as exhibited to us by Mary D. Wiglesworth admintratix this 18th day of June 1842. I retrieved the microfilm for the document and reviewed the list of slaves.
I compared the inventory list with the Sancho and Lucinda Shakespeare entry in the cohabitation records. There was a match for Sancho (Sanker), Lucinda, and all of their children except the youngest three. After looking at the ages of the missing children, I realized they were born after 1842, which would account for them not being listed in Elijah Wigglesworth’s inventory list.
My next goal was to find a document showing Elijah’s estate distribution to determine what happened to my ancestors. I found a document titled Divisions of the Negroes and Money belonging in the Estate of Elijah Wiglesworth deed mad this _ day 1845 between the widow and children.
From this document, I learned that my Shakespeare ancestors were separated as follows:
o Sanker, Lucinda, and child John were allotted to Elijah’s wife, Mary Dm.M. Wigelsworth.
o Eliza was allotted to Elijah’s son, Andrew J. Wiglesworth
o Louisa was allotted to Elijah’s son Absolom W. Wigelsworth (aka AW Wigelsworth)
o Richmond, Nancy, and Matilda were allotted to Elijah’s daughter Alimra W. Wigleswoth.
I then began researching the family history of Elijah’s wife and children to determine what happened to my Shakespeare ancestors.
Since Andrew and Almira were under 21, they had to choose guardians to manage their affairs. I located their Guardian Bonds but did not find any other helpful information.
Almira (A.W.) Wigglesworth married Jefferson Flippo from Caroline County, Virginia, on January 25, 1854. Since women were not allowed to own property, Jefferson Flippo became the enslaver of Almira’s enslaved individual. I began tracing Jefferson Flippo’s family history to learn what happened to Richmond, Nancy, and Matilda.
The Caroline County, Virginia, birth records show
Matilda had three children during slavery:
• An unnamed girl was born January 5, 1861, and died March 8, 1861
• A son named George Flippo was born in 1862
• A son named Henry Flippo was born on Aug 1864.
Nancy had a daughter named Susan in April 1861.
Birth records did not record the father’s name for slave births; however, the records do list the slave owner. Jefferson Flippo was the slave owner for the births of Matilda and Nancy’s children.
I learned that Richmond, Nancy, and her daughter Susan escaped from their enslaver during the Civil War. However, I am not sure what became of them or if they ever reunited with their family after slavery. You can read about that in my Genealogy Gems in Confederate Citizens Files post.
After slavery, Matilda married Dingo Rollins on February 12, 1968. They are listed with their children in the 1870 and 1880 Caroline County census. Matilda died on June 27, 1882.
You can read more about my Shakespeare family research after slavery in my Protecting and Expanding Your Family Tree on Ancestry.com post.
I am still trying to locate information on my Shakespeare ancestors after the family was separated when Elijah Wigglesworth’s estate was settled.
I don’t know what happened to Eliza. Her enslaver, Andrew Wiglesworth moved to Tennessee, but I do not know if Eliza went with him.
John is listed in the 1870 census with Sancho and Lucinda, but the trail goes cold afterward.
I know what happened to Louisa and Martha after slavery, but there is a void between the 1840s when the Shakespeare family was separated and 1870 when they appear in the Caroline County, Virginia census.
I learned from my research that Louisa is the link between the Shakespeare and Woodfork/Woolfolk families. But I don’t know much about my Woolfolk ancestors during slavery.
An 1872 death record for William and Louisa’s infant daughter indicates the child was born and died at “North Point” Caroline County, Virginia. I have learned that North Point was a plantation in Page, Caroline County, owned by Stevens Farish and his descendants. Steven’s son, Charles T. Farish, owned the property from 1801 until he died in 1863 during the Civil War. Charles T. Farish’s 3rd wife was Rachel Keeling Rowe.
The 1870 census for the Madison Township of Caroline County, Virginia, shows William and Louisa living near the Central Point Post Office. Many of the Shakespeares are living nearby. In addition to William and Louisa, one other family with the Woolfolk surname living in the Madison Township of Caroline County in 1870: Peach (Pechegru) and Martha Woolfolk.
The Caroline County cohabitation records indicate Rachel Ferris was the last slaveowner of Peach (Pechegru) and Martha Woolfolk. Rachel’s last name may have been Farish (not Ferris). There are two women named Rachel Keeling Rowe who married into the Farish family, so this Rachel may not necessarily be Charles’ wife.
I have a theory that I am researching in hopes of determining what happened to Louisa during slavery. Since many enslaved people continued to live on their former enslaver’s property and work as sharecroppers shortly after the end of the Civil War, I have a theory that Charles T. Farish or Rachel Keeling Rowe may have been William and Louisa’s last enslaver.
I have located a copy of Charles T. Farish’s will. The will does not contain a list of slaves, but it does indicate “… the negroes which are now in possession of my son-in-law William T. Farish are given to him as his portion of my estate”. It also mentions a servant name Sam who is given to his grandchild Martha S. Farish.
The Inventory and Appraisement of the Estate of Charles T. Farish, dated November 13, 1863, contains a list of slaves which include the names Peachy and Martha. I believe this may be Peach (Pechegru) and Martha Woolfolk from the cohabitation records, but I am not positive. The list does not contain Louisa, her husband William, or any of their children that were alive during this time.
My Shakespeare research journey has spanned many years and is not complete. It has been a while since I’ve performed any family history research. I am sharing my story to demonstrate that while conducting family history research for enslaved individuals is arduous, it is not impossible. Information can be found with perseverance, determination, and luck.
The key is to find the last enslaver and research that family. Remember, enslaved individuals were considered property, so records about the enslaver’s property are a good resource.
Note:
I was featured in a Free Lance-Star news article, Heritage Center in City can unlock door to past, that discussed the Central Rappahannock Heritage Center and how they played a role in helping me locate my Shakespeare ancestors.
======
Sources:
Division of the Negroes and Money belonging to the Estate of Elijah Wiglesworth and Lot No 6. Drawn by Almira W. Wiglesworth. Will Book R, 1843-1846 Part 2 Page 271 Repository: Spotsylvania Court House, Spotsylvania, Virginia.
Genealogy Gems at the Charles Sumner School Museum & Archives – Part V
This is Part 5 of a 5 part series on using the collection at The Charles Sumner School Museum & Archives to perform genealogy research. This post discusses exhibits and portraits at the archives that can be beneficial to genealogy research. Unless otherwise noted, all photographs are Courtesy Sumner Museum.
- Part 1 of 5 – Introduction
- Part 2 of 5 – History of the Charles Sumner School Museum and Archives
- Part 3 of 5 – Documents in the Sumner Collection
- Part 4 of 5 – Vertical Files in the Sumner Collection
- Part 5 of 5 – Portraits and Exhibits in the Sumner Collection
Portraits and Exhibits in the Sumner Collection
All of the items discussed so far can be viewed in the research room. However, I encourage you not to limit your research to that one room. There are several floors in the museum that contain artifacts that may be helpful to your research.
Portraits
As you walk through the museum you will notice portraits everywhere. There are portraits of individuals who were affiliated with the school system. Some of the portraits have tags that contain biographical information. Portraits can be found for:
- Principals – Usually the portrait that hung in the school.
- Teachers
- School Board members
- School Namesakes
MFF Swartzell Eastern Principal 1900-1906
Exhibits
Many of the rooms contain exhibits for individuals who were affiliated with the school system. You may find an exhibit for one of your family members. Here are a few examples.
Alfred Sze was a student at Central High School. He later became China’s ambassador to the United States. His exhibit contains many artifacts from his time at Central High, as well as, before and after high school.
Antoinette J Lee wrote an article for the Washington History magazine titled Asian and Asian American Students in Washington, D.C. Public Schools during the Segregation Era. Alfred Sze is mentioned in the article. This article is very informative and is also a great example of the use of resources in the Sumner collection.
Alma Thomas was an artist and teacher at Shaw Junior High School. Her exhibit is filled with information and pictures about her, her parents, siblings and grandparents.
Genealogy Gems at the Charles Sumner School Museum and Archives – Related Post
Part 1 of 5 – Introduction
Part 2 of 5 – History of the Charles Sumner School Museum and Archives
Part 3 of 5 – Documents in the Sumner Collection
Part 4 of 5 – Vertical Files in the Sumner Collection
Part 5 of 5 – Portraits and Exhibits in the Sumner Collection
Genealogy Gems at the Charles Sumner School Museum & Archives – Part IV
This is Part 4 of a 5 part series on using the collection at The Charles Sumner School Museum & Archives to perform genealogy research. This post discusses vertical files in the Sumner collection that can be beneficial to genealogy research. Unless otherwise noted, all photographs are Courtesy Sumner Museum.
- Part 1 of 5 – Introduction
- Part 2 of 5 – History of the Charles Sumner School Museum and Archives
- Part 3 of 5 – Documents in the Sumner Collection
- Part 4 of 5 – Vertical Files in the Sumner Collection
- Part 5 of 5 – Portraits and Exhibits in the Sumner Collection
Vertical Files in the Sumner Collection
Vertical files contain a collection of papers, pamphlets, clippings, pictures or other materials on a specific subject. The Sumner collection has several types that are helpful to genealogy research:
- School Files contain information related to a specific school
- People Files contain information on an individual who was connected with the school system.
- Alumni Files contain information on individuals who attended a school. These files only exist for high schools.
- School Namesake Files contain information on person for whom a school was named
- Special Collections are created for individuals who were connected with the school system. They contain artifacts related to their tenure in the school system.
School Files
School files generally contain:
- Commencement Programs
- School Newspapers
- Class Pictures
- Photographs
- News articles about staff and pupils
- Programs for school plays and events
- Awards
People/Alumni/School Namesake Files
People, Alumni and Namesake files generally contain the the following :
| Obituary | News clippings |
| Funeral Programs | Photographs |
| Correspondence | Speeches |
| Biography | Oral History |
| Certificates | Diplomas |
| Ephemera | Publications |
You can find some very interesting items in these files. For example, one people file contained a script for a This is Your Life program that was part of an 85th birthday celebration. This script contained a wealth of genealogy information about not only the person but his family members as well.
Genealogy Gems at the Charles Sumner School Museum and Archives – Related Post
Part 1 of 5 – Introduction
Part 2 of 5 – History of the Charles Sumner School Museum and Archives
Part 3 of 5 – Documents in the Sumner Collection
Part 4 of 5 – Vertical Files in the Sumner Collection
Part 5 of 5 – Portraits and Exhibits in the Sumner Collection
Genealogy Gems at the Charles Sumner School Museum & Archives – Part III
This is Part 3 of a 5 part series on using the collection at The Charles Sumner School Museum & Archives to perform genealogy research. This post discusses documents in the Sumner collection that can be beneficial to genealogy research. Unless otherwise noted, all photographs are Courtesy Sumner Museum.
- Part 1 of 5 – Introduction
- Part 2 of 5 – History of the Charles Sumner School Museum and Archives
- Part 3 of 5 – Documents in the Sumner Collection
- Part 4 of 5 – Vertical Files in the Sumner Collection
- Part 5 of 5 – Portraits and Exhibits in the Sumner Collection
Documents in the Sumner Collection
The Sumner Museum contains material related to the history of public education in Washington, DC from 1804 (when the public education system started) to the present. It contains information of the school board, schools and teachers colleges.
It should be noted that the museum does not have every artifact for every school for every time period. It should also be noted that the museum does not have personnel records, students records or students transcripts.
Research Room
The museum has maps for various time periods that show the schools associated with each community. If you do not know which school the person you are researching attended, the museum staff can use the maps to assist you in determining the school the person may have attended.
The following documents in the Sumner collection are beneficial to genealogy research:
- School Board Records and Reports describe the activities of the school board, the schools and the people associated with them.
- Student Registrations provide information on students who entered or left the school system.
- Directory of Public Schools list all the schools in the school system and the employees.
- Yearbooks provide insight into the events for a specific school year.
- Scrapbooks – Contain ephemera and memorabilia for a school
- Graduation Lists document the names of individuals who graduated from each high school. The lists are only available for the 1970s through the 1990s.
I will discuss a few of the documents in greater detail.
School Board Records and Reports
Annual Reports
From 1874 to 1967, the District of Columbia was governed by a three-member Board of Commissioners appointed by the President of the United States. Each year the Board issued an annual report to Congress. The report was a multi-volume document comprised of reports from various DC government offices and departments. The school board was one of the departments that submitted a report.
You may find your family member mentioned in an annual report. Even if the person is not listed by name, you may find information such as the a job description or a description of the working conditions at a school that provide insight into their life.
School Board Minutes
School Board Minutes catalog actions of the school system and its employees. The minutes contain information on anyone who worked for the school system (not just teachers and principals).
The minutes also contain information on non-employees. For example, if a member of the community wrote a letter to the school board or gave a speech at a school board meeting, that person would be mentioned in the minutes.
School Board Minutes
The school board minutes are in bounded volumes. The artifacts that are mentioned in the minutes are on microfilm. For example, if the minutes mention a letter was received, the actual letter will be on microfilm.
Some of the information you may find in school board minutes that may be helpful to your research are:
- Hire/Transfer
- Promotion/Demotion
- Leave of Absence
- Termination/Retirement
- Name Change
- Illness
- Death
- Correspondence
The school board minute finding aids are index cards which are stored in a file cabinet in the research room. There is a card for each individual, organization or school discussed during the school board meeting. Each index card has a dated line item for each topic. The date can be used to locate the volume containing the school board minutes where the name was mentioned.
In this example, a name change for Mrs. Vivian F Colter, a teacher at Miner Teachers College, was approved on March, 3, 1948.
Finding aid for Mrs Vivian F Colter
The minutes for this meeting can be found by locating the volume that contains the minutes for March, 3, 1948. The index for the volume indicates the page containing information for this event.
From the school board minutes we now know Mrs. Vivian F Colter’s name was changed to Mrs. Vivian F McBrier.
Student Registrations
The Annual Register of Pupils contains information on students who enrolled in or left school . The documents are located on microfilm and are organized by school, grade and school year.
The register contains the following information:
- Date of Admission
- T (Transfer)
- Name of Pupil
- Name of Parent or Guardian
- Residence
- Occupation of Parent
- Date of Leaving
- Manner of leaving
- Re-entry
The register has very detailed instructions on how the document should be completed. I recommend you carefully read the instructions because it will help interpret the information on the document. Notes entered by the teacher may provide valuable genealogy clues.
This is an example of a page from the register for Hayes School for the 1901 – 1902 school year.
It may be hard to read, so I have listed the pertinent information:
- Name and Age: Frank Alsop (age 8)
- Name and Age: Ernest Alsop (age 10)
- Parent: Lawrence H. Alsop (Laborer)
- Residence: 1143 5th Street SE
The names are organized in alphabetical order by surname. When looking down the list, it is helpful to look for students with the same surname. In this example, Frank Alsop (age 8) and Ernest Alsop (age 10) have a parent name or guardian with the same name, and live at the same address. It is a good possibility that Frank and Ernest are siblings. Additional research will be needed to confirm this theory.
Directory of Public Schools
This directory lists the names and titles for all employees for each school. For the segregation time period, the book has separate sections for white schools and colored schools. The section for white schools is in the front followed by the section for colored schools. The schools are listed in alphabetical order within each section.
Yearbooks
Yearbooks are a great source for pictures. They also contain information that gives us a better understanding of the students and the time period in which they lived. They provide insight into the student’s thoughts and aspirations; the school environment and the school experience.
Many schools sell advertisements to help defer the cost of publishing the Yearbook. Most advertisements are from businesses. A few are from friends and family members.
For example, an advertisement reads:
Congratulations to our daughter
Tiffany R Jackson
Class of 1981
Mr and Ms Leroy Jackson
Another advertisement in the same yearbook reads:
Congratulations to my niece
Tiffany Renee Jackson
Class of 1981
Samantha Wilson
From this advertisement you now know:
- Student’s full name
- Appropriate age (based on graduating class)
- Father’s name
- Aunt’s name
Genealogy Gems at the Charles Sumner School Museum and Archives – Related Post
-
- Part 1 of 5 – Introduction
- Part 2 of 5 – History of the Charles Sumner School Museum and Archives
- Part 3 of 5 – Documents in the Sumner Collection
- Part 4 of 5 – Vertical Files in the Sumner Collection
- Part 5 of 5 – Portraits and Exhibits in the Sumner Collection
Genealogy Gems at the Charles Sumner School Museum & Archives – Part II
This is Part 2 of a 5 part series on using the collection at The Charles Sumner School Museum & Archives in Washington, DC to perform genealogy research. This post discusses the history of the school and how it came to be a museum and archives. Unless otherwise noted, all photographs are Courtesy Sumner Museum.
- Part 1 of 5 – Introduction
- Part 2 of 5 – History of the Charles Sumner School Museum and Archives
- Part 3 of 5 – Documents in the Sumner Collection
- Part 4 of 5 – Vertical Files in the Sumner Collection
- Part 5 of 5 – Portraits and Exhibits in the Sumner Collection
History of the Charles Sumner School Museum and Archives
The Charles Sumner School Museum and Archives is housed in the historic Sumner School. When the school was built in 1872 it was the first newly constructed school for Negro children in the city. It was designed by the architect Adolf Cluss. Cluss was born in Germany and immigrated to America as a young adult. He was highly respected in Washington DC and well-known for his schools and other public buildings.
Adolf Cluss [Public Domain] (left) and Charles Sumner (right)
The school was named for Charles Sumner, a US Senator from Massachusetts, who was a strong advocate for the abolition of slavery and equal rights. During segregation, the building also housed offices for the Superintendent for the Colored Public Schools and the Board of Trustees for the Colored Public Schools.
From 1872 through 1877 the building also housed The Preparatory High School for colored students. The school was established in November of 1870 in the basement of the Fifteenth Street Presbyterian Church. In 1877, the commencement program for the first graduating class was held in the assembly hall at Sumner School. Frederick Douglas was the guest speaker.
By the 1970’s, Sumner’s enrollment had diminished as a result of downtown commercial development. The school closed at the end of the 1972 school year. That summer the DC Board of Education agreed to let The Hawthorne School , a private secondary school , use the building rent free in exchange for maintaining the structure and admitting 41 public school students without charging tuition. The agreement was very controversial and was cancelled in 1978.
After 1978, the building remained vacate and fell into disrepair. Mayor Marion Barry placed the building on a list of properties to be sold. When the roof collapsed in 1979, the Department of General Services notified the school board that the building was unsafe and should be razed within 24 hours. The School Board went to court and received a restraining order to prevent demolition of the building until a structural engineer could be hired to evaluate the situation.
Many school board members felt the building should be preserved. Richard L. Hurlbut, a School Board employee and historian, along with others led an effort to preserve and renovate the school. One story that is often told is of how Hurlbut threaten to stand on the roof to prevent the school from being demolished. The school was placed on a historic register. A $5 million renovation was undertaken from 1982 to 1986. In 1986 the building was charted as the Charles Sumner School Museum and Archives. Richard L Hulburt was the director and curator.
Nancye Suggs joined the Sumner Museum as the building administrator in 1987. She replaced Hulburt when he retired. She is credited with expanding the reading room and the collection, as well as, advocating for the archive’s importance.
Nancye Suggs ~ Copyright Darrow Montgomery/Washington City Paper
Suggs retired in 2008 and was replaced by Kimberly Springle. Springle has implemented many events and exhibits to allow the community to engage with the Sumner collection.
Kimberly Springle, Executive Director
The Hurlbut-Walker Memorial Research Forum highlights the work developed by public researchers who have accessed the Sumner collection.
The objectives of the forum are to:
- Honor the Life, Memory, and Contributions of Richard L. Hurlbut and James D. Walker
- Introduce and Engage the public with the Sumner Museum Archival Collection
- Promote the work and valued research of individuals who have used the Sumner Archives as one of their major resources for a finished work; i.e. book, dissertation, film, community project
- Facilitate lively discussion about the culture, history, and legacy of DC Public Education.
DCPS Pride Open House celebrates the history and pride of the DC Public School System. This event occurs one Saturday a month and highlights some aspect of the DCPS. All Museum exhibits are open for self-guided tours as well.
Group tours and interactive workshops are available for those interested in learning more about the museum and the DC Public School System. Lunchtime speakers allow researchers to share their projects.
The Friends of Sumner School Museum and Archives, a 501(c) (3) Organization, was launched in 2017 to support the mission and initiatives of the Sumner Museum.
In this video Dr. Sandra Jowers-Barber, Director for the Humanities at the University of the District of Columbia Community College interviews Kimberly Springle, Executive Director of the Sumner Museum. It provides an excellent summary of the history of the Sumner Museum and its collection.
Dr. Sandra Jowers-Barber (left) and Kimberly Springle (right)
Genealogy Gems at the Charles Sumner School Museum and Archives – Related Post
-
- Part 1 of 5 – Introduction
- Part 2 of 5 – History of the Charles Sumner School Museum and Archives
- Part 3 of 5 – Documents in the Sumner Collection
- Part 4 of 5 – Vertical Files in the Sumner Collection
- Part 5 of 5 – Portraits and Exhibits in the Sumner Collection
Genealogy Gems at the Charles Sumner School Museum & Archives
This is Part 1 of a 5 part series on using the collection at The Charles Sumner School Museum & Archives in Washington, DC to perform genealogy research. Unless otherwise noted, all photographs are Courtesy Sumner Museum.
- Part 1 of 5 – Introduction
- Part 2 of 5 – History of the Charles Sumner School Museum and Archives
- Part 3 of 5 – Documents in the Sumner Collection
- Part 4 of 5 – Vertical Files in the Sumner Collection
- Part 5 of 5 – Portraits and Exhibits in the Sumner Collection
I recently spoke at the 44th Annual Conference on DC History. I was a member of a panel that discussed Hidden Histories of the District Government. Kimberly Springle, the Executive Director of the Charles Sumner School Museum and Archives, was speaking at another conference and asked me to represent the Sumner Museum on the Hidden Histories panel.
The Charles Sumner School Museum and Archives is the official museum and archives of the District of Columbia Public School System. It is often referred to as the “Sumner Museum“ or the “Sumner Archives” . The purpose of my presentation was to demonstrate how to use the museum’s collection for genealogy research.
I decided to share the information from my presentation in a blog series. If you have ancestors who lived in Washington DC there is a good chance they were affiliated with the DC public school system in some capacity. They may have been a student, an employee or a member of the community that had a connection to the school.
Some children who lived in the nearby suburbs also attended DC public schools. I met a lady who lived in Silver Spring, Maryland as a child. During that time period, the school system was segregated and there was no school for black students near her home. Even though she lived in Maryland, she attended the Military Road School in Washington, DC.
Be sure to subscribe to my blog so that you will be notified of the next post in this series. There is a good chance you may find some genealogy gems at The Charles Sumner School Museum and Archives.
Genealogy Gems at the Charles Sumner School Museum and Archives – Related Post
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- Part 1 of 5 – Introduction
- Part 2 of 5 – History of the Charles Sumner School Museum and Archives
- Part 3 of 5 – Documents in the Sumner Collection
- Part 4 of 5 – Vertical Files in the Sumner Collection
- Part 5 of 5 – Portraits and Exhibits in the Sumner Collection
Family History Research and DNA Testing – Another Perspective
During a meeting with my genealogy group, several members where excitedly sharing their stories of locating new family members through DNA testing. One lady shared that a person who was a DNA match seemed reluctant to acknowledge the family relationship. As I listened to her discuss the situation, I was reminded that while finding new relatives through DNA testing can be exciting for some people, it may be a painful experience for others. This blog post provides another perspective on family history research and DNA testing.
It is important to remember when researching your family history that everyone’s birth was not the result of a loving relationship between a married couple. It could have been the result of a rape by a known person or by a stranger. It could have been the result of incest. It could have been the result of a clandestine affair. It could have been the result of a one night stand. It could have been the result of a relationship that did not work out. Some people were adopted but never told.
In the above scenarios, people handled the situation the best way they knew how at the time. In many cases the truth was hidden and never acknowledged. Or if it was acknowledged, it was in hushed tones and covered in shame and embarrassment. In many cases family members took the truth to their grave.
The popularity of DNA testing is bringing many of these situations to light. The testing may expose a family secret that was not known, or if it was known, never acknowledged. It is important to keep this in mind when approaching someone who is a DNA match. If the person is reluctant to acknowledge the relationship, it is best to be understanding and compassionate. It may be a good idea to just share your contact information and give the person some time to process what they have learned. Perhaps they will be more cooperative once they have had time to think about the information you shared.
Also, people do DNA testing for different reasons. Some people take the test because they want to know more about their ethnic composition. Others take the test because they want to locate new relatives. Some people take the test for both reasons. Therefore, if you contact someone who only took the test to discover their ethnic composition, they may be reluctant to discuss their family history with you. After all, even though you have a DNA connection you are still strangers.
It would be nice if everyone had a clear cut understanding of their pedigree, but unfortunately in the real world that is not always the case. It is important to remember that while DNA testing can open the door to a wealth of information about your family history, it can also open Pandora ’s Box and everyone may not prepared to deal with the discoveries that were made.
Armstrong High School Class of 1918
I recently came across some memorabilia for Armstrong High School in Washington, DC Class of 1918 and thought I would share.
Armstrong Technical High School ~ Washington DC ~ Class of 1918
Graduation Invitation (click image to view)
1945 Annual Banquet Program (click image to view)
Mt Carmel Baptist Church Youth Organizations
Churches established clubs and organizations to provide constructive guidance for youth in the community. In the 1950’s Mt Carmel Baptist Church, located and 3rd and I Street NW, had a Boy Scout Troop (Troop 511) and a Drill Squad. I came across some pictures of these organizations while looking at a family photo album and thought I would share this bit of Washington, DC local history.
Boy Scout Troop 511
Seated Den Mother’s: (l-r) Mrs. Grady, Mrs.Bobo, Mrs Woodfork and Mrs Flowe. Standing 1st person on the left Reverend Carey Pointer. 1st person on the right Charles Brooks Scout Master.
Troop 511 on annual Spring Camporee 1951 at Old Soldiers Home
Boys Scout Troop 511 Annual Spring Camporee 1951 – Caption
Drill Squad
Mt Carmel Baptist Church Drill Squad Roster January 23, 1953
Boys of the Mt Carmel Baptist Church Drill Team circa 1952
Mt Carmel Baptist Church Drill Team circa 1952
Geneabloggers
Discovering Yesterday 