NMAAHC Collections Search

Emmett W. Bassett, Ph. D. and Priscilla Tietjen Bassett Oral History Interview

Created by: Civil Rights History Project, American, founded 2009
Interview of: Bassett, Emmett W. Ph. D., American, 1921 - 2013; Tietjen Bassett, Priscilla, American, born 1928
Interviewed by: Mosnier, Joseph Ph. D.
Subject of: Smith College, American, founded 1871; Tuskegee Institute, American, founded 1881; Carver, George Washington, American, 1860s - 1943; Till, Emmett, American, 1941 - 1955; Till-Mobley, Mamie, American, 1921 - 2003; March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, American, founded 1963

Medium: digital
Dimensions: Duration: 02:10:53

Type: video recordings; oral histories

Place collected: Grahamsville, Sullivan County, New York, United States, North and Central America
Place depicted: Plainfield, Union County, New Jersey, United States, North and Central America; Henry County, Virginia, United States, North and Central America; New York, United States, North and Central America; Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America; Massachusetts, United States, North and Central America

Date: July 21, 2011

Description: The oral history consists of ten digital files: 2011.174.38.1a, 2011.174.38.1b, 2011.174.38.1c, 2011.174.38.1d, 2011.174.38.1e, 2011.174.38.1f, 2011.174.38.1g, 2011.174.38.1h, 2011.174.38.1i, and 2011.174.38.1j.; Priscilla Tietjen Bassett recalls growing up in Plainfield, New Jersey, and attending Smith College, and Emmett W. Bassett, Ph. D. remembers growing up in Henry County, Virginia, serving in World War II, and attending Tuskegee Institute, where he assisted George Washington Carver with research. They tell how they met at a protest of a segregated restaurant in Massachusetts, raising money for Emmett Till's mother, their involvement in many civil rights groups in New York, and attending the March on Washington. They also discuss Dr. Bassett’s career as a professor of dairy science, Mrs. Bassett's career as a librarian, and their struggles as an interracial married couple.; LOC ID: afc2010039_crhp0038

Topic: African American; Activism; Agriculture; American South; Civil Rights; Domestic life; Education; Families; Labor; Race relations; Science; Segregation; Social reform; United States--History--1953-1961; World War II

Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in partnership with the American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Object number: 2011.174.38.1a-j

Restrictions & Rights: © Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture and The American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

See more items in: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Collection title: Civil Rights History Project
Classification: Media Arts-Film and Video

Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Shirley Miller Sherrod Oral History Interview

Created by: Civil Rights History Project, American, founded 2009
Interview of: Sherrod, Shirley Miller, American, born 1948
Interviewed by: Mosnier, Joseph Ph. D.
Subject of: Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, American, 1960 - 1970s; United States Department of Justice, American, founded 1870; Rev. Sherrod, Charles Melvin, American, born 1937; New Communities, American, founded 1969; Federation of Southern Cooperatives, American

Medium: digital
Dimensions: Duration: 01:43:44

Type: video recordings; oral histories

Place collected: Albany, Dougherty County, Georgia, United States, North and Central America
Place depicted: Baker County, Georgia, United States, North and Central America; Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America

Date: September 15, 2011

Description: The oral history consists of twelve digital files: 2011.174.50.1a, 2011.174.50.1b, 2011.174.50.1c, 2011.174.50.1d, 2011.174.50.1e, 2011.174.50.1f, 2011.174.50.1g, 2011.174.50.1h, 2011.174.50.1i, 2011.174.50.1j, and 2011.174.50.1k, 2011.174.50.1l.; Shirley Sherrod recalls growing up on a farm in Baker County, Georgia, her father's murder, and joining the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). She remembers traveling to Washington, D. C., to protest the Justice Department, and the attacks on her husband, the Reverend Charles Sherrod, a civil rights leader in Albany, Georgia. She also discusses starting the New Communities Land Trust and working for the Federation of Southern Cooperatives and other organizations to help African American farmers.; LOC ID: afc2010039_crhp0050

Topic: African American; Activism; Agriculture; American South; Associations and institutions; Civil Rights; Humanitarianism; Labor; Law; Local and regional; Social reform; United States--History--1961-1969; Violence

Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in partnership with the American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Object number: 2011.174.50.1a-l

Restrictions & Rights: © Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture and The American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

See more items in: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Collection title: Civil Rights History Project
Classification: Media Arts-Film and Video

Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Carrie M. Young Oral History Interview

Created by: Civil Rights History Project, American, founded 2009
Interview of: Young, Carrie M., American, born 1948
Interviewed by: Mosnier, Joseph Ph. D.
Subject of: Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, American, 1960 - 1970s; Gonza Glascoe, Myrtle, American, born 1936; Hansen, Bill, American, born 1939; Himmelbaum, Howard, American; Black United Youth, American

Medium: digital
Dimensions: Duration: 02:05:25

Type: video recordings; oral histories

Place collected: Little Rock, Pulaski County, Arkansas, United States, North and Central America
Place depicted: West Helena, Phillips County, Arkansas, United States, North and Central America

Date: September 26, 2011

Description: The oral history consists of nine digital files: 2011.174.56.1a, 2011.174.56.1b, 2011.174.56.1c, 2011.174.56.1d, 2011.174.56.1e, 2011.174.56.1f, 2011.174.56.1g, 2011.174.56.1h, and 2011.174.56.1i.; Carrie Young recalls growing up in on a farm, moving to West Helena, Arkansas, with her family, and meeting civil rights organizers from the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), including Myrtle Glascoe, Bill Hansen, and Howard Himmelbaum. She remembers registering voters, gathering signatures to overturn a poll tax, and protesting at the Arkansas state capitol. She discusses her marriage to Howard Himmelbaum, suing her employer for discrimination, and working with the group Black United Youth in Little Rock, Arkansas.; LOC ID: afc2010039_crhp0056

Topic: African American; Activism; Agriculture; American South; Associations and institutions; Civil Rights; Justice; Labor; Politics (Practical); Race discrimination; Social reform; Suffrage; United States--History--1961-1969; Youth

Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in partnership with the American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Object number: 2011.174.56.1a-i

Restrictions & Rights: © Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture and The American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

See more items in: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Collection title: Civil Rights History Project
Classification: Media Arts-Film and Video

Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sam Young, Jr. Oral History Interview

Created by: Civil Rights History Project, American, founded 2009
Interview of: Young, Sam Jr., American, born 1950
Interviewed by: Griffin, Willie James Ph. D., American, born 1974
Subject of: Southwest Georgia Project for For Community Education, Inc., American

Medium: digital
Dimensions: Duration: 00:42:04

Type: video recordings; oral histories

Place collected: Albany, Dougherty County, Georgia, United States, North and Central America
Place depicted: Worth County, Georgia, United States, North and Central America

Date: March 9, 2013

Description: The oral history consists of two digital files: 2011.174.66.1a and 2011.174.66.1b.; Samuel J. Young, Jr., describes his childhood in Worth County, Georgia, during the 1950s. He recalls the racial violence that he witnessed and heard stories about as a child. After graduating high school he joined the Southwest Georgia Project. He helped to start a newspaper for the project and was also involved in the group's initiative to develop a self-sufficient farm to counteract discrimination against black farmers.; LOC ID: afc2010039_crhp0066

Topic: African American; Agriculture; American South; Civil Rights; Education; Labor; Mass media; Social reform; United States--History--1953-1961; Violence

Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in partnership with the American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Object number: 2011.174.66.1ab

Restrictions & Rights: © Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture and The American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

See more items in: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Collection title: Civil Rights History Project
Classification: Media Arts-Film and Video

Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Walter Bruce Oral History Interview

Created by: Civil Rights History Project, American, founded 2009
Interview of: Bruce, Walter, American, 1928 - 2014
Interviewed by: Dittmer, John Ph. D., American, born 1939
Subject of: Mississippi Freedom Summer Project, American, founded 1964; Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, American, founded 1964

Medium: digital
Dimensions: Duration: 01:24:55

Type: video recordings; oral histories

Place collected: Durant, Holmes County, Mississippi, United States, North and Central America

Date: March 11, 2013

Description: The oral history consists of nine digital files: 2011.174.71.1a, 2011.174.71.1b, 2011.174.71.1c, 2011.174.71.1d, 2011.174.71.1e, 2011.174.71.1f, 2011.174.71.1g, 2011.174.71.1h, and 2011.174.71.1i.; Walter Bruce shares memories of his childhood in Durant, Mississippi, where his family sharecropped. As a young man he became a carpenter and also a gospel singer. He describes his early involvement in the Civil Rights Movement, including his participation in Mississippi Freedom Summer. Bruce was involved in community and political organizing throughout the 1960s, from helping to start health clinics and participating in the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party to his involvement in sit-ins and marches. Bruce also discusses the process of choosing and running black candidates for political office in the 1960s.; LOC ID: afc2010039_crhp0071

Topic: African American; Activism; Agriculture; American South; Associations and institutions; Civil Rights; Gospel (Music); Labor; Medicine; Politics (Practical); Resistance; Singers (Musicians); Social reform; United States--History--1961-1969

Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in partnership with the American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Object number: 2011.174.71.1a-i

Restrictions & Rights: © Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture and The American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

See more items in: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Collection title: Civil Rights History Project
Classification: Media Arts-Film and Video

Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

The Honorable Robert G. Clark, Jr. Oral History Interview

Created by: Civil Rights History Project, American, founded 2009
Interview of: Honorable Clark, Robert G. Jr., American, born 1928
Interviewed by: Dittmer, John Ph. D., American, born 1939
Subject of: Mississippi Legislature, American, founded 1817

Medium: digital
Dimensions: Duration: 01:58:24

Type: video recordings; oral histories

Place collected: Pickens, Holmes County, Mississippi, United States, North and Central America

Date: March 13, 2013

Description: The oral history consists of eight digital files: 2011.174.75.1a, 2011.174.75.1b, 2011.174.75.1c, 2011.174.75.1d, 2011.174.75.1e, 2011.174.75.1f, 2011.174.75.1g, and 2011.174.75.1h.; The Honorable Robert G. Clark, Jr., describes the early life experiences that led up to his successful campaign for political office in the Mississippi Legislature, where he became the first African American elected since Reconstruction. He discusses his childhood in Pickens, Mississippi, and he describes the family farm that he now owns, his relationship to his family, and the expectations that they had of him to receive an education. Clark discusses his career as an educator, and he describes how the Civil Rights Movement influenced him. After a failed campaign for school superintendent, he volunteered to run for state office. Clark describes his experiences in the Mississippi Legislature, focusing on how he helped to pass the Education Reform Act.; LOC ID: afc2010039_crhp0075

Topic: African American; Activism; Agriculture; American South; Civil Rights; Education; Politics (Practical); Social reform; United States--History--1961-1969

Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in partnership with the American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Object number: 2011.174.75.1a-h

Restrictions & Rights: © Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture and The American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

See more items in: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Collection title: Civil Rights History Project
Classification: Media Arts-Film and Video

Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Linda Fuller Degelmann Oral History Interview

Created by: Civil Rights History Project, American, founded 2009
Interview of: Fuller Degelmann, Linda, American
Interviewed by: Dr. Crosby, Emilye Ph. D., American
Subject of: Koinonia Farm, American, founded 1942; Fuller, Millard Dean, American, 1935 - 2009; Habitat for Humanity, American, founded 1976; Freedom Riders, American, founded 1961

Medium: digital
Dimensions: Duration: 02:07:51

Type: video recordings; oral histories

Place collected: Americus, Sumter County, Georgia, United States, North and Central America
Place depicted: Birmingham, Jefferson County, Alabama, United States, North and Central America

Date: May 28, 2013

Description: The oral history consists of six digital files: 2011.174.89.1a, 2011.174.89.1b, 2011.174.89.1c, 2011.174.89.1d, 2011.174.89.1e, and 2011.174.89.1f.; Linda Fuller Degelmann discusses her experiences at Koinonia Farm in Americus, Georgia. She and her former husband, Millard Fuller were inspired to start Habitat for Humanity. She describes her childhood in Birmingham, Alabama, and her memories of racial segregation from childhood through young adulthood when she became aware of the Freedom Rides and the Civil Rights Movement. She and Millard decided to move to Koinonia Farm in 1968, where they worked on cooperative industries, helped to establish a child development center, and built homes, which provided the seeds for Habitat for Humanity. She goes on to describe the growth of Habitat for Humanity in the United States and internationally, and she explains the religious principles of the organization as well as linking it to the Civil Rights Movement.; LOC ID: afc2010039_crhp0089

Topic: African American; Activism; Agriculture; American South; Associations and institutions; Children; Civil Rights; Humanitarianism; Labor; Religion; Social reform; United States--History--1961-1969

Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in partnership with the American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Object number: 2011.174.89.1a-f

Restrictions & Rights: © Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture and The American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

See more items in: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Collection title: Civil Rights History Project
Classification: Media Arts-Film and Video

Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Luis Zapata Oral History Interview

Created by: Civil Rights History Project, American, founded 2009
Interview of: Zapata, Luis, 1944 - 2015
Interviewed by: Dr. Crosby, Emilye Ph. D., American
Subject of: San José State University, American, founded 1857; United Farm Workers of America, American, founded 1962; Mississippi Freedom Labor Union, American, founded 1965; Council of Federated Organizations, founded 1962; Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, American, 1960 - 1970s; Espy, Alphonso Michael "Mike", American, born 1953

Medium: digital
Dimensions: Duration: 02:02:01

Type: video recordings; oral histories

Place collected: Silver Spring, Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, North and Central America
Place depicted: Orange County, California, United States, North and Central America; San Jose, Santa Clara County, California, United States, North and Central America; Cleveland, Bolivar County, Mississippi, United States, North and Central America

Date: June 27, 2013

Description: The oral history consists of six digital files: 2011.174.95.1a, 2011.174.95.1b, 2011.174.95.1c, 2011.174.95.1d, 2011.174.95.1e, and 2011.174.95.1f.; Luis Zapata describes his childhood in Orange County, California, and how he came to join the labor movement as a college student at San Jose State University. He discusses the organizing work he did with the United Farm Workers and how he ended up moving to Cleveland, Mississippi, for four years where he organized for the Mississippi Freedom Labor Union and helped to register voters with the Council of Federated Organizations (COFO) and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). Zapata also discusses his later involvement in the congressional campaign of Mike Espy as well as his participation in international movements for human rights.; LOC ID: afc2010039_crhp0095

Topic: African American; Activism; Agriculture; American South; American West; Associations and institutions; Civil Rights; Education; Humanitarianism; Labor; Social reform; United States--History--1961-1969

Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in partnership with the American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Object number: 2011.174.95.1a-f

Restrictions & Rights: © Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture and The American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

See more items in: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Collection title: Civil Rights History Project
Classification: Media Arts-Film and Video

Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Wax figurine of a vegetable vendor

Created by: Rosado, Lucy Alfonso Alfaro, American, 1894 - 1978

Medium: glass, metal, wood, cloth, wax and plastic
Dimensions: H x W x D (2007.7.447a): 8 3/8 × 4 15/16 × 4 15/16 in. (21.3 × 12.5 × 12.5 cm); H x W x D (2007.7.447b): 1 3/8 × 5 3/4 × 5 3/4 in. (3.5 × 14.6 × 14.6 cm); H x W x D (2007.7.447c): 7 1/4 × 3 × 3 in. (18.4 × 7.6 × 7.6 cm); H x W x D (2007.7.447d): 2 1/4 × 3 × 2 1/4 in. (5.7 × 7.6 × 5.7 cm)

Type: figurines

Place made: New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, North and Central America

Date: 1935-1940

Description: A wax figurine of a vegetable vendor with a basket of produce.; 2007.7.447a:; A clear, glass display dome. The glass is one-sixteenth of an inch (1/16") thick.; 2007.7.447b:; A black plinth for the figurine and produce basket. The plinth is round and has two (2) round tiers atop three (3) rectangular feet.; 2007.7.447c:; A figurine of a vegetable vendor standing on a square, dark brown wood block. The man is wearing a yellow hat, yellow patterned fabric shirt, and blue and off-white striped fabric pants. His feet are black. A red and white striped kerchief is tied around his neck. The figure is standing with his proper right arm reaching forward. There is hardened wax on the top surface of the wood block around the figure's feet and in a circle in front of him.; 2007.7.447d:; A plastic miniature of a basket filled with produce. The basket is yellow plastic, with a woven design around the sides. The basket is filled with produce. Identifiable produce includes a head of cabbage and an eggplant. On each side of the cabbage head are three (3) yellow tubular vegetables and three (3) red tubular vegetables. A yellow gourd-like item sits in front of the cabbage, next to the eggplant. Another loose eggplant is included with the basket.

Topic: African American; Agriculture; Caricature and cartoons; Craftsmanship; Foodways; Stereotypes

Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Collection of James M. Caselli and Jonathan Mark Scharer

Object number: 2007.7.447a-d

Restrictions & Rights: No Known Copyright Restrictions

See more items in: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Collection title: Collection of James M. Caselli and Jonathan Mark Scharer
Classification: Decorative Arts, Craft, and Design
Exhibition: Defending Freedom, Defining Freedom: The Era of Segregation, 1876-1968
On View: NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Concourse 2, C 2053

Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Carte-de-visite of women and children in a cotton field

Photograph by: Aylsworth, J. H., American
Subject of: Unidentified Woman or Women; Unidentified Child or Children

Medium: albumen and silver nitrate on photographic paper
Dimensions: H x W: 2 1/2 x 3 3/4 in. (6.4 x 9.5 cm)

Type: cartes-de-visite; albumen prints; portraits

Date: 1860s

Description: In this photograph, very young children stand alongside adults in the cotton field. The women wear dresses, and one young boy can be seen holding a hat.

Topic: African American; Agriculture; Photography; Slavery

Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

Object number: 2008.9.26

Restrictions & Rights: Public domain

See more items in: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification: Slavery and Freedom Objects; Media Arts-Photography

Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sharecropper's agreement between Daniel Weaver and James Crow

Created by: Unidentified
Subject of: Weaver, Daniel; Crow, James, American, born 1847

Medium: ink on paper
Dimensions: H x W: 12 5/16 x 7 13/16 in. (31.3 x 19.8 cm)

Type: contracts

Place made: Lumpkin County, Georgia, United States, North and Central America

Date: March 11, 1867

Description: A one page document, legal-size, handwritten in black ink on lined paper.

Topic: African American; Agriculture; Emancipation; Labor; Reconstruction (United States History, 1865-1877)

Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

Object number: 2009.14.6

Restrictions & Rights: Public Domain

See more items in: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification: Slavery and Freedom Objects; Documents and Published Materials-Business and Legal Documents

Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

The Boss

Created by: Polk, P. H., American, 1898 - 1984
Subject of: Unidentified Woman or Women

Medium: silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
Dimensions: H x W: 10 x 8 in. (25.4 x 20.3 cm)

Type: gelatin silver prints; portraits

Place captured: Tuskegee, Macon County, Alabama, United States, North and Central America

Date: 1932

Description: Silver gelatin photograh featuring an image of African American woman wearing headscarf with her hands placed on her hips.

Topic: African American; Agriculture; Photography; Women

Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Delano A. Willis

Object number: 2009.30.1

Restrictions & Rights: © Tuskegee University Archives

See more items in: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification: Media Arts-Photography

Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Georgia • USA

Created by: Freed, Leonard, American, 1929 - 2006
Subject of: Unidentified Child or Children; Unidentified Man or Men; Unidentified Woman or Women

Medium: silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
Dimensions: H x W: 10 1/4 x 15 1/4 in. (26 x 38.7 cm)

Type: gelatin silver prints

Place depicted: Georgia, United States, North and Central America

Date: 1964

Description: A photograph depicting a man, woman, and child picking cotton in a field.

Topic: African American; Agriculture; Labor; Photography

Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Brigitte Freed in memory of Leonard Freed

Object number: 2009.36.2

Restrictions & Rights: © Leonard Freed/Magnum

See more items in: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification: Media Arts-Photography

Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

KNOLLWOOD GROVES INC. LAKE WORTH, FLORIDA

Created by: L. L. Cook Company, American, 1921 - 1980
Subject of: Unidentified Man or Men

Medium: ink on paper (fiber product)
Dimensions: H x W: 3 1/2 x 5 1/2 in. (8.9 x 14 cm)

Type: photographic postcards

Place depicted: Lake Worth, Palm Beach County, Florida, United States, North and Central America

Date: 1930s

Description: A black-and-white photographic postcard of a tractor hauling boxes of produce in Lake Worth, Florida. A man sits at the wheel of a tractor hauling a flat-bed wagon loaded with wooden crates of oranges. The wagon is backed up to a wide opening in a low, light-colored building. At the building opening, two men stand on either side of the wagon, to load or unload the crates. Another man stands in the background to the right of frame. Behind the building, the tops of palm trees are visible. Handwritten white text at the bottom reads [KNOLLWOOD GROVES INC. LAKE WORTH, FLORIDA]. On the back of the postcard is the printer's mark and an EKC stamp mark. The postcard has not been used and there are no inscriptions.

Topic: African American; Agriculture; Labor; Photography

Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

Object number: 2010.36.7.4

Restrictions & Rights: Unknown - Restrictions Possible

See more items in: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification: Media Arts-Photography

Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Bill of sale for a 42-year-old man named Isaac to John Rouzee

Owned by: Rouzee Family, American

Medium: ink on paper
Dimensions: L x W: 7 1/2 x 7 3/8 in. (19.1 x 18.7 cm)

Type: financial records; bills of sale

Place made: Essex County, Virginia, United States, North and Central America

Date: October 24, 1810

Caption: This document is from a collection of financial papers related to the plantation operations of several generations of the Rouzee Family in Essex County, Virginia. The papers date from the 1790s through 1860.
Description: A bill of sale for a 42-year-old "negro man named Isaac." Isaac was sold by William A. Lane to John Rouzee. The signature of Lane appears in the bottom right corner next to the word "seal," which is circled in ink. The signature of a witness, Daniel Branin, appears in the lower left corner. On the reverse is written, "Bill of Sale for negro Isack." The document is handwritten in black ink.
Transcription Center Status: Transcribed by digital volunteers

Topic: African American; Agriculture; Business; Domestic slave trade; Finance; Men

Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Liljenquist Family

Object number: 2011.104.1

Restrictions & Rights: Public domain

See more items in: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Collection title: Liljenquist Family Collection
Portfolio/Series: Rouzee Family Papers
Classification: Slavery and Freedom Objects; Documents and Published Materials-Business and Legal Documents

Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Payment receipt to Rosa Gray for the hire of an enslaved man, Cook

Owned by: Rouzee Family, American

Medium: ink on paper
Dimensions: L x W: 4 3/4 x 8 1/4 in. (12.1 x 21 cm)

Type: financial records; receipts

Place made: Essex County, Virginia, United States, North and Central America

Date: January 28, 1813

Caption: This document is from a collection of financial papers related to the plantation operations of several generations of the Rouzee Family in Essex County, Virginia. The papers date from the 1790s through 1860.
Description: A receipt for payment by Edward Rouzee to Rosa Gray for "hire of negro man Cook the property of Gray in year 1811." The receipt is signed in the bottom right corner by William Noel for Rosa Gray. The document is handwritten in black ink. The paper is torn unevenly at the bottom.
Transcription Center Status: Transcribed by digital volunteers

Topic: African American; Agriculture; Business; Finance; Slave hire system; Slavery

Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Liljenquist Family

Object number: 2011.104.10

Restrictions & Rights: Public domain

See more items in: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Collection title: Liljenquist Family Collection
Portfolio/Series: Rouzee Family Papers
Classification: Slavery and Freedom Objects; Documents and Published Materials-Business and Legal Documents

Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Memorandum of enslaved men and women hired or not hired for 1794

Owned by: Rouzee Family, American

Medium: ink on paper
Dimensions: L x W: 8 5/8 x 4 1/2 in. (21.9 x 11.4 cm)

Type: financial records

Place made: Essex County, Virginia, United States, North and Central America

Date: 1794

Caption: This document is from a collection of financial papers related to the plantation operations of several generations of the Rouzee Family in Essex County, Virginia. The papers date from the 1790s through 1860.
Description: A document titled at the top "Memorandum." Written in a vertical column, the document lists names and monetary values. Some names have the notation "not Hired." On the reverse is written "Memorandum Negro hires 1794] in the center and "Bond for the year 1794" along the lower left side. The document is handwritten in black ink.
Transcription Center Status: Transcribed by digital volunteers

Topic: African American; Agriculture; Business; Finance; Slave hire system; Slavery

Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Liljenquist Family

Object number: 2011.104.11

Restrictions & Rights: Public domain

See more items in: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Collection title: Liljenquist Family Collection
Portfolio/Series: Rouzee Family Papers
Classification: Slavery and Freedom Objects; Documents and Published Materials-Business and Legal Documents

Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Receipt for purchase of a man named Ned by Edward Rouzee from an estate sale

Owned by: Rouzee Family, American

Medium: ink on paper
Dimensions: L x W: 10 5/8 x 7 1/2 in. (27 x 19.1 cm)

Type: financial records; receipts

Place made: Essex County, Virginia, United States, North and Central America

Date: September 18, 1817

Caption: This document is from a collection of financial papers related to the plantation operations of several generations of the Rouzee Family in Essex County, Virginia. The papers date from the 1790s through 1860.
Description: A receipt written by Th. Matthews for the payment by Mr. Edward Rouzee of the amount of twenty (20) dollars for "his purchase of Ned at the sale of Henry [illegible] Estate." A one-page, single-sided document of handwritten black ink on paper. The paper is torn along the bottom edge.
Transcription Center Status: Transcribed by digital volunteers

Topic: African American; Agriculture; Business; Domestic slave trade; Finance; Men

Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Liljenquist Family

Object number: 2011.104.13

Restrictions & Rights: Public domain

See more items in: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Collection title: Liljenquist Family Collection
Portfolio/Series: Rouzee Family Papers
Classification: Slavery and Freedom Objects; Documents and Published Materials-Business and Legal Documents

Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Letter and payment receipt for hire of enslaved persons owned by Apphia Rouzee

Owned by: Rouzee Family, American

Medium: ink on paper
Dimensions: L x W: 6 x 7 3/4 in. (15.2 x 19.7 cm)

Type: business letters; financial records

Place made: Essex County, Virginia, United States, North and Central America

Date: January 1, 1802

Caption: This document is from a collection of financial papers related to the plantation operations of several generations of the Rouzee Family in Essex County, Virginia. The papers date from the 1790s through 1860.
Description: A letter written by Apphia Rouzee to Mr. Evan Brown in care of William Noel stating "you must hire out all the negros to the best advantage for this yeare and send by him all the cash you have received." The letter is dated January 1, 1802. On the reverse, in a different hand, is a note dated January 2, 1802 recording a payment of one hundred and twenty four (124) pounds and two (2) pence received from Evan Brown and signed by William Noel. The paper is torn on two sides and there are two tears in the center. The paper has been folded and creased many times.
Transcription Center Status: Transcribed by digital volunteers

Topic: African American; Agriculture; Business; Finance; Slave hire system; Slavery

Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Liljenquist Family

Object number: 2011.104.14

Restrictions & Rights: Public domain

See more items in: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Collection title: Liljenquist Family Collection
Portfolio/Series: Rouzee Family Papers
Classification: Slavery and Freedom Objects; Documents and Published Materials-Business and Legal Documents

Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Transcript of court record regarding payment for the hire of enslaved persons

Owned by: Rouzee Family, American

Medium: ink on paper
Dimensions: L x W: 10 5/8 x 7 1/2 in. (27 x 19.1 cm)

Type: financial records

Place made: Essex County, Virginia, United States, North and Central America

Date: September 18, 1817

Caption: This document is from a collection of financial papers related to the plantation operations of several generations of the Rouzee Family in Essex County, Virginia. The papers date from the 1790s through 1860.
Description: Transcript of a court document from the Essex County court office. It certifies that Apphia Rouzee has fully satisfied the bond owed William Webb and James Webb by paying to William Webb the sum of one thousand (1000) dollars for "the hires of the negroes in Culpepper [sic] County." At the bottom right, the document is signed by witnesses Thomas Wright Jr. and Wm. B. Matthews. A one page, single-sided document of handwritten black ink on paper. The back contains notes and a description of the document.
Transcription Center Status: Transcribed by digital volunteers

Topic: African American; Agriculture; Business; Finance; Law; Slave hire system; Slavery

Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Liljenquist Family

Object number: 2011.104.15

Restrictions & Rights: Public domain

See more items in: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Collection title: Liljenquist Family Collection
Portfolio/Series: Rouzee Family Papers
Classification: Slavery and Freedom Objects; Documents and Published Materials-Business and Legal Documents

Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

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