My Summer Reading List

This spring I was actively researching the migration of New Englanders westward into New York. As often happens when you are searching for one thing you stumble upon another.  My goal was to find books New York that would explain why so many New Englanders chose to settle or at least stop in New York.  I found I needed to do a very broad search on New York history in order to find appropriate books.

It was kind of fun to see the range of book about New York history. Easily half of them were about Manhattan. They dealt with all different topics from the Nickerbockers, to Broadway and on to the Harlem Renaissance.  What really got me distracted was the wide selection of books on African Americans in New York history.

I had to put the books aside until I finished my project but now I have the summer to dive into a topic that is starting to pique my curiosity. I've always maintained a strong interest in African American history in New England. Venturing into New York City is unexpected for me but I'm really enjoying the exploration.

Here's the list of books I'll absorbing this summer. I was able to get all these books through my local library network.

New York Burning: Liberty, Slavery, and Conspiracy in Eighteenth-Century Manhattan by Jill Lepore (Knopf, 2005).

In the Shadow of Slavery: African Americans in New York City, 1626-1863 (Historical Studies of Urban America) by Leslie M. Harris (University of Chicago Press,2003).


Harlem: The Making of a Ghetto : Negro New York, 1890-1930 by Gilbert Osofsky (Harper & Row, 1963).

Stories of Freedom in Black New York by Shane White (Harvard University Press, 2002).

Slavery in New York edited by Ira Berlin and Leslie M. Harris (The New Press, 2005).

African or American?: Black Identity and Political Activism in New York City, 1784-1861 by Leslie M. Alexander (University of Illinois Press, 2008)


Summer is short! Time for me to get reading!

Make Time for Local Seminars

I have yet to attend a national conference. I would love to but with young children and a busy schedule it just hasn't worked out for me. Instead I have focused on participating in one regional society and attending one large regional conference (the New England Regional Genealogical Conference - NERGC) which happens every two years.

As RootsTech was approaching this year, I was watching all the excitement of the lucky attendees. In a moment of clarity (when I was able to put aside the envy) I realized that there are many wonderful opportunities closer to home that I haven't taken advantage of. I decided that I would remedy that by attending local seminars and talks.  There are a lot of great opportunities right in my own back yard.

This past Wednesday I took my first step toward seeking local genealogical opportunities. I attended the African American History & Genealogy Day put on by the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) in Boston. What was even better was that this event was free. NEHGS held an open research day for all attendees and provided three top quality lectures. Unfortunately, I was only able to attend two.

The first was a talk by David Allen Lambert. I admit to having a special affinity for David because many of his research interests overlap mine such as cemetery research and African Americans. Having done a lot of research on these topics I wasn't sure how much I would get out of his talk. Silly me. David is a master with an endless well of information on his core knowledge areas. And like me he combines his multiple interests into one talk, so not only did I learn about African American genealogy but he also included some cemetery research as well. If you ever get to the point of thinking you know enough on a topic go to a talk by someone who has been researching longer than you. You will be humbled and inspired.

The second talk was by Alex Goldfeld the author of North End: A Brief History of Boston's Oldest Neighborhood. While the North End is today known as an ethnic Italian neighborhood, in colonial times it was home to the earliest African American community. Alex is a historian rather than a genealogist but he gave a superb presentation on a very early time frame that I am not expert in. He opened my eyes to many sources for 17th and 18th century research.

Many people, especially professionals, go to conferences for the networking rather than simply the learning. Ironically, I learned more at this one day seminar than I have at some conferences. I'm so glad that I forced myself to take advantage of a local opportunity.

Don't worry if you can't make it to far away conferences. There may be some terrific learning experiences right in your back yard. Be on the lookout for state and regional genealogical societies. Many societies provide talks once a month and can be a good source of learning. But don't limit your thinking to genealogy societies. Local historical societies and libraries frequently put on excellent history and genealogy programs.

Don't wait until next year or the next big conference. Hop onto a search engine and find local seminars and talks in your area that can broaden your knowledge. I'm so glad I took that step.

NEHGS to Host FREE African American History and Genealogy Day

I was very excited to read in the latest "Weekly Genealogist" newsletter that the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) in Boston, Massachusetts will be hosting a FREE African American History and Genealogy Day in February.

The newsletter had this to say:

African American History and Genealogy Day
Wednesday, February 8
9 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Join us for a free day of research and learn about African American family history. NEHGS Online Genealogist David Allen Lambert will help you learn how to trace African American ancestors, author and historian Alex R. Goldfeld will present stories of Boston’s earliest African American community, and former Executive Director of the Springfield Museums and author Joseph Carvalho III will share his revised edition of Black Families in Hampden County, Massachusetts 1650-1865, recently published by NEHGS. The lecture will be followed by a book signing and reception. All participants will receive free access to the NEHGS research library for the day, with ample time for research.
Free; registration required. Call 617-226-1226 to register.


More details are available from the NEHGS website. Also, you can read my review of Joseph Carvalho's book Black Families in Hampden County, Massachusetts 1650-1865.

Book Review: Black Families in Hampden County, Massachusetts 1650-1865

The second edition of Black Families in Hampden County, Massachusetts 1650-1865 by Joseph Carvalho III was released this year by the New England Historic Genealogical Society. This second edition was over twenty-five years in the making.

When a second edition comes out readers often wonder whether enough changes were made to warrant the purchase. At an impressive 400 pages, the resounding answer for this edition is “Yes!” The new edition is nearly double the size of the 211 page original.

What has changed? The title has been altered for starters. The first edition covered the years 1650-1855. With twenty-five years of advancement in technology, computers and increased access to genealogical and historical documents, the book now extends to the year 1865.

The book begins with a helpful historical overview of African Americans in Hampden County. This will help both the beginning and advanced researcher to better put their ancestors’ lives in proper context.

The bulk of the book continues to be the biographies and genealogies of black families of Hampden County. With the new documentation, both from public sources and private collections, the section has been increased over one hundred pages.

I used one of my personal research interests, Jethro Jones, as a test case. Jethro lived from 1733 to 1828. He is not an ideal example to demonstrate the breadth of additions from 1855-1865 but never-the-less his biography was re-written and augmented. In-line citations are still included throughout this section but written more clearly and fully.

In addition to the main section, new content in the form of Appendixes has been added covering topics such as military service, ancestry and nations of origin, occupations and avocations, bylaws of the U.S. League of Gileadites and demographic statistical tables. The included bibliography is a lengthy fourteen pages.

While the title Black Families in Hampden County, Massachusetts 1650-1865 is accurate, it falls short of the true depth and reach of the book. In reality, this work reflects the migration and movement of African Americans from all over New England and New York. Black families who lived in Connecticut and moved north appear here, as are those from New York who sought greater freedom in Massachusetts. And I would be remiss not to mention all the others, like Jethro Jones, who followed the more traditional pattern of moving westward into Hampden County from Eastern Massachusetts.

Black Families in Hampden County is essential for any researcher who is searching for African Americans in New England up until 1865. It is also a tremendous example of the wide variety of original and secondary sources available to researchers delving into the often challenging arena of African American research.

As a one-county study, this work shines as beacon of outstanding and comprehensive research. Others wishing to do one-county studies on sub-groups, whether based on national origin, religion, race or some other topic, would do well to use this book as their source of inspiration. Black Families in Hampden County, Massachusetts, 1650-1865 belongs on the shelf of every serious researcher of African Americans as well as every genealogical library. Joseph Carvalho’s labor of love is a magnificent work that shows in-depth research at its best.

Author: Joseph Carvalho III
Title: Black Families in Hampden County, Massachusetts 1650-1865, 2nd Edition
400 pages with illustrations; bibliography; index; appendixes; black and white
Publisher: New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS), 2011
ISBN: 978-0-88082-259-6
Available From: NEHGS (1-888-296-3447) and other book sellers
Cost: Hardcover $29.95

Researching African Americans in Connecticut

Here are some resources to help those researching African Americans in Connecticut.  Please leave a comment if you have any additional books or resources to add to the list.

Research Guide to African American Resources at the Connecticut State Library

African American Resources at the Connecticut Historical Society

Brown, Barbara W. and James M. Rose, Ph.D. Black Roots in Southeastern Connecticut 1650-1900. New London, CT: New London County Historical Society, 2001.

Caron, Denis R. A Century in Captivity: The Life and Trials of Prince Mortimer, a Connecticut Slave. Durham, NH: University of New Hampshire press, 2006.

Cruson, Daniel. The Slaves of Central Fairfield County: The Journey from Slave to Freeman in Nineteenth-Century Connecticut. Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2007.

Greene, Lorenzo Johnston. The Negro in Colonial New England. New York: Atheneum, 1969.

Piersen, William D. Black Yankees: The Development of an Afro-American Subculture in Eighteenth-Century New England. Amherst, MA: The University of Massachusetts Press, 1988.

Rose, James M. and Barbara W. Brown. Tapestry: A Living History of the Black Family in Southeastern Connecticut. New London, CT: New London County Historical Society, 1979.

Smith, Venture and Arna Wendell Bontemps. Five Black Lives: The Autobiographies of Venture Smith, James Mars, William Grimes, the Rev. G. W. Offley, James L. Smith. Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University Press, 1987.

Stone, Frank Andrews. African American Connecticut: The Black Scene in a New England State; Eighteenth to Twenty-First Century. Victoria, BC: Trafford, 2008.

Photo Credit: Title: Unidentified man with beard, half-length portrait, full face. Photo taken by Augustus Washington, a prolific African American photographer in Hartford, CT. Sixth plate daguerreotype taken between 1854 and 1860. Call Number: DAG no. 1013.Repository: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA

More New England African American Stories Uncovered

Part of what makes African American research in New England so fascinating is that it has been hidden for so long. People don't associate New England with generations upon generations of African American history. But African Americans have been in New England since the 1600s. One of my goals is to ensure that it stays hidden no longer.

With that in mind, there are three recent stories of New England African American research that are not only interesting but provide real insight into the complexity of life for early African Americans.

The first two appear in the current issue (Fall 2010) of American Ancestors published by the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS).

In an article (p. 41) called "Chance Bradstreet (1762-1810), Servant of Abraham Dodge of Ipswich, Massachusetts", Christopher Challender Child remarks how he saw an exhibit at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History that mentioned the slave, Chance.  However, the exhibit only had information on Chance between 1777 and 1789.  Child took it as a personal challenge  to re-discover the remaining details of Chance's life.  The fascinating article details his discoveries.

Further on in the same issue be sure to stop and read Diane Rapaport's article "Freeing Joan Jackson: The Precarious Status of a New England Woman." (p.51)  This incredulous tale demonstrates one African American family's struggle to remain together and to retain their freedom.  The article explores the extremely complex issues surrounding emancipation in Massachusetts in the 1780s.

Lastly is an article that appeared in the New Canaan Patch (CT) entitled "Hidden History: The Last Slave of Connecticut" (17 November 2010) which you can read online.  It tells the story of Onesimus Comstock who was born into slavery in 1761 and how he became the last slave of Connecticut.  This article discusses the same time frame as the other two but touches on the disenfranchisement and limited options available to slaves once they attained their freedom.

All three articles provide important insight into the lives of early African Americans in New England.  Together they illustrate and reveal the complexities of what it meant to be African American in the 18th century.

African American Research in New England

One of the areas of genealogy that I am keenly interested in is the somewhat unknown niche of African American research in New England. When people think of African American research they typically think of the South or Midwest of the United States. And rightly so, most of the African American population originated or migrated to these areas.

New England, however, has a rich African American history of its own. New England does not escape the tarnished history of slavery. And even though slavery ended much earlier in New England than in the south, New Englanders where complicit in extending and promoting the slave trade for their monetary gain.

In a recent article in The Boston Globe called "New England’s hidden history: More than we like to think, the North was built on slavery", journalist Francie Latour provides an introduction that encompasses the intricacies of the forgotten history of African Americans in New England. 

I would encourage anyone with an interest in learning more on this topic to start with this article.  I know I will find it handy to refer people to it.

If you discover, as I did, that you are compelled to learn more about the story of African Americans in New England then take a look at a bibliography that I've created and made available on my website. It will provide you will a list of further resources on the subject.

If you are already interested in African American history/genealogy in New England, drop me a line and let me know you are out there.  It would be wonderful to discover others who are as interested in the topic as I am.