Current mood:

optimistic

There's always something new under the sun
Well, not new new . . . not newly created . . . but newly discovered.

I remember a time when folks told those of us researching slave ancestors that we would NEVER find them. While it's still hard to get over the 1870 brick wall, it's getting easier and easier. Not only are records that were once accessible only by scholars now being made routinely available but records are being newly uncovered.

Take for instance this case in NC where a researcher found that the 1860 Camden County census listed the names of slaves.

And in Alabama, archivists discovered ledgers just lying around in the basement which turned out to be 1867 voter registartion rolls. Together with the 1866 census they would make the first records after Emancipation wherein former slaves were recorded by name.

Records I have to research when I go to Montgomery (Tuesday, for sure!):

1. Chattel mortgage records to search for any mention of Papa Norris.

2. 1867 voter registrations to search for ANY of my surnames. Unfortunately the 1866 census taker did not record Blacks' names in Wilcox County as was done elswhere in Alabama. To do: check to see if there is another "copy" of the 1866. Maybe an earlier one lists individuals.