Nabb Research Center General Resources - People & Cultures

African-Americans on Delmarva

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• Biographical Profiles
• Slavery to Freedom
• Politics and Economics
• Military
• Population Information
• General History and Heritage

Biographical Profiles

Delmarva Heritage Network Biographies Brief biographies of several African-Americans who shaped the history of this region and the larger nation. The Johnson Family The Migratory Study of an African-American Family on the Eastern Shore. By Ryan Charles Cox. Chapters covering race, economics, social networking, and the colonial courts.

Slavery to Freedom

African-American Record Description Description of slavery-related documents (manumissions, runaway dockets, etc) from the Maryland State Archives. Beneath the Underground: The Flight to Freedom Somerset County, Maryland, case studies of individuals who fled from slavery, or acted as co-conspirator in insurrectionary slave plots. Born in Slavery: Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1938 Searchable bibliographic and full text of slave narratives. An introduction is also available. Delaware Slavery Papers Birth records, manumission records, petitions for freedom, and other legal documents related to the treatment of slaves living in Delaware. Free African-Americans History of the free African-American community during the colonial period as told through family history documents. From Slavery to Freedom The African-American Pamphlet Collection, 1822-1909, from the Library of Congress Rare Book and Special Collections Division. Journal of John Woolman Eighteenth-century Quaker who traveled to the the Eastern Shore and spoke to fellow Quakers on the subject of slavery. Pathways to Freedom: Maryland and the Underground Railroad History of the Underground Railroad in Maryland designed for children in grades 4 - 8. Hands-on exercises and activities. Petition by Pennsylvania Abolitionist Society February 1790 petition to Congress from Quakers from Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and western New England.

Politics, Economics

Joseph Barker's "Negro Ledger Book" 1808-1811 Ledger recording purchases made by African-American customers at Barkers Landing on the St. Jones River in Murkerkill Hundred (Delaware).

Military

Union African-American Sailors Index Database of African-American Sailors from the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System project. Enlistment of Colored Troops 1863 War Department General Order 329 concerning the enlistment of African-American soldiers in Delaware.

Population Information

1800-1930 Accomac Free Black Census Constructed census of Chincoteague free African-American families extracted from US Census Records. Accomac County Population Distribution Examination of African-American population distribution in Accomac County from 1800-150.

General History and Heritage

African-American Heritage General resources about the heritage and historical sites of Worcester County, Maryland. African-American Historic Sites Lower Eastern Shore Selected historic sites in Somerset, Wicomico and Worcester counties that reflect the culture and heritage of African-Americans. African-American Historical Resources of the Eastern Shore A guide to assist in finding sources relating to African-American heritage of the Eastern Shore. African-American History of Accomac County, Virginia Resource for researching the genealogy of African-American families on Chincoteague Island, Accomac County, Virginia.