21 Cubic feet (64 document boxes, one oversize folder)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Baptismal certificates
Scrapbooks
Marriage certificates
Diplomas
Photographs
Place:
Montana
Louisiana
United States -- Race relations
Date:
1880-2017
undated
Summary:
Papers and photographs documenting the lives and descendants of Samuel and Mamie Anderson Bridgewater of Helena, Montana.
Scope and Contents:
The collection documents the lives of the family and descendants of Samuel and Mamie Anderson Bridgwater. The papers primarily belonged to the family and descendants of their daughter Mary Emma (1893-1981), who married Charles H. Harrell (1878-1948), a Pullman porter. The collection includes materials from collateral relatives and from those who married into the Bridgewater and Harrell families. The women of these families were extensively involved in community, religious, and social organizations. The collection contains materials about social and religious life in the relatively small African-American communities surrounding Helena, Montana. It also contains family papers including Samuel and Mamie's marriage certificate from 1892; educational memorabilia and school diplomas; scrapbooks and photogaphs documenting family members, vacations, life events and friends; baptismal records; hand-written birth and death entries; and correspondence between family members and friends living in other states.
The collection includes records of many of Montana's social and religious organizations from the 1890s to the 1950s, including the Colored Women's Clubs of America; the Pleasant Hour Club in Helena; the Helena Negro Chorus; the local chapter of the Society for the Relief of Worthy, Aged, Indigent Colored Persons, Pleasant House Club; and numerous Baptist and Roman Catholic congregations. Generations of women in the Bridgewater and Harrell families were members or officers of these organizations. The collection contains records and photographs relating to several African-American and integrated churches in Helena. Friends and community members, primarily other African-American Montanans, are represented in the collection as well.
Photographs and other documents record the lives of nearby neighbors and friends as well as lives of more distant family members and friends. Subjects covered in the collection are: the formerly enslaved parents of Samuel and Mamie Bridgwater; Samuel Bridgwater and his fellow Buffalo soldiers; Octavia Bridgewater's experiences at the Lincoln School of Nursing in New York City; Octavia Bridgewater's service with a segregated unit of the Army Nurse Corps in World War II while stationed at the Tuskegee Air Base, Alabama and her later life after returning to civilian life in Helena when she worked mostly as a midwife.
Some of the arrangement of the collection was done by family members prior to its donation to the Archives Center. The families had a vigorous and wide ranging network of family and friends in Montana and elsewhere in the United States, and materials related to all family members and friends may be found across multiple series.
Subseries 2.8: Harrell, Richard Francis, 1960-1996, undated
Subseries 2.9: Harrell, Cornelius Eckart, 1940-2001
Subseries 2.10: Harrell, Jr., Charles Henry, 1925-2005
Subseries 2.11: Family Memorabilia, 1960-1990, undated
Subseries 2.12: Photographs, 1929-1996, undated
Series 3, Trahan Family, 1923-1995, undated
Series 4, Family Friends, 1912-1979, undated
Series 5, Photographs, 1907-1992, undated
Biographical / Historical:
The Bridgewater family is a multi-generation African American family descended from Samuel (1862-1912) and Mamie Anderson Bridgwater (1872-1950) (note: later family members spelled the name with an "e"). The son of slaves, Bridgwater was born in Dixon Springs, Smith County, Tennessee, on February 25, 1862. He later enlisted in the all-Black 24th Infantry Regiment, USCI (United States Colored Infantry), one of the famous "Buffalo Soldier" regiments. The 24th Infantry served in the Department of Texas from 1869-1889, Indian Territory from 1880-1888 and following 1888 in the Department of Arizona. In 1892 he married Mamie E. Anderson the daughter of Levi Anderson and Emma Lucy in Fort Huachuca, in what later became the state of Arizona.
Bridgwater fought in the Philippines during the Spanish-American War, where he was wounded. He retired from the United States Army at Fort Harrison, Montana, after twenty years of service on August 22, 1906. The family remained in Helena, Montana purchasing a home at 502 Peosta Avenue. The 1910 United States Census lists Samuel has having retired from the United States Army and lists Mamie as being a matron in the US Army hospital. They raised five children, three boys and two girls.
Samuel died on June 9, 1912. His widow and family remained in Montana becoming active in community affairs. Their descendants continued their parents' involvement in community and religious affairs as well as their fathers' tradition of military service. Their daughter Octavia served in an all-black unit of the Army Nurse Corps during World War II and then served her community as a nurse-midwife for the rest of her life. Members of the family continued to live in the home at 502 Peosta well into the twentieth century.
Provenance:
Donated to the Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian by Janet Harrell Campbell and Jules Harrell, descendants of Samuel and Mamie Anderson Bridgewater, 2016.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research.
Unrestricted research access on site by appointment. Unprotected photographs must be handled with gloves. Researchers must use reference copies of audio-visual materials. When no reference copy exists, the Archives Center staff will produce reference copies on an "as needed" basis, as resources allow.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
The collection, which dates from approximately 1945-1975, documents the daily lives and activities of the Robinson-Smith family. The collection is comprised of photographs, correspondence, bankbooks, obituaries, pamphlets, report cards and ephemera.
Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist to make an appointment: ACMarchives@si.edu.
Topic:
African American children -- Education Search this
The collection, which dates from circa 1997-2004 and measures .01 linear feet, documents the people and environment of Cuba and Belize, as well as African American communities and religious life. The collection is comprised of inkjet prints.
Biographical/Historical note:
Titus Brooks Heagins received his MFA in Photography from the School of Art and Design, University of Michigan, and BA in Political Science from Duke University. The core of his photographic work is documenting the lives and experiences of people of color throughout the world.
Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist to make an appointment: ACMarchives@si.edu.
Titus Brooks Heagins received his MFA in Photography from the School of Art and Design, University of Michigan, and BA in Political Science from Duke University. The core of his photographic work is documenting the lives and experiences of people of color throughout the world.
Collection Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist to make an appointment: ACMarchives@si.edu.
Titus Brooks Heagins received his MFA in Photography from the School of Art and Design, University of Michigan, and BA in Political Science from Duke University. The core of his photographic work is documenting the lives and experiences of people of color throughout the world.
Collection Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist to make an appointment: ACMarchives@si.edu.
Titus Brooks Heagins received his MFA in Photography from the School of Art and Design, University of Michigan, and BA in Political Science from Duke University. The core of his photographic work is documenting the lives and experiences of people of color throughout the world.
Collection Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist to make an appointment: ACMarchives@si.edu.
159 Video recordings (U-matic 3/4" video recordings)
1 Video recording (VHS 1/2" video recording)
15 Linear feet (15 boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Video recordings
Videocassettes
Place:
United States -- Race relations
United States -- Rural conditions
Date:
1989-1994
Scope and Contents note:
The collection, which dates from 1989 to 1994 and measures 15 linear feet, documents the reminiscences of elderly members of various African-American churches in the Atlanta area, as well as individual church histories, outstanding personalities of the South, religious expression in the South, and styles of singing and worship. The collection is comprised of audiovisual materials.
Biographical/Historical note:
Atlanta Interfaith Broadcasters, Inc. is the nation's largest regional interfaith cable network. AIB has been providing faith-based communities and nonprofit service organizations access to a larger audience since 1969. AIB remains a destination for international dignitaries and media representatives due to its unique programming platform, which promotes dialogue between all faiths, cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds. Seen in over 1,000,000 homes across 19 metro area counties, AIB is a self-supporting organization and does not allow the solicitation of funds or attacks on other faiths. Viewers can find Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and others presenting their views.
Provenance:
Atlanta Interfaith Broadcasters Oral History Collection, Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution, gift of Atlanta Interfaith Broadcasters.
Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Some items are not accessible due to obsolete format and playback machinery restrictions. Please contact the archivist to make an appointment: ACMarchives@si.edu.
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Families of Anita Williams Christopher and David Owen Williams
14 Video recordings (7 U-matic 3/4" video recordings ; 7 VHS 1/2" video recordings)
1.5 Linear feet
Type:
Archival materials
Sound recordings
Video recordings
Place:
Washington (D.C.)
Date:
1995-1999
Scope and Contents note:
Audiovisual materials created for an exhibition examining the faith and spiritual traditions in African American religious life in the 1990s. The exhibition features members of Christian churches as well as those of other faiths. Special attention is given to the ways that African American congregations are responding to contemporary challenges affecting their families, neighborhoods, and communities. This collection includes video and sound recordings of interviews and services at various churches that were used within the exhibit as well as recordings of talks and workshops related to the exhibit.
Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Some items are not accessible due to obsolete format and playback machinery restrictions. Please contact the archivist at ACMarchives@si.edu.
Speak to My Heart: Communities of faith and contemporary African American life audiovisual records, Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Musical recording session at Bible Way Temple, located in northwest Washington, D.C., to create CD of religious music. Contents include First Fruits, Cureton Family, and Bible Way Choir.
Music. Related to Speak to My Heart: Communities of Faith and Contemporary African American Life. Dated 19980423.
Biographical / Historical:
Speak to My Heart: Communities of Faith and Contemporary African American Life examined the faith and spiritual traditions in African American religious life in the 1990s. The exhibition featured members of Christian churches as well as those of other faiths. Special attention was given to the ways that African American congregations were responding to contemporary challenges affecting their families, neighborhoods, and communities. The exhibition was developed by the Smithsonian Institution's Anacostia Museum and Center for African American History and Culture, and held at The Arts and Industries Building, North Gallery, 900 Jefferson Street, SW, Washington, D.C. from February 1998 to August 1999.
Local Numbers:
ACMA AV002234
Series Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Some items are not accessible due to obsolete format and playback machinery restrictions. Please contact the archivist at ACMarchives@si.edu.
Gail S. Lowe, Ph.D. talked about the center of African American life and community - the Black Chruch. She detailed the significance and work of the Black Church in communities, and provided an introduction to the upcoming exhibition 'Speak to My Heart: Communities of Faith and Contemporary African American Life.' Lowe discussed each section of the exhibition, and the types of materials and information the museum planned to include in the exhibit. The talk was part of a meeting for the Friends for the Preservation of African American History and Culture.
Exhibition talk. Related to exhibition 'Speak to My Heart: Communities of Faith and Contemporary African American Life.' Dated 19961016.
Biographical / Historical:
'Speak to My Heart: Communities of Faith and Contemporary African American Life' examined the faith and spiritual traditions in African American religious life in the 1990s. The exhibition featured members of Christian churches as well as those of other faiths. Special attention was given to the ways that African American congregations were responding to contemporary challenges affecting their families, neighborhoods, and communities. The exhibition was developed by the Smithsonian Institution's Anacostia Museum and Center for African American History and Culture, and held at The Arts and Industries Building, North Gallery, 900 Jefferson Street, SW, Washington, D.C. from February 1998 to August 1999.
Series Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Some items are not accessible due to obsolete format and playback machinery restrictions. Please contact the archivist at ACMarchives@si.edu.
Dr. Gail Lowe led a tour of the exhibition 'Speak to My Heart: Communities of Faith and Contemporary African American Life.'
Exhibition tour. Related to Speak to My Heart: Communities of Faith and Contemporary African American Life. Dated 19981006.
Biographical / Historical:
Speak to My Heart: Communities of Faith and Contemporary African American Life examined the faith and spiritual traditions in African American religious life in the 1990s. The exhibition featured members of Christian churches as well as those of other faiths. Special attention was given to the ways that African American congregations were responding to contemporary challenges affecting their families, neighborhoods, and communities. The exhibition was developed by the Smithsonian Institution's Anacostia Museum and Center for African American History and Culture, and held at The Arts and Industries Building, North Gallery, 900 Jefferson Street, SW, Washington, D.C. from February 1998 to August 1999.
Series Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Some items are not accessible due to obsolete format and playback machinery restrictions. Please contact the archivist at ACMarchives@si.edu.
Cherie Ward performs her empowerment poetry. Community arts experience performed by Life Pieces to Masterpieces, a nonprofit arts organization for boys so they can experience love, security and expression by telling their stories through poetry, song, dance, and art. In addition to performing, the boys explain the principles of Life Pieces to Masterpieces, and what they have learned through the program.
Poetry, and music and dance performances. Audio only. Related to exhibition 'Speak to My Heart: Communities of Faith and Contemporary African American Life.' Dated 19990803.
Biographical / Historical:
'Speak to My Heart: Communities of Faith and Contemporary African American Life' examined the faith and spiritual traditions in African American religious life in the 1990s. The exhibition featured members of Christian churches as well as those of other faiths. Special attention was given to the ways that African American congregations were responding to contemporary challenges affecting their families, neighborhoods, and communities. The exhibition was developed by the Smithsonian Institution's Anacostia Museum and Center for African American History and Culture, and held at The Arts and Industries Building, North Gallery, 900 Jefferson Street, SW, Washington, D.C. from February 1998 to August 1999.
Local Numbers:
ACMA AV001934_B
Series Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Some items are not accessible due to obsolete format and playback machinery restrictions. Please contact the archivist at ACMarchives@si.edu.
Empowerment Poetry with Cherie Ward and Community Arts Experience with Life Pieces to Masterpieces, Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution.
Scurlock, George H. (Hardison), 1919-2005 Search this
Extent:
1 Item
Container:
Box 27
Culture:
African Americans -- Washington (D.C.) Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Photographs
Date:
1944
Scope and Contents:
Graduates wearing academic costume, standing on steps of Carnegie Hall (School of Religion). Possibly James Nabrit is in front row, center. "Agfa Safety FIlm" imprint on edge.
Subseries Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Gloves must be worn when handling unprotected photographs and negatives. Special arrangements required to view negatives due to cold storage. Using negatives requires a three hour waiting period. Contact the Archives Center at 202-633-3270.
Subseries Rights:
When the Museum purchased the collection from the Estate of Robert S. Scurlock, it obtained all rights, including copyright. The earliest photographs in the collection are in the public domain because their term of copyright has expired. The Archives Center will control copyright and the use of the collection for reproduction purposes, which will be handled in accordance with its standard reproduction policy guidelines. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Topic:
African American college students -- Religious life -- 1940-1950. Search this
Photographs -- 1940-1950 -- Black-and-white negatives -- Acetate film
Subseries Citation:
Scurlock Studio Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History. Smithsonian Institution
Sponsor:
The collection was acquired with assistance from the Eugene Meyer Foundation. Elihu and Susan Rose and the Save America's Treasures program, provided funds to stabilize, organize, store, and create digital surrogates of some of the negatives. Processing and encoding funded by a grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources.
Scurlock, George H. (Hardison), 1919-2005 Search this
Extent:
1 Item
Container:
Box 29
Type:
Archival materials
Photographs
Date:
ca. 1935-1937
Scope and Contents:
Job Number: 30972
"Defender Safety Base" imprint on edge.
Subseries Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Gloves must be worn when handling unprotected photographs and negatives. Special arrangements required to view negatives due to cold storage. Using negatives requires a three hour waiting period. Contact the Archives Center at 202-633-3270.
Subseries Rights:
When the Museum purchased the collection from the Estate of Robert S. Scurlock, it obtained all rights, including copyright. The earliest photographs in the collection are in the public domain because their term of copyright has expired. The Archives Center will control copyright and the use of the collection for reproduction purposes, which will be handled in accordance with its standard reproduction policy guidelines. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Topic:
Portraits, Group -- 1930-1940 -- Washington (D.C.). Search this
Community life -- Washington, D.C. -- 1930-1940 Search this
African American religious life -- 1930-1940 Search this
Genre/Form:
Photographs -- 1930-1940 -- Black-and-white negatives -- Acetate film
Subseries Citation:
Scurlock Studio Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History. Smithsonian Institution
Sponsor:
The collection was acquired with assistance from the Eugene Meyer Foundation. Elihu and Susan Rose and the Save America's Treasures program, provided funds to stabilize, organize, store, and create digital surrogates of some of the negatives. Processing and encoding funded by a grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources.