Clarence Brooks and Co. Calender page depicting an African-American family hovered around a small chicken their father is holding, with the caption, WON AT THE RAFFLE "De Breed am small, but de Flavor am Delicious."
Arrangement:
Series No. Paint, Box No. 2, Folder No. Brooks/Clarence 2.
Local Numbers:
040060114.tif (AC Scan No.)
Series Restrictions:
Collection is open for research. Some items may be restricted due to fragile condition.
Series 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.
Warshaw Collection of Business Americana Subject Categories: Paints, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for partial processing of the collection was supported by a grant from the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund (CCPF).
Clarence Brooks and Co. calendar featuring African-American family in the ocean with the caption, "The smallbreed family at the sea-side."
Local Numbers:
040060111.tif (AC Scan No.)
Series Restrictions:
Collection is open for research. Some items may be restricted due to fragile condition.
Series 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.
Warshaw Collection of Business Americana Subject Categories: Paints, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for partial processing of the collection was supported by a grant from the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund (CCPF).
The Henson Family papers, which date from 1818 to 1943 and measure 0.18 linear feet, document the activities of Tobias Henson and his descendants. The papers are comprised of booklets, correspondence, legal documents, and receipts.
Scope and Contents:
This collection documents the activities of Tobias Henson and his descendants between 1818 and 1943. It contains materials related to the Hensons' financial and legal activities. Included in the collection are booklets, correspondence, deeds and titles, legal documents, and receipts.
Arrangement
The papers are organized into four series. The content of each series is arranged alphabetically. The series are arranged as follows:
Series I: Financial Records
Series II: Legal Records
Series III: Printed Materials
Series IV: Miscellaneous
Arrangement note:
The collection is arranged by series: 1) Financial Records, 2) Legal Records, 3) Printed Materials, 4) Miscellaneous.
Biographical/Historical note:
The history of the Hensons begins with the family's patriarch, Tobias Henson. Mr. Henson was a slave in the Washington, DC area during the 18th and 19th centuries and, given his family's history, it is apparent that he was a man with an ambitious mission: to attain the American dream. He had two tasks to accomplish if he were to see his dream realized. First he had to gain freedom for himself and his family. Second he had to purchase property upon which he could build a home, and from which he could earn a living.
He took the first step in 1813 when he purchased himself from his slave master, thus gaining his freedom. Next he purchased his wife, Elizabeth. In April of 1832 Mr. Henson purchased his daughter Matlinda Smith and her three children. In May of the following year he purchased his second daughter Mary Anderson.
With these purchases, Tobias Henson became a slaveholder, with his wife and children his slaves. Ever resourceful, Mr. Henson used this to his advantage; he rented out his daughters for income and used them as collateral for loans. With the income he generated, he purchased the freedom of his other family members. In fact, he used his daughters, Matlinda and Mary, as collateral for a loan he acquired to purchase Mary's freedom.
In addition to purchasing his freedom in 1813, Tobias Henson entered into an agreement to buy land in the Anacostia section of Washington, DC. The land, named the Ridge, consisted of twenty-four acres located in the Congress Heights section of Anacostia. He made payments on the Ridge until 1826, at which time he made the final payment and became the legal owner. Initially Mr. Henson farmed the land, but as his family grew he subdivided the acreage so that the members of his family could experience their own American dream.
Over the subsequent decades members of the Henson family continued to purchase land in the area surrounding the Ridge; at one point they were one of the largest landowners in the Anacostia section of Washington, DC. The family maintained residence on various parts of the land from the time of its purchase until the middle of the 20th century. Title records filed with the District of Columbia show that, in 1931, the portion of the Ridge that Tobias Henson gave to his grandson, Richard Smith, was still in possession of his descendants. But that was the exception. Most of the Henson family's real estate was either sold or "taken" by the government under the auspices of eminent domain. Just a decade after this title was filed, the federal government made plans to take what remained of the Ridge.
The family did all they could to save the legacy of Tobias Henson. They contacted local and federal government officials in an attempt to stave off what would amount to the destruction of an important piece of black history dating from antebellum Washington, DC. When they had exhausted all of the possibilities, they made a last ditch appeal to First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. In a 1943 letter they pleaded,
At the present there are some thirteen or fourteen families living on this land, which is still designated as the Ridge, and with only one or two exceptions, these families are the direct descendants of Tobian [sic] Henson…we do not feel that taking our homes will aid in the War Effort or in the Ideals of Democracy.
Unfortunately, their plea went unanswered; the land was taken by the government and the houses thereon where razed.
Related Materials:
Anacostia Historical Society Records.
Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist to make an appointment: ACMarchives@si.edu.
Author Alex Haley is a speaker for the Frank N. Doubleday Lecture Series; the theme of the lecture series is education in the real world. Haley speaks of researching and writing about his genealogical roots for his book, Roots, using oral history and archival materials, including those at the National Archives. He talks about traveling to Gambia and learning about the history of Kinte clan from a griot, a West African historian who is a repository of oral history for a particular African clan. Haley also speaks of black heritage and African heritage; his life in the coast guard and as a freelance writer; and his family as he was growing up.
Lecture. Part of Broadcast Programs. Undated.
General:
Title created by ACMA based on transcription from physical asset and contents of recording.
Collection 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.
African American youth perform a skit which provides a glimpse into the life of families and young adults in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Topics explored include prostitution, reefer and alcohol use, army recruitment, black power, and family dynamics with the moral "united we stand, divided we fall."
Theatrical performance. Part of ACM Museum Events, PR, and Ceremonies Recordings Record Group. Undated.
General:
Title transcribed from physical asset.
Collection 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.
Alex Haley talks about tracing his genealogical roots and documenting the oral history of a family for his upcoming book, and his research at the National Archives and Library of Congress. Haley also talks about traveling to Gambia and learning about the history of Kinte clan from a griot, a West African historian who is a repository of oral history for a particular African clan. He presents specific oral history stories and archival materials he discovered which document his ancestral history.
Presentation/lecture. Part of ACM Museum Events, PR, and Ceremonies Recordings. AV003265 and AV003068: some content overlaps. AV003068: lecture begins 001616 (prior to lecture consists of First Annual National Black History Museums Seminar: Business Meeting). AV003265: dated 19730603. AV003068: undated.
Local Numbers:
ACMA AV003068
General:
Title transcribed from physical asset.
Collection 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.
Alex Haley's Presentation on Genealogical Trace at the National Archives, Record Group AV09-023, Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution.
The Cornbread Players, a professional acting company based in New York City, perform the play "Jazz Night," which was written and directed by Walter Jones. "Jazz Night" centers around a black family and their Saturday night gathering in an urban ghetto setting; drug use is an aspect of the play. As stated by the director, "Jazz Night" is about feeling people, rhythm, and music. A question and answer session follows the dramatic performance.
Dramatic Performance. Part of ACM Museum Events, PR, and Ceremonies Recordings. Undated.
Collection 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.
Mr. and Mrs. John Henry Dale, Jr. talk about Dale-Patterson family histories and the history of Anacostia, including the early settlement of Anacostia by the Dale family, the Patterson family, and other families. Also, John Dale talks about the schools he attended in Anacostia, his affiliation with Campbell A.M.E. Church and Hillsdale Civic Association, the jobs he held, and history of Barry Farms. Their daughter, Dianne Dale, reads early history of Dale-Patterson family. Two other Anacostian residents - one of them is Norman - reminiscence about growing up in Anacostia. On the April 5, 1973 recording, John Dale provides more detailed information on organizations, businesses, buildings, and burial ground of blacks in Anacostia.
Interviews. Part of ACM Museum Events, PR, and Ceremonies Recordings. AV000794: part 1. AV003211: part 2. AV003202: part 3. AV000794, AV003211, and AV003202: dated 19730223. AV000811: dated 19730405.
Local Numbers:
ACMA AV003211
ACMA AV003202
ACMA AV000811
Collection 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.
1 Item (Silver gelatin on cellulose acetate film sheet, 4" x 5".)
Culture:
African Americans -- Washington (D.C.) Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Photographs
Place:
Washington (D.C.) -- African Americans
Date:
undated
Scope and Contents:
Shot of Dr. Greene and his daughter watching slides, "Full neg." on the original envelope. "KODAK SAFETY 98" edge imprint. No Ink on negative, no Scurlock number.
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.
Photographs -- 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.
1 Item (Silver gelatin on cellulose acetate film sheet, 2.5" X 2.5".)
Culture:
African Americans -- Washington (D.C.) Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Photographs
Place:
Washington (D.C.) -- African Americans
Date:
1945-1950
Scope and Contents:
Woman and two children in living room with framed photograph of man in service uniform. No ink on negative. "KODAK SAFETY FILM" edge imprint.
Biographical / Historical:
Gold Star Wives of American was founded in 1945 and serves widows and widowers of those who died in active military service or from service related disabilities.
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.
Photographs -- 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.
1 Item (Silver gelatin on cellulose acetate film strip, 5" X 2.5".)
Culture:
African Americans -- Washington (D.C.) Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Photographs
Place:
Washington (D.C.) -- African Americans
Date:
1945-1950
Scope and Contents:
Negative sheet containing two images. No ink on negative. "KODAK SAFETY FILM" edge imprint.
First image: A woman, two young boys and a young girl. The woman is adjusting the girl's hair, whilst the boys are reading books. There is a framed photograph of a man in service uniform on a cabinet with other photographs.
Second image: Woman, young girl and two young boys in a living room. One boy is reading whilst the other boy and the girl are sitting on a low seat.
Biographical / Historical:
Gold Star Wives of American was founded in 1945 and serves widows and widowers of those who died in active military service or from service related disabilities.
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:
Interiors -- Washington (D.C.) -- 1940-1960 Search this
World War, 1939-1945 -- African Americans Search this
Photographs -- 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.
AC0618.004.0000886.tif: Woman, two young boys and a girl sitting looking at a framed photograph of a man in service uniform.
AC0618.004.0002453.tif: Young woman with three children in living room; piano on left, family photographs on piano and console; girl sitting on round footstool; another boy on the rug with an open book.
Arrangement:
Box 618.04.91.
Biographical / Historical:
Gold Star Wives of American was founded in 1945 and serves widows and widowers of those who died in active military service or from service related disabilities.
Exhibitions Note:
Digital print from one negative exhibited in "The Scurlock Studio and Black Washington: Picturing the Promise," NMAAHC Gallery, NMAH, January 30 - November 15, 2009; image reproduced in exhibit's companion book.
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.
Photographs -- 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.
