African Americans
D
Hugh Dunbar Deed of Emancipation, 1846 (C0513)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)
Deed of Emancipation for Charlott, an enslaved woman, March 26, 1846. Hugh Dunbar, the enslaver, freed her for $1.00.
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E
E. R. Morris Funeral Chapel Programs, 1985-2008 (K1344)
1.0 c.f.
Approx. 2,000 funeral programs from the now closed E. R. Morris Funeral Home, an African American funeral home formerly located at 41st and Troost, KC, MO
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Early Years of Black YWCA Chapter, Wheatley Branch Paper, 1979 (S0345)
0.01 cubic foot
1 article, 44 pages. "Vespers and Vacation Lots: the Early Years of the St. Louis Phyllis Wheatley Branch YWCA," by Jeanne Mongold, UMSL, 1979.
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Ida Early Papers, 1986-2008 (S0366)
1.8 cubic feet
The Ida Early papers contain meeting minutes, correspondence, program booklets, and reports primarily chronicling her time as President of the Junior League of St. Louis from 1996 to 1998. Other topics of interest include Dance St. Louis and the St. Louis Crisis Nursery.
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Eastern Missouri Collection, 1858-2009 (S1135)
1.6 cubic feet, 1 reel of 16mm film, 1 reel of microfilm, 17 oversize items
The Eastern Missouri Collection is an artificial collection combining miscellaneous small acquisitions related to Missouri places, individuals, organizations, and events. The Eastern Missouri Collection continues to have material added to it. New additions are added at the end of the collection. Researchers should browse the index and container lists to locate pertinent material.
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James Edwards Civil War Discharge, 1865 (C3375)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)
Civil War discharge of an African American private in the 3rd Regiment of the U.S. Colored Artillery.
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John Cummins Edwards Papers, 1844-1846 (C1769)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)
The papers of John Cummins Edwards contain Photostats of petitions and letters requesting pardons for George Thompson, Alanson Work, and James E. Burr, convicted of kidnapping slaves.
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Vera Haworth Eldridge Collection, 1825-1920 (K0053)
.05 c.f.
Photocopies of materials collected and loaned by local historians Mr. and Mrs. William Eldridge relating to Clay County, Missouri, historical research. Included are documents on Calvin Smith, Dan Carpenter, and Mrs. O.P. Moss, the former Caroline Marjory Thornton. Also "Colored Marriages [Clay County], 1861-1891".
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Elmwood Park Photograph Collection, 1926-1960 (S0584)
0.01 cubic foot
The Elmwood Park photograph collection consists of photographs of an African-American community in St. Louis County, featuring images of dance recitals, school children, and the First Baptist Church of Elmwood Park.
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Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Clippings, 1967 (C4232)
0.5 cubic feet (9 folders)
The papers consist of newspaper clippings documenting the civil rights movement in 1967. Most of the clippings originated in St. Louis newspapers. They document race relations and racial disturbances in the United States.
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John Erwin Papers, 1870 (C0934)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)
Appointment to voter registration board of the 9th Senatorial District of Missouri and instructions to law officers on procedure to follow in registering white and African American voters in 1870, with emphasis on allowing African Americans to register if qualified.
F
Fair Housing Ordinance (Columbia, Mo.) Collection, 1967-1972, 2018 (C2550)
0.05 cubic feet (4 folders), 47.5 GB of digital files, 1 DVD, 1 oversize item
Newspaper clippings and miscellaneous material pertaining to the Fair Housing Ordinance in Columbia, Missouri. Includes the video “Our Journey to Fair Housing,” created by the City of Columbia in 2018, as well as the raw interview footage.
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William L. Fambrough, Sr. Photograph Collection, 1940-1970 (K0642)
2 c.f.
Negatives and prints recording events and people taken by Fambrough, a Kansas City African-American professional photographer.
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Oscar Farmer Collection, 1940-2005 (S0585)
0.5 cubic feet, 1 tape, 37 photographs
The Oscar Farmer Collection documents Farmer’s career working for the Saint Louis Police Department. It also contains an oral history interview and photographs related to his work at Club Riviera, a supper club that hosted prominent entertainers and served as a base for local politician Jordan Chambers.
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Father Dickson Cemetery Burial Books, 1904-1983 (S0337)
3 microfilm rolls
Founded in 1903 by the Twelve Knights and Daughters of Tabor, a black philanthropic organization. The 13-acre cemetery served African Americans from Webster Groves and Kirkwood. It fell into disrepair in the 1960s. The Friends of Father Dickson Cemetery organized in 1988 to restore the cemetery and promote its heritage.
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Fern Leaf Study Club History, 1976 (S0104)
0.01 cubic foot
The collection includes a one-page history of the Fern Leaf Study Club, a St. Louis-area African American women’s club, written by Lillie Robinson, the club’s secretary.
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Henry C. Fike Diaries, 1851-1919 (C2215)
2.42 cubic feet (18 folders and 43 volumes)
Diaries written by Fike while a student in McKendree College, IL; while a soldier in the Civil War; and about his migration to and life in Warrensburg, MO, and his work in Kansas City, MO, and various cities in the West.
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Chauncey Ives Filley Letter, 1915 (C1881)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)
To Krekel Dillon Wilbanks, Mt. Vernon, IL, from St. Louis, MO, Jan. 13, 1915.
Letter about an article in the ST. LOUIS REPUBLIC on Filley's reminiscences of emancipation in Missouri. Article contained several errors of fact on the Missouri Convention of 1861-1863, which Wilbanks had pointed out.
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First African Baptist Church History, 1976 (S0006)
0.01 cubic foot, 1 folder
The First African Baptist Church History contains a four-page document that briefly describes the history of African-Americans in St. Louis as well as the First African Baptist Church in St. Louis. The church was founded in 1827 by Reverend John Berry Meachum and is the oldest African-American church west of the Mississippi River. Many of the original congregation consisted of slaves, who were permitted by their owners to attend. A physical church was built two years following the organization’s inception and went through two other location changes to accommodate the rapid growth of the church’s congregation.
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First Boatmen's Church, St. Louis Collection, 1854 (S0382)
0.01 cubic foot
This collection contains a fourth anniversary sermon, three tracts, and lithograph of First Boatmen's Church of St. Louis.
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Alfred J. Ford Papers, 1945-1980 (S0659)
0.25 cubic foot, 7 folders
Alfred J. Ford was a well-known civic leader and entrepreneur, who owned Ford Brothers Insurance Brokers and served as vice-president of General Insurers, Inc. This collection contains pamphlets, programs, meeting of businesses, boards, and organizations to which he belonged.
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Frank Stephen Ford Photograph Collection, 1896-1912 (K0712)
2 c.f.
Negatives taken by Ford, a talented amateur photographer. His subjects included outdoor pastoral scenes, streams and rivers, including a number of views of the Missouri River east of the ASB Bridge. Also portraits of family and friends, interiors of his home at 29th and Flora and other houses and buildings, and of a black servant (including some of his home) who worked for Ford's family.
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Emory S. Foster Letter, 1864 (C3192)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)
The collection contains an extract of a letter to Gov. Fletcher, from St. Louis, MO, Jan. 12, 1864, concerning the movement to allow African American suffrage. Also included is a penciled note on the back of the letter relating to the Dyer resolution concerning a change in the basis of representation.
Freedman's Savings and Trust Company (St. Louis, Mo.) Depositers' Signatures, 1869 (C2984)
1 roll of microfilm
The collection contains signatures and personal identification data about depositors in the St. Louis branch of the Freedman's Savings and Trust Company. Includes accounts 223-366, dated 6 April-8 October 1869.
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Freedmen's Aid Society, Methodist Episcopal Church, Illiteracy Chart, 1880 (C2838)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)
Chart showing illiteracy, public school expenses, school property, and taxable property in the United States, compiled from the census of 1880 by George W. Gray and published by the Freedman's Aid Society.
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Anita Frost Papers, 1953-1984 (S0154)
0.01 cubic foot
The papers of Anita Frost contain photographs and military history of the first St. Louis African-American woman in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves. She joined the St. Louis Marine Reserves on July 17, 1953, was discharged a year later and re-enlisted into the regular Marine Corps on September 17, 1954. She retired July 31, 1975, as a gunnery sergeant (E-7).
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Funsten Nut Strike Manuscript, 1933 (S0098)
0.01 cubic foot
In 1933, employees of St. Louis-based dried fruit and nut dealer Funsten Nut Company demanded and received higher wages by striking. The collection consists of a thesis by St. Louis University student Myrna Fichtenbaum, entitled "The Funsten Nut Strike May, 1933". The paper discusses the local historical setting, the sequence of strike activities, and the connections with the labor movement and Communist Party.
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G
Gaffee Family Papers, 1857-1923 (C0202)
1 roll of microfilm
Slave bill of sale; will of Mary Ann Dupuy, Shelby County, KY; Hackney family genealogy; and reminiscences of plantation life in Gossyppia, LA.
James A. Gaines Papers, 1842-1876 (C0425)
0.06 cubic feet (3 folders)
Letters to Lou Bell and Jennie Bell Gaines from relatives and Confederate prisoner at Johnson's Island, OH, describing St. Louis, freed Blacks, and cholera epidemic; U.S. ARMY ARGUS-EXTRA with Price-Fremont letters on exchange of prisoners and protection of civilians; biography of Mortimer Gaines. Microfilm has over 300 receipts of Dr. Gaines, 1850s and 1860s.
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Garfield School (Mexico, Mo.) Records, 1910-1975 (C3925)
4 rolls of microfilm
Student attendance records of a black elementary and high school in Mexico, MO.
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Ruth Wilson Gaskin Papers, 1950-1969 (K1174)
0.02 c.f.
Gaskin (Mrs. Ide) was an African-American housekeeper for several families in Kansas City, MO. Includes photographs of Gaskin's family and friends, correspondence, and newspaper clippings.
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Gateway National Bank Annual Reports, 1965-1979 (S0121)
0.01 cubic foot, 1 folder
This collection contains annual reports of Gateway National Bank, the first bank in St. Louis organized by African Americans.
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Gaylord's Social Club Records, 1936-1980 (S0126)
0.01 cubic foot, 1 folder
Joseph Chapman and Wayman Smith organized the Gaylord’s Social Club in St. Louis in September 1935. It was composed of young Black men who had grown up together, went to different colleges, and returned to St. Louis. In addition to enriching the social lives of its members, the club also makes contributions to charitable organizations.
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North Todd Gentry Papers, 1837-1947 (C0049)
4.2 cubic feet (242 folders)
Papers of a Columbia, Missouri, lawyer and amateur local historian. Anecdotes, articles, speeches, and biographical sketches about events, people, and places in Columbia, Boone County, and Missouri. Family papers, correspondence, and some legal and business material.
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Maltie Thomas Gilliam Papers, 1976-2007 (K1056)
3 c.f.
Gilliam was a long time resident of Kansas City, Missouri. She was a member of Centennial United Methodist Church, the Order of Eastern Star, the Order of Cyrene, Daughters of Isis, and the Order of Golden Circle. Includes personal papers relating to Gilliam's life, work and civic activities: organizational by-laws and histories, reports, correspondence, certificates, awards and plaques received by Gilliam.
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Nathan Glasgow Papers, 1820-1871 (C3430)
0.18 cubic feet (9 folders)
Correspondence, receipts, promissory notes, receipts for sale of slaves, land surveys, deeds, indentures, and a book of mathematic examples of John A. and Nathan Glasgow of Columbia and Millersburg, MO.
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John Goldston Photograph Collection, 1958-1963 (S0783)
0.01 cubic foot, 22 photographs
The John Goldston Photographs Collection contains images of Gaslight Square and the destruction of Mill Creek Valley.
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Malvin R. Goode Papers, 1911-2001 (C1706)
8 cubic feet, 275 audio cassettes, 88 audio tapes, 11 video cassettes, 6 film reels
Malvin Russell Goode, Sr. was the first African American broadcast journalist at ABC News. The collection consists of letters, speeches, photographs, audio cassettes, reel-to-reel tapes, awards, and other miscellaneous items documenting his life, career, and African-American culture.
David M. Grant Papers, 1917-1986 (S0552)
0.8 cubic feet, 18 folders, 7 photographs
The David M. Grant Papers document David M. Grant's career in St. Louis as a civil rights activist and lawyer. Beginning in 1931, Grant organized protests and demonstrations against racial discrimination. He was also active in the local Democratic Party, Labor unions, and a founder of St. Louis’ March on Washington Movement chapter. Grant also served on the U.S. Presidential Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity. The papers include speeches, correspondence, photographs, political fliers, and newspaper clippings.
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Milissa Grant Civil Rights Oral History Collection, 1983-1998 (S1072)
0.25 cubic foot
The Milissa Grant Civil Rights Oral History Collection contains oral histories grant conduct with St. Louis Civil Rights leaders.
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Greater St. Louis Committee for Freedom of Residence Records, 1962-1978 (S0509)
21 cubic feet, 1 photograph
The Freedom of Residence, Greater St. Louis Committee Records chronicle the committee's activities in integrating housing in the metropolitan St. Louis area. The collection contains flyers, correspondence, grant proposals, pamphlets, case files, advertising material, research material, radio spots, photographs, information on Congressmen, mailing lists, educational brochures, and housing lists.
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Green Impact Zone Records, 2009-2011 (K1330)
0.5 c.f.
The records include annual reports, meeting minutes, director's files, publications, and reports relating to this Kansas City, Missouri, community-based organization focused on urban core revitalization and environmental improvements.
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Lorenzo and Thomasina Talley Greene Papers, 1920s-2021 (CA5520)
28.55 cubic feet, audiovisual material, 5 oversize items
Research files, personal papers, and family materials of a professional historian who taught at Lincoln University from 1933-1972. Includes materials of his son, Tommy Greene, and his son's family.
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Greenwood Cemetery Records, 1904-2004 (S0577)
2 cubic feet, 62 folders, 503 photographs, 1 microfilm roll, 3 audio cassettes, 8 videotapes, and 1 DVD
This collection contains record books of an African-American cemetery in St. Louis. Included in the collection are legal exhibits and maps, as well as student papers and photographs documenting efforts to preserve the cemetery.
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Griffin Brander Papers, 1801-1988 (S0355)
0.04 cubic feet, 32 folders, 3 photographs
The Griffin Brander Papers contain marriage certificates, deeds, and tax bills, reflecting Brander’s efforts to maximize his freedom as a free African American while living in the Antebellum South and post-Civil War St. Louis, Missouri.
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William B. Groom Papers, 1843-1872 (C0321)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)
Papers of a California, MO, resident. Two notices of the sale of enslaved children; promissory notes.
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The Guardians, Inc. (Columbia, Mo.) Records, 1971-1985 (C3878)
0.4 cubic feet
By-laws, corporation records, correspondence, financial records, meeting minutes and notices, photographs and miscellaneous records of a black men's social and service organization, founded in Columbia, MO, in 1971.
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Odon Guitar Collection, 1836-1906 (C1007)
1.33 cubic feet
The Guitar collection is comprised of correspondence, military papers, account books and ledgers, and a scrapbook generated by Union Army General Odon Guitar.
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H
David R. Hardy Papers, 1965-1976 (K0319)
1 c.f.
Hardy served as chairman of the Mayor's Commission on Civil Disorder, appointed by Mayor Ilus Davis to study the city's disturbances of 1968. includes correspondence, reports, interviews and statements, clippings, and printed and published materials, the final report and recommendations.
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Harris Family Photographs, c. 1880s-1960s (C2415)
1.0 cubic foot (60 folders)
Photographs of family, friends, employers, church, and schools collected by Julia Warren Harris. Two folders contain postcards, a few letters, and announcements. The collection is a vivid portrait of black family and social life in Boone County, MO.