Andre Anthony Pittman (30 Oct 1986-21 Feb 2005)

Andre Anthony Pittman died on 21 February 2005 at Valley General Hospital in San Jose, California, from injuries suffered in an automobile accident the preceding day. Born on 30 October 1986 in Santa Clara, California, Andre was the son of Cheryl Marie Manson Pittman-Lewis of San Jose and Michael A. Pittman of Dallas, Texas. He was a 2004 graduate of Valley Christian Academy in San Jose and was attending West Valley College. He was his mother’s only child and was known to her as “Bear.” He is also survived by his stepfather, Andre V. Lewis. His grandparents are Harold V. Manson and Lillian G. Manson of San Jose. He was a great-grandson of the late Quentin V.H. Manson & Jessie Beatrice Bowie of Texas and the late William Edward Gines & Annie Florida Corrine Long of Kansas City, Missouri. Other ancestors include: Otis Manson & Bettie Sanford of Texas; George Preston Birdsong & Matilda Manson of Georgia; Richard William Gines & Sylvia LeJay of Louisiana; Elias Bowie & Hattie Bryant of Texas; Guy Bryant & Maria Martin of Texas; Lewis LeJay & Syntrilla Brayboy of Louisiana; and James William Long & Mary Elizabeth Liza Jane Johnson of Missouri.

As we head into the fourth week of February, we continue our GeneaBlogie spotlight on Black History Month.

The Library of Congress Revisited

Yesterday, we were at the Library of Congress in Washington, visiting the Local History and Genealogy Reading Room. There, those researching African-American genealogy will find more than 180 African-American family histories and related works. The Library also has guidebooks, case studies, and bibliographies and other resources related to black genealogy.

On its acclaimed American Memory website, the Library of Congress has sixteen interesting collections that relate to African-American History. One that I found particularly compelling is Slaves and the Courts.

Civilian Conservation Corps

The Civilian Conservation Corps was one of the first and better ideas of Franklin Roosevelt’s “New Deal.” Millions of young Americans were put to work on various types of projects around the country. About 250,000 were black. See the article in the North County Times (San Diego & Riverside Counties, Calif.), “All Black Company of Civilian Conservation Corps Workers Left Mark on National Forest,” Saturday, February 19, 2005. This article got me thinking about the CCC as a source of genealogical information. Turns out there’s a National Association of CCC Alumni, with a museum and a research center in St Louis. Records of CCC participants can be found at the National Archives and Records Administration. The NARA index lists a set of photos of black CCC enrollees from 1936-1940. These are stored, and may be viewed, at the NARA facility at College Park, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C.

Of course, there’s a lot of CCC material on the New Deal Network site. This includes a 1941 government pamphlet entitled, “What the CCC is doing for Colored Youth,” and a number of letters addressing the general subject of racial segregation in the CCC.

I was reminded of an old joke today: “If pro is the opposite of con, what’s the opposite of progress?” My first research trip to the Library of Congress today (after three years of living in the Washington area) brought that vividly to mind, as I made no progress whatsoever in my work. Now in fairness, this was not the fault of the Library (at least not entirely). I didn’t leave home until past noon, and though I had prepared for the visit, I hadn’t given myself enough time to both familiarize myself with the place and do my work.

If You Go . . .

The Library of Congress is in several buildings on Capitol Hill in Washington. The main building is the Thomas Jefferson building at First Street and Independence Avenue, directly across the street from the Capitol and down the block from the Supreme Court. On Saturdays, it may be possible to park along Independence Avenue, but don’t count on that during weekdays, especially if Congress is in session. So it’s best to arrive on foot, by cab, or by Metrorail, Washington’s regional mass transit system. The Capitol South Metro station is about a block and a half away. I recommend going early in the day, but no so early you get caught in the D.C. rush hour traffic. The Library opens at 8:30 a.m. and stays open until 9:30 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. It closes at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The Library is closed on Sundays and all federal holidays.

One reason to go early is that you may want to spend some time just looking around. You can do this individually or as part of a public tour. There’s a virtual tour available online and an audio tour at the Library. To enter the reading rooms, however, you will need a Reader’s Identification Card. Registration for the card is free and the process takes just about ten minutes if there aren’t a lot of folks waiting. Note that the registration station is in the Madison building across the street from the Jefferson building. So go to Madison first. (I made the mistake of going to the Jefferson building first. I had to back through security in both buildings as a result).

Prepare before you go. Know what your research goals are. Use the Library’s online catalog before your visit. Also check the Library’s website to understand what can and cannot be brought into the Library. Consider taking the Library’s research orientation class (one 90-minute session). Finally, if you have more than one day to spend, consider making “Overnight” requests for books to use the next day.

The Library’s Local History and Genealogy room is in the Jefferson building on the ground floor. There are also some great educational exhibits and, of course, a superb gift shop. The Library also has food service available in the Madison building.

If you spend a little time in advance, then your research progress won’t be stymied by Congress (the Library of . . . ).

The Teddy Bear

Halfway through February . . . Valentine’s Day . . . pitchers and catchers report this week to spring training . . . and we continue our GeneaBlogie observance of Black History Month with the untold story behind the “invention” of the Teddy Bear . . . .

Nearly everybody knows the Teddy bear was named for Theodore Roosevelt, soldier, hunter, adventurer, conservationist and 25th President of these United States. But few know the whole story. Roosevelt had gone hunting in the Mississippi Delta in 1902. His guide was a former slave named Holt Collier. Collier, born in Mississippi in 1848, was well-known as a hunter, expert marksman, and guide throughout the South. On Roosevelt’s hunt, Collier chased a black bear to a watering hole near a stand where the President had been waiting. But when the bear got there, Roosevelt had gone for an early lunch. The cornered bear turned and began to attack one of Collier’s best dogs. Collier literally took the matter into his own hands, overpowering and subduing the bear. He then tied the bear to a tree. When T.R. returned, he declined to shoot the captive animal. Word of the inciddent spread and became the subject of an editorial cartoon in the Washington Star. A toy manufacturer saw the cartoon and heard the story. He asked his wife to sew a cloth bear which became the original “Teddy” bear. And the rest is history . . . .

Of course, the part most often overlooked is the story of Holt Collier. He had served as a Confederate soldier. He was described by an interviewer for the Federal Writers’ Project as “a remarkable colored citizen” who “did a great deal for the uplift of his race.” Collier was quite a character whose most memorable hunt was not the Roosevelt trip. The stories about Collier’s exploits are hand-down legends in Mississippi. Collier died in 1936 and is buried in Live Oak Cemetery in Greenville, Mississippi.

Less than a year after the Delta bear hunt, President Roosevelt founded the first federal refuge for wildlife at Pelican Island, Florida. Roosevelt went on to establish 52 refuges during his Presidency. Today, his legacy, the National Wildlife Refuge System, includes 545 refuges. The newest refuge was established by Congress in 2004. It’s the Holt Collier National Wildlife Refuge, near Darlove, Mississippi; the first and only federal refuge named for a black American.

More African-American Genealogy Links

Holt Collier’s story–largely in his own words–can be found on the American Slave Narratives page of the New Deal Network. These slave narratives are excellent sources of genealogical information and also can be found on the Library of Congress Website; North American Slave Narratives on the University of North Carolina’s Documenting the American South site, and many other university Websites.

I just came across Doll’s Genealogy Site and what I think is her related blog, Rooted in Tuskegee. I really like both of them as excellent African-American sites.

Bennie McRae, Jr., has a data-rich site entitled United States Colored Troops. Another data-rich site is The AfriGeneas Library at AfriGeneas.com–a must-see venue!

An aspect of black history often overlooked even today is the connection between African-Americans and American Indians. Two good sites to learn more are The African and Freedmen of the Five Civilized Tribes.

But first . . . A Bit of Shameless Self-Promotion

Well, 2005 got off to a fast start! Here it is February already and myy posting haas fallen behind. That’s partly due to helping a cousin stand up a website that covers all the surnames listed here. It’s Our Lifetimes–The Legacy of An American Family, and can be found at www.geocities.com/ourlifetimes. The site is growing, but is already pretty robust. For example, it has tables of family members who enlisted in the Army in World War II (see the Birdsong

family listing); family trees for certain branches of families (see the Bryant example), and sections highlighting “Notable Quotable” family members (see Manson example). There are also some decent historical descriptions of surname origins (see Manson and Gines examples) and hopefully there soon will be more historical documents, such as this 1839 enlistment paper from Texas. Check it out!

Black History Month

In 1926, a Harvard-educated historian developed the observance of what he called Negro History Week. The son of former slaves, Carter Godwin Woodson, Ph.D., believed that one day, his “Negro History Week” would be unnecessary as the place of blacks in American history became universally known and appreciated. Today, the entire month of February is dedicated to recognition of African-American history. It’s not that Dr. Woodson’s hope of greater appreciation so failed that now a whole month is needed to make the point. Indeed, it’s precisely the opposite.

Along with an appreciation of the greater history of those of their race, blacks have taken significant interest in their individual family histories. On a recent visit to the National Archives main building in Washington, DC, I couldn’t help but notice the large percentage of black researchers. I made similar observations at the Virginia Room of the Fairfax City Regional Library in Fairfax, Virginia. Especially interesting and heart-warming were the numbers of black families–parents and children–working together at the Fairfax Library.

Black history, like all history, is made every day by ordinary people in the things they do. All history is personal, ultimately. And genealogical research is the way we all–whether black or any other race– discover the often unheralded personal stories behind the universally known history.

Black History and Genealogical Links

I have African-American ancestors and cousins, so I’ve come across several resources that I really like. One that I just discovered is the African-American Sailors Index on the Civil War Soldiers & Sailors site of the National Park Service. This is a joint project of the Park Service, Howard University, and the Naval Historical Center. An easy search device supplies names and personal information on thousands of blacks who served in the Union Navy. Sarchable fields include name, hometown, state, and country. The state and country search yields some unexpected results. For example, we discover that there were black Union sailors born in Utah and (believe it or not!), Sweden.

At Our Black Heritage.com, you won’t find a lot of individually useful information, but the exemplars there are interesting and may spur further research ideas. There are a number of documents such as slave rental agreements and a letter from Booker T. Washington. Similarly limited, but interesting is the online site of The Black Archives of Mid-America.

Of greater research utility are the Freedmen’s Bureau Online and African-American Cemeteries Online. The Freedmen’s Bureau site has, among other things, marriage, labor, and “outrage” records. The cemetery site is good, but still growing.

Two other sites I like are Brenda Kay’s African American Genealogy and Christine’s Genealogy Website.

The Princeton Public Library has a black history/genealogy site that highlights New Jersey native son Paul Robeson. It has a lot of other good research links as well. Finally, there is a subscription site that may be available free in your local public library. It’s The African-American Biographical Database.

Dr. Woodson would be thrilled at the sources available on the Web. I’ll highlight some other good sites throughout the month.