1807 Law for Tracing Slaves & Slaveholders

At a3Genealogy we have had many blog and presentation requests to address issues in the news of late. So let's unscramble referencing 1807.  Note: This 1807 Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves should not be confused with the recent “law and order” conversation that encouraged the use of the 1807 Insurrection Law. 

An 1807 Law that can help trace ancestors:

ex-slave ancestors and slaveholders.  

We have to remember 1807 was the year that slaves were no longer to be imported on our shores. It was a sort of weak attempt to end slavery. Slave trading was not abolished, so the north just sold their underutilized slaves to the southern planters. When referencing the slave trade we commonly envision domestic purchases and exchanges of plantation owners and traders culminating in the overland transporting of slaves. Shipping human cargo via coastal waterways from one region to another is often forgotten history. But, after 1807 slaves were legally transported via the Inter-coastal Waterways. An easy opening to the 1807 Importation of Slaves that allowed slave trading to continue, slave breading to continue, and the trapping and enslaving “free coloreds” to thrive. Of course, illegal boats also still imported slaves, in spite of the law. 

This Abolition Act of 1807 prohibited the import of slaves into the United States, effective 1 Jan 1808; however, domestic slave trading from one slave state to another was legal until 2 July 1864. An overlooked treasure for slave researchers are the ship manifests that document the legal trade and migratory path of slaves transported by water within the jurisdiction of the United States.

Ship Manifests

Ship Manifests, 1828 Baltimore to Savannah

It is estimated that over 1 million slaves were transported using either coastwise ships to the southern ports along the Atlantic, or channeling them along the southern coast and the Mississippi River using southern tributaries. 

To fulfill the law that required proof that slaves were not illegally imported into the United States after 1808, manifests of cargo carrying slaves were submitted at both ports of departure and arrival with appropriate statements swearing that the slaves listed "have not been imported into the United States since the first day of January, One Thousand Eight Hundred and Eight..."

Sworn Statement

Slave Names and Hints
The manifests contained the name of the shipper or slave owner as well as their residence. They specified the name, sex and age of each slave to include a physical description - stature and designation of "negro, mulatto or person of colour."  Names of slaves are sometimes provided. 

Once slaves arrived at the port of destination they were often sent to neighboring areas. In a recent search we were able to locate a slave arriving in Charleston and within days exchanged in Augusta, Georgia.

Tracing Northern Slaveholders and Slave Movements to South Slave research using ship manifests requires persistent sleuthing. The family historian must gather information on the records of slave masters as well as the slave. The extant manifests are tools to research the migratory path of your slave ancestor and in many cases the movement and business efforts of the slave owner, trader or shipper. The researcher will find that due to the pirating of vessels, coastwise shipments before the War of 1812 were few; but in 1821, the boom year of coastwise slave trading, over 2,600 manifests are available for research.

1. Slave Traders. To help determine your ancestor's place of origin, be sure to trace shippers, traders and captains of that region. A recent search highlighted a well-known Cahawba, Alabama slave trader, "Shoestring" Barker. It appears Shoestring owned the local slave exchange. Corroborating information, including census record analysis and business deeds, resulted in positively identifying a slave ancestor and his owners; as well as papers that tied a slaveholder to “business dealings with Barker.”
2. Northern Slavemaster to Cotton Belt. Since most slaves were transported under the shipper's name, master records may reveal sales to a shipper, allowing the researcher to trace the vessel. A successful search may result by tracing the family unit. This was possible since the slave master moved his entire plantation to the cotton belt. After the Civil War, a Pennsylvania-born family member, as described on the earlier Philadelphia manifests, were still living in close proximity.
3. Outbound manifests from 1820 to 1860 with destination of Savannah, Charleston, New Orleans, Pensacola, Florida – may contain not only slave names, but allow researchers to trace a slavemaster, a slave ship and its cargo-passengers from origin to destination. The researcher should be familiar with the various slave ships. Visit the Slave Ships, South Carolina Genealogy Trails website for a listing of some slave vessels. Newspaper advertisements may also confirm active coastwise trading for your timeframe.
4. Analysis of 1870 and 1880 census records may also uncover a migratory pattern. Perhaps you have noted that a disproportionate community of Georgian ex-slaves or ex-slaveholders recorded their parents' birth as Maryland? Or did your Alabama ancestor record his birth or his parents' birth as Virginia? In 1836, the height of the slave trade, Virginia exported over 120,000 slaves using coastwise vessels. Combining census data with deeds, sales, wills and local history, the researcher may be able to identify their slave ancestor in the manifests or the origin of a slave holder.
5. If you are researching a New Orleans slave ancestor, you may wish to also check Louisiana Slave Records, 1719-1820, as compiled by Gwendolyn Hall. 

This blog is part of the following Presentation:
Using Ship Manifests for Slave & Slaveholder Research. 

Kathleen Brandt

a3Genealogy@gmail.com

Be Historically Correct

Juneteenth - Our Ancestors Knew

Celebrated Across the Nation
Due to the mass exodus of ex-slaves from the south, Juneteenth has been celebrated across the nation, not just in Texas.

Phoenix Tribune, 18 Jun 1921, Chronically America, LOC. 

Whereas the 1921 Race Riots of Greenwood neighborhood of Tulsa, OK have always been remembered as a day of mourning,  Emancipation Day, celebrated as Juneteenth, has always been a day of festivities for ex-slaves, their descendants, free-coloreds, and allied communities.


So after a week of repeated texts, calls, and emails a3Genealogy offers a rather standard answer to the question "Why didn't I know?" Our response basically states "Juneteenth is part of America's well-known history celebrated by ex-slave descendants.  Depending on one's cultural, social, and educational structure it may (or may not) have been taught in your schools." 

Why one did not know of it, is one of those phenomenon where history is magically erased. This is particularly the case, because our ancestors knew of it.  The following 1898 letter printed in the Atlanta Constitution, 15 May 1898, pg 16 is one early example.

The confusion was understandable.  The Emancipation Proclamation was signed 1 Jan 1863.  So why were the "negroes" celebrating on the 19th of June?  Easy answer.  Texan slaves, the last to know they were free,  did not get word that they had been free until two years later June 1865.  In business we call this a "slow roll-out."

White Allies in Communities Participated

"White visitors were invited to partake of dinner, and all accepting, were served in accordance with their supposed choice at a separate table. Harmony prevailed..."

As mentioned, this is America's history. This 29 Jun 1886 newspaper article recapping the Webberville festivities in the Austin American Statesman not only provides us with the going-ons  of early celebrations (nowadays it's usually bbq, speakers, and community gatherings); but the author clearly wanted to acknowledge the White attendees: "White visitors were invited to partake of dinner, and all accepting, were served in accordance with their supposed choice at a separate table. Harmony prevailed..."

Dallas Express, 7 Jun 1919,  pg 14
Newspapers.com

For further research, why not use contemporary newspapers articles about your area.  How did your ancestors acknowledge Juneteenth and celebrate the Emancipation of slaves since 1866? This 1893 Galveston Daily News article gives a sweeping overview of how emancipation was observed across Texas. (https://www.newspapers.com/clip/53495386/account-of-grim-past-during-1865/#)

Happy Juneteenth. Stay pandemic safe and celebrate!
Kathleen Brandt
a3Genealogy@gmail.com

The Federal Dead List - FOIA Request

Let's be honest.  If you are a professional genealogist or a serious family researcher how many Freedom of Information Act requests have you generated? The a3Genealogy teams average about 25 (or more) a month from one agency or another. Every a3Gen Team uses FOIA requests - the Military, the Lineage, Dual Citizenship, DNA (Ingenes), Forensic / Private Investigator, and the Special Brickwall teams. Researchers are usually quite familiar with the FBI files from 1908 (more effective beginning around 1920) to present. Many have even uncovered FBI files from Fold3.com or other subscription databases.

AGHAST!
You people don't know about the 

FBI RIDs Dead Lists?  

But, when I mentioned the FBI Record Information Dissemination Section (RIDS) Dead Lists the group confessed they were not familiar with it. Then it came to my attention that many did not understand how FOIA requests work. What research tools are generated from our FOIA requests?

FOIA Request FlowChart
Do you have an interesting ancestor who may have caught the eye of the F.B.I.? One Norweigen client had an interesting "public figure" ancestor living in Minnesota. It was interesting to compare her obituary to that in her FBI file.  Be sure to read the NPR piece: Finding FBI Files of the Dead.  Note: My ancestors were clearly under-achievers.

The FBI Record Information Dissemination Section (RIDS) Dead Lists is comprised of a list of people the FBI "understands" are deceased. Basically, the FBI (and other government agencies) creates records while processing day to day operations. So, investigative files and personnel files create a chain of records and indices on the "subject."  Early records can be located at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA, Archives II) in College Park, MD. Researchers may find more recent indices published online by year. For example, the 2015 Dead List may be found on archives.org.

Researchers may also request information on an individual on the List by making a FOIA request to:

FBI RIDSAttn: Freedom of Information Act
170 Marcel Dr
Winchester, VA. 22602

Of course as with all FOIA Requests, proof of death (i.e. obituary) is needed. Remember these are the FBI RID's Dead List files.  So your subject has already been proven dead. Also, remember these files can be voluminous. One of our Philippine War Soldiers request, originally created by a military and Veteran's Administration FOIA, produced a file of over 600 pages. An issue carried on by his descendants had drawn the spying eye of the FBI. Keep in mind that just because the subject is deceased, his file may continue. In this case, the file was created and continued for decades.Yet, much was learned (or supposed) of his life. The NPR piece above notes the issue of "accuracy" in some of the files and reports, but for genealogists, we use this resource to guide us to primary sources and further research.

What Might You Find?
Often I will do a location search (i.e. Kansas City), or code search  ("LCN" or "Pearl Harbor," or Civil Rights") for group topics.  Those who warrant an FBI file are most often infamous, or famous, or possibly or suspected to have engaged in activities that may have be against the state. (Did I use enough caveats there?) However, researchers will find compiled data on the subject. It may include newspaper clippings, interviews, or other source cited background information. It also may include speculation. In many cases, there are associated court cases that can be pulled for additional information.

1. Name Changes

Several years back, the Dual Citizenship team was working on not one, but two, unrelated Italian Dual Citizenship applications. One was from the mid-west the second was east-coast. Both were seemingly dead-ends. Where was grandpa?  It was through entries in the FBI RIDs Dead Lists Index that began the brickwalls to tumble. Not one, but both of our clients, with no known relation or association with each other, were descendants of members of La Costa Nostra (LCN) which is commonly tied to the Sicilian Mafia.

The clients' La Cosa Nostra ancestors not only were noted on the Dead Lists, but aliases names were proffered. Voila! Although eliminated from dual citizenship eligibility, at least family history was learned.

2. In Depth Topical Research

All the time in the world can't replace the research conducted and compiled by the FBI Records held in The Vault. Two years ago while researching for a Civil Rights documentary for one of the History Channel's pieces, we needed more information on our subject. There was not a direct file on the subject that we could locate, but we learned much about him via Claudia Jones' FBI file held in The Vault. Through The Vault, which many records are scanned and online, we were able to use the compiled (yes partially redacted) files that gave us both leads and hints to primary sources on our subject.

3. Association Research
We were successful again when working for the media with "Gangster Era" files  from the 1940's. Our subject was not indexed, but we tied our research to one who was more prominent, yet working and residing in the same circles, to find historical details on an actor's ancestors.

Other Access to FBI Deceased Identification Files
The U. S., F.B.I. Deceased Criminal Identification Files, 1971-1994 is also on ancestry.com.  Again researchers can extract birthplace, death date, and perhaps a note on crime. This information offers researchers where to look next. At a3Genealogy we use this database mostly for our forensic research projects when needed.

Additional Resources

FBI, FOIA/Privacy Act
2017 FBI RIDs Dead List

The Black Vault, FBI RIDs Dead List (2016, partial 2019)

Have fun during this time of "stay-at-home" to enjoy learning new repositories and resources.
Stay healthy and safe!

Kathleen Brandt
a3genealogy@gmail.com

What Wasn't In The Obituary?

Courtesy of Crown Realty

Share your Local House Histories
(Even Contemporary House Histories are Fascinating)

In a time when the world seems to be at a standstill, historical research has boomed. And since I research historical topics as a family and forensic genealogist and contemporary subjects as a Private Investigator the chance to delve into some quirky Kansas happenings was a breath of fresh air. Especially when that fresh air housed man-made scuba diving tunnels.

In the month of March, the a3Gen team has unearthed house and land histories in Johnson County Kansas, Dodge County Kansas, and Jackson County Missouri for clients but most aren't this picturesque. So below I put eight tips to ferreting out house histories:

8 Tips to Start House History Research

1. Obituaries
2. Newspapers
3. Who were the architecture and the builders
4. Trade Magazines
5. Land Deeds / Court Recorder Office be sure to pull contractor permits
6. Zoning Records
7. County and National Historical Record Applications (if applicable)
8. Present and Past owners (if applicable)

The Spirit of Avalon
Yes, one of the houses we researched, was noted for its scuba diving tunnels. Yes, in Kansas! Thanks to Dennis Langley, the founder and CEO of the Kansas Pipeline Operating Company, a 17,755 square foot castle-of-a-house, that I believe is still on the market, was built. Langley's life story is well known in the Washington, DC and Kansas circles. His rise from Hutchinson Kansas Community College (the same community college my mother attended) to Senator Joe Biden's "Chief Speechwriter," to his political influence especially in the state of Kansas to his CEO position is all outlined in his 2017 obituary. Read his obituary here.

Actually, as a Kansas know-it-all, I knew quite a lot about Langley so the only real surprising bit was the family's suggestion of memorial donations to be made to the United Aid Foundation to help orphaned children in Romania. This tie needs to be researched a bit more. But what was most surprising was what was not in the obituary.

What Wasn't In The Obituary
When you are researching the man who built the most lavish and unique castle-like home in your home state, you really don't know what you will find. (Yes, I live in Kansas City, MO now, but my family roots since 1880's is in central/western Kansas). But it's what I didn't find in Langley's obituary that was a bit surprising.

"The Spirit of Avalon," (think King Arthur) the name given to his home, was mentioned only once in his obituary. This legendary home built in 1993 and completed with tunnels in 2000 is estimated to have cost about $30 million. Yet, it was slightly mentioned in the obituary as the future location of "a celebration of his life and friendships." Langley's estate was also mentioned when referring to his favorite past-time which was apparently "pruning his [own] trees." Unfortunately, Langley succumbed to complications from a fatal fall while pruning.

The issue is, we know, or maybe just suspected, that this man had an even bigger passion. The one not mentioned in his obituary. Scuba diving! At minimum he was a well known scuba diving enthusiast.

Sure, you can overlook the size of the house, the requisite tower as every respectable castle should have, or the 15 bronze statues. You can even downplay the hand carved dragon doors, where the dragons have different colored eyes. But the scuba diving tunnels? That's how I learned of Langley years back. Why wasn't his dedication to scuba mentioned?

The main residence and guesthouse were originally built in 1993 by Dennis Langley, who worked in the natural gas business and was a scuba enthusiast. Over a three-year period, he added a series of water-filled tunnels that extended below the house, into the mountain, and around the property, accessed by a series of pop-up holes and grottoes so that divers could enter and exit at various points. (Article: New Haven Register)

Visit this Kansas home here: Dive Into This $11.8M Kansas Megamansion With Subterranean Scuba Tunnels. Note: Be sure to ignore the reference of a mountain. We do not have mountains in Kansas. Well, it may meet a layman's (or Kansan's) use of the word mountain, but falls short of the geologists' classification as a "landform that rises 1000 ft." But I digress...

While we have a bit of a slow period, why not share a special part of your home state? I was honored to be commissioned to do a special project on Langley and the Spirit of Avalon. House histories, even contemporary house histories, are fascinating and fun.

Kathleen Brandt
a3Genealogy@gmail.com