Thursday, June 28, 2007

Tagged: Thinking Blogger Awards

One thing that happened during my summer school adventure was that Bill West of West In New England tagged me (along with four others) with The Thinking Blogger Award. I appreciate very much the peer recognition that's the inherent basis of this meme.

Now I'm to tag five other bloggers in similar fashion. Because of summer school, I got to this rather slowly and some that I tag may already have been tagged. But here's my list:

Writing the Westward Sagas by David Bowles: The writing here is delightful and informative. Bowles describes himself as a "tale spinner," and indeed, no other description could be as accurate.

The Practical Archivist by Sally Jacobs: Like David Bowles, Sally Jacobs has precisely accurately slef-described her work. This is a great place to find down-to-earth advice, tips, and hints that every historian, genealogist and archivist can really use.

Ancestories by Miriam Robbins Midkiff: An accomplished writer, Miriam is a thinking, researching genealogist as well. Her posts about her ancestral families are poignant. She shares information about her genealogical society work, too; we clearly see how much she loves doing what she does.

Begat Chat: An example of Katie's thoughtful contributions was her recent post I Only Have an Hour! What Can I Accomplish?

There re so many thoughtful bloggers that picking those five was not very easy. Now go check out how this all got started: The Thinking Blog.

Again, thanks to Bill, for recognizing GeneaBlogie.

School's Out!

The intensive forced march that we call summer school is over! Now back to genea-blogging!
Here's where we're going:

1. We've got some pieces backed up from before summer school started. We'll move them out as soon as possible, but some may yield to more timely things that have arisen during the last two weeks.

2. Several events have occurred that need comment in this space--we'll deal with those.

3. The Carnival is coming back to town!

4. Then we'll be dark for the period July 2-5, because we'll be on a trip back to a time and place where there is no Internet access. We'll report on it as soon as we're back in Internet range.

5. On about July 15, we'll announce a project that we'll be doing for the following three weeks. Expect posts every day--if the special technology works!

6. At the beginning of August, we will roll out the new idea I had recently.

It'll be fun! Come along!

Sunday, June 24, 2007

Insomnia + Ancestor = Great New Idea?

For awhile now, I've been thinking about how to combine my expertise in law with my passion for genealogy and history. Until early this morning, I hadn't hit the right formula.

But I awoke for some reason at 3:00 am and tried hard to get back to sleep. When nothing seemed to work, I just let my mind wander. I was thinking about my great-great-grandfather, Guy Bryant (born 27 Oct 1861, DeWitt County, Texas; died 27 Oct 1918, Rockport, Aransas County, Texas). I thought about an incident that happened when he was about 15 years old . . . and an idea occurred to me for the right blend of law, genealogy, and history! After mentally sketching it out for awhile, I fell back asleep. Thanks, Grandpa Guy!

As the darkness yielded to a bluish-gray Central Valley dawn, I awoke again excited about this idea, but a bit sobered by the realization that--believe it or not--there are legal issues that stand in the way of its full implementation! These are not insurmountable, fortunately, but they will take a few months to sort out. So I can't fully describe the idea yet. But you'll be the first to know.

In the meantime, has an ancestor ever helped you solve a vexing problem?

Saturday, June 23, 2007

He Certainly Deserves An Eternal Reward

Chris over at The Genealogue frequently spots and highlights unusual names. Recently, he had these (1, 2, 3). I don't know if he's seen the 1880 census for Clinton County, Iowa.

On that census, there's a nineteen year old grocery clerk, the son of German immigrants. Fredrick and Lisette Lindloff apparently named their son "Through." That by itself would be strange, but it gets better. Professor Murray Heller explains in his 1975 introduction to N.N. Puckett's work, Black Names in America, that the young man's full name was Through Much Trial and Tribulation We Enter the Kingdom of Heaven Lindloff.

Born in 1881, "Through" died on March 11, 1947, and presumably fulfilled his eponymous admonition.

Thursday, June 21, 2007

In Memoriam: Marilyn Ann Thorbjornsen, Lt Col, US Army (Ret)

Our dear friend, Marilyn Thorbjornsen, died unexpectedly last Friday in Madison, Alabama. Her son, Lee, home on leave from the Army, was with her when she went into distress and an ambulance was called. Unfortunately, Marilyn passed away before she could get to a hospital.

Marilyn was born on February 13, 1952, in Normal, Illinois. She spent a career in the United States Army, with assignments around the world. She rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel before retiring. After her retirement from the Army, Marilyn obtained a teaching credential and began working for the Madison, Ala., City Schools. Students and parents describe Marilyn as "awesome," "great," "young-hearted," and "beloved." And those sentiments come as no surprise.

There were few finer human beings on this planet than Marilyn. Always positive, she was proud of her children and cared about all with whom she came in contact.

Marilyn is survived by her three adult children, Krissy A. Thorbjornsen and twins Kelly Sue Thorbjornsen and Lee Thomas Thorbjornsen; sister, Becky Jo Behnke; brother, Steven T. Goss; mother, Loretta Goss; and grandson, Michael Thomas Camp-Thorbjornsen.

Marilyn will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

UPDATE (10:02 pm PDT, 6/21/07): The Huntsville Times ran this feature article about Marilyn yesterday.

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Coming Events

As I mentioned the other day, I'm teaching summer school on a very intense schedule that for a few days will dominate my time. So blogging will be a little light for about a week. But coming up are some interesting things. I've discovered two downright ne'er-do-wells on a remote branch of the family tree. And in July, something completely different . . . it will be a treat! Don't go away; we'll be right back!

Monday, June 18, 2007

Carnival is Posted!

The latest edition of the Carnival of Genealogy is here.

Sunday, June 17, 2007

Can't Play at The Carnival This Time :(

Unfortunately, time constraints keep me on the Carnival sidelines this time. I'm teaching a summer school course at Pacific McGeorge Law School. In our summer session, we teach an entire semester in ten days. So it's very intense--for students and professors! But I look forward to stealing a moment or two to read everybody else's submissions, which get better and better. See you at the next Carnival!

Saturday, June 16, 2007

Babies Buried in Libya?

The U.S. Air Force is trying to find the relatives of seventy-two U.S. citizens whose bodies were recently disinterred from an Italian cemetery in Libya. The deceased Americans are believed to be family members of U.S. military personnel once stationed at the former Wheelus Air Base outside Tripoli. Seventy of the persons were infants.

Wheelus was originally an Italian airfield, but was captured by Allied forces during World War II. The United States controlled it until 1969, when Col. Muammar al-Gaddafi expelled Americans from Libya.

During the time that the Air Force controlled Wheelus, the U.S. government had no provisions for the return of civilians who died overseas. The Italian military offered the Americans free plots and gravemarkers at their cemetery.

Recently, the cemetery was scheduled undergo renovations that would have covered up the American graves. The United States, with the cooperation of the Libyan government, undertook a two-week recovery project in order to repatriate the bodies. The bodies have been taken to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.

Air Force spokesmen say that all the babies and two adults have been identified, but that relatives have not been located and notified.

The persons died between 1958 and 1969.

Persons who believe they are related to one of these deceased should call the Air Force Mortuary Office in San Antonio at 1-800-531-5803.

Information from U.S. Air Force press release, 21 May 2007.

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Research Resource: Uncommon Resources

Randy Seaver has posted about a talk by Ann J. Miller concerning lesser-used research resources. I've not heard that talk, but I have had some experience with some of these resources. Here I explain where and how to find some of them. Not all are online and some are not available in microform, either. So finding some of these records requires the good old fashioned hard working genealogical research.

Land and property records

These are mostly available on microfilm from the Family History Library. More recent records are available online in many jurisdictions. A good example is the Jackson County, Missouri site. These sites vary in terms of what is available and whether there is a charge. Jackson County, Missouri, provides PDF copies of documents for no charge. On the other hand, Nacogdoches County, Texas, charges a modest fee ($2.00-$3.00) for copies of documents. [its documents are handled online by a commercial concern].

Probate records

These records include wills and guardianship records. The records are mostly available on microfilm from the FHL. Only a few jurisdictions have these records online. An example is Nacogdoches County, Texas. Probate records include information about many folks other than the decedent. You will learn about children, spouses, executors, appraisers, accountants, and lawyers. For example, last year, I wrote to the Milam County Clerk in Cameron, Texas, for the probate files of Reuben Henry Sanford and Martha Sanford. I learned a number of things that I did not know.

In 2005, I went to Thomaston, Georgia, to examine records of Upson County. I looked through original probate records in the chambers of the local probate judge. It was quite interesting. If you live close enough to the jurisdiction in which you are researching or if you have reason to go there, looking through the ancient books adds another lively dimension to your research adventure!

Assessment and tax records

Mostly available on microfilm from FHC. More recent records are available online in many jurisdictions. See for example, Aransas County (Tex.) Assessment District.

Court records, including divorce records

Some are available on microfilm from FHC. More recent records are available online in some jurisdictions. Examples include the Missouri circuit courts and the Los Angeles Superior Court. Online sites vary in terms of what is actually available. Note that California's legislature is considering a bill to restrict divorce records---seems to have been motivated by a rich guy's embarrassment about having his financial information available to public in a property settlement. It's not clear that this controversial bill will pass.

Obituaries

As Randy notes, obituaries can supply information about not just the deceased, but for parents, siblings, and children. There are several commercial site on-line such as obitsarchive.com and newspaperarchives.com. A number of public libraries have obituary indexes, usually in cooperation with a local newspaper. A good example (heck, the best example) is the Corpus Christi Public Libraries site. They will e-mail or snail-mail copies of obituaries from the Corpus Christi newspapers. Not all libraries will do that.

Passport Applications . . .

. . . have a variety of information. But note that passports were generally not required before 1941. Passport applications up to March 1925 can be found at the National Archives and Records Administration and from April 1925 to the present at the State Department. To obtain the passport files of a deceased person, you must file a request under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). This the same provision of law under which you obtain the Social Security applications (SS-5). The State Department has a handy "FOIA Letter Generator" that makes this process simple. I'm going to try it and will report back on how long it took, etc. You can also request the passport files of a living person with proof of their consent.

More to come on uncomon resources!

Thanks Again, Missouri

I really believe in giving credit where credit is due.

On May 20, 2007, I wrote to the Missouri State Archives to request copies of the original log of death certificates concerning Eliza Jane Long (died 1885) and Pauline Long (died 1886).

My requests were received on May 24, 2007. On June 4, 2007, I received a notice from the Archives that acknowledged receipt of my requests and stated that processing could take up to eight weeks.

On June 7, 2007, I received the requested materials.

Thanks, Missouri! You consistently come through.

Sunday, June 10, 2007

Miriam's 200th Post

Congrats to Miriam Midkiff on her 200th post! Read her thoughts about the genea-blogging community. Couldn't have said it better!

Saturday, June 09, 2007

Product Review: Find-A-Grave

The geneablogosphere has been buzzing lately with news of exciting partnerships, new databases, and innovative technologies--all of which I'm very enthused about. This morning, however, I was reminded that some of the existing, older research products out there remain highly valuable and worth revisiting from time to time.

I had not visited Find-A-Grave in quite awhile, but I ended up there this morning in the course of a lengthy Google search. At Find-A-Grave, I found details and photos about several folks whose names have turned up in this space. As a result, I found information that I had not seen anywhere else.

For example, I've written about Daniel Henry Sanford. I did not know his exact date of birth, nor did I know his wife' s complete maiden name. At Find-A-Grave, there was this post. This great contribution by Ronnie Bodine tells us D.H. Sanford's date of birth, his wife's complete maiden name, and gives us not only picture of the gravesite, but a nice photo of Daniel and Texonia together.

Someone else has contributed this photo of Daniel's father's gravesite. I also came across an entry for a Mrs. E.G. Sanford of Milam County. That's a name I'd never heard before. She must have some relationship to the other Sanfords in Milam County. I haven't found her in any census record yet either.

Find-A-Grave also has entries for Izola Manson (my great-uncle Carl's wife) Perry W. Gines (my uncle) and his wife Kay.

Find-A-Grave depends on data contributed by users. There are some users who have contributed thousands of photos and other information. [Several years ago, I contributed this information on Amanda McCray Bowie. I noticed today, however, that my photo has been replaced by another one. I think mine was better.]

There are thousands of entries on Find-A-Grave. It's simple to use and simple to contribute. When you're scanning gravesite photos for your own use, help other researchers by stopping in at Find-A-Grave and sharing what you have.

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

Cue the Twilight Zone Theme Music!

A little less than twenty-four hours ago, I learned for the first time that my great- great- grandfather was held in slavery in Clay County, Missouri by a man named Henry Wilhite.

Tonight as I was going to bed, I grabbed a book off the shelf to read myself to sleep. I wasn't looking for a particular book, just any book. The book I grabbed turned out to be In Search of the Racial Frontier:African-Americans in the American West, 1528-1990, by Quintard Taylor, a professor of history at the University of Oregon. [I've had the book for nine years and never cracked it open before tonight]. I skipped around in the book and finally came to pages 75-76, discussing ex-slaves in Oregon. This passage leapt off the page and nearly knocked me back:

[Amanda] Johnson, born in Clay County, Missouri, in 1833, was brought to Oregon in 1853 by her owner, Nancy Wilhite.

Coincidence? I don't think so . . . .

Today is "Zeke Johnson" Day

A week from this Thursday, which would be June 14, 2007, is the 160th anniversary of the birth of my great-great-grandfather, Ezekiel Johnson. I've written about him before (here, here, and here). For awhile, he was one of my very difficult brickwalls. And then one day, a sudden breakthrough gave me some special insight into his origins and at the same time raised more questions. I've been trying to solve some of those questions.

In genealogy, it never hurts to go over ground that may have been plowed once or twice before. I was exploring various databases for "Ezekiel Johnson" or "Zeke Johnson," when I found buried treasure! I'm so thrilled about this that I hereby declare today to be "Zeke Johnson Day" at GeneaBlogie.

What I found were Grandpa Zeke's military records in a database labeled "U.S. Colored Troops Compiled Military Records." I realized that I had looked here before for "Ezekiel" but not for "Zeke," which is how the records were indexed. These records contain a lot of information.

A key element of these records is a card which is transcribed as follows:

18 | USCT

Zeke Johnson,
Co. D, 18 Reg't US Col'd Inf
Appears on
Company Descriptive Book
of the organization named above.

Description
Age 17 years; height 5 feet 4 inches
Complexion Black
Eyes Black Hair Black
Where Born Missouri
Occupation Farmer

Enlistment
When July 23, 1864
Where Kansas City
By Whom Capt Hall; term 3 years
Remarks: Battle of Sand Mountain,
Ala.; Jan 29, '85

That document tells me several things I did not know: that he was a short man (his granddaughter and great-granddaughter are in miniature as well). He enlisted at age 17.

Another significant document is this one:

Click on image to enlarge
Image Copyright (c) The Generations Network, Inc. Used in accordance with Limited Use License

Now we know quite bit more about Ezekiel Johnson, to wit:

Born in Clay County in 1847, Zeke Johnson was in 1864 the slave of one Henry Wilhite. In May, 1864, he "left" Wilhite and in July, 1864, in Kansas City, he enlisted in the 18th Regiment, United States Colored Infantry. He received a bounty7y of $300 for enlisting. In September 1864, he joined the regiment at Benton Barracks near St Louis.

The regiment moved to Nashville in November 1864 and participated in the Battle of Nashville in December of 1864. They then moved on into Alabama, fighting the Battle f Sand Mountain in January 1865 and then remaining in Alabama until February 1865. Moving to Tennessee next, the 18th remained there until being reassigned to Huntsville, Alabama in 1866. The unit was mustered out at Huntsville in February 1866. Zeke Johnson was present for duty at all of these times except part of August 1864 and Sept-Oct 1864 when he was hospitalized for diarrhea

When he was mustered out, Zeke Johnson was entitled to keep his musket and "accoutrements." He owed the Government $21.54 for clothing, but the Government still owed him $100 as part of his bounty.

We don't know exactly what Grandpa Zeke did immediately after leaving the Army, but we know that on September 5, 1867, he married Sarah Gilbert back in Clay County. In the late 1880's, the Kansas City directory showed him residing at 2544 Cherry and working as a carpenter for Standard Implement Co.

And what of his erstwhile master, Henry Wilhite? He joined the Confederate Army, but beyond that, we don't know any more about him.

I had never known the name of Zeke's slave-owning family until I saw it in these records. This knowledge will advance my research significantly. For reasons that I've written about before, I don't think Wilhite was Zeke's original or only master. I think Zeke is the 3 year old male shown in the ownership of Emmons Johnson on the 1850 slave schedule. We need to find some transaction between Emmons Johnson and Henry Wilhite.

Ezekiel Johnson died on August 8, 1933, having lived long enough to see his great-granddaughter, my mother.

The U.S. Colored Troops Military Service Records are on Ancestry.com as part of their Military collection. Curiously, they are not part of the Civil War collection. The records are from the National Archives, Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1780's-1917, Record Group 94.
The use we made of these records here illustrates the value of such records to the family historian. Of course, the National Archives has available similar records for military personnel of all races. Check this page for pre-World War I records.

Monday, June 04, 2007

Carnival of Genealogy: Creative Genes

The 25th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy is hosted by Jasia at Creative Gene. And the topic, you recall, is the "creative gene" in families. Again, the Carnival is a showcase of talent and interests in the genea-blogosphere. Check it out!

Missouri Death Certificate Project Adds 1933!

Another month passes, Missouri adds another year! Huzzah! See it here.

Walter Scott of Spokane, Washington: The Rest of the Story

Miriam took up where I left off on the brief study of Walter Scott. She's done a marvelous job. See it here. It was fun to "collaborate" with her on this. It goes to show what can be done when folks combine their efforts.

Sunday, June 03, 2007

Seems Like Nothin' Ever Comes to No Good Up on Choctaw Ridge . . . .

Number of "MacAllisters" found in public records in Mississippi from 1790 to 2007: 16 (maybe 17).
Number of MacAllisters in Mississippi named "Billie Joe": None.

"I Got Some News This Mornin' from Choctaw Ridge"

Choctaw Ridge in a portion of Mississippi (Panola County)

The river just north of Batesville is the Tallahatchie River. The lake northeast of Batesville is Sardis Lake. The red line through Batesville is Interstate 55. The dark east-west line through Batesville is Mississippi Highway 6. The red line west of Batesville is an approximation of Choctaw Ridge. The area west of Choctaw Ridge is the Delta.

A Different Sleepy Dusty Delta Day

Conditions in the Delta (as observed at Isleton, California): Partly cloudy. High temp., 84o; chance of precip 0-10%; rel. hum. 50%. Sunrise: 5:45 am PDT. Sunset: 8:25 pm PDT.


Bridge at Carquinez Strait in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta
(Interstate 80 between Vallejo and Crockett)

Another Sleepy Dusty Delta Day ?

Conditions in the Delta today (as observed at Greenwood, Mississippi) : High temp. 91o ; isolated thunderstorms; chance of precip., 30%; rel. hum. 50%. Sunrise: 5:51 am CDT. Sunset: 8:07 pm CDT.



A bridge over the Tallahatchie River
(Mississippi Hwy 7 between Holly Springs and Oxford)

Friday, June 01, 2007

Walter Scott of Spokane, Washington: A Brief Study

So last Wednesday, I had a long to-do list and I was making good progress. I took a break, went to my reading list and came across this great post by Miriam Midkiff. She'd spent Sunday of Memorial Day weekend visiting and photographing veterans' gravesites in the Spokane area. An excellent project! She posted a number of photos at Find-A-Grave. One of these was that of Sgt. Walter Scott, Company K, 27th Regiment, United States Colored Infantry. Noting that African-Americans are “a definite minority” in the Spokane area, Miriam wrote, “I'd love to find out more of his story!” Oh, no! I groaned. Because . . . I . . . was . . . busy. I didn't have time to take that on, as Miriam all but invited me to do! Doesn't she know that I'm an addict when it comes to tracking down stories like that?!

Oh, well . . . can't help myself!


Walter Scott was probably born in Ohio in 1847. If he was born in Ohio, which is suggested by most census records, he probably was born in Clermont County just across the Ohio River from Kentucky. Clermont County was a hotbed of abolitionist activity. There were numerous Underground Railroad sites in Clermont County, six of which have been preserved to this day. Walter may have been born near New Richmond, which hosted an Underground Railroad station. We have no record of his parents' names or his siblings' names. However, we have some clues that further research might bear out. These are mentioned below.

The fact that he lived in an area with so much Underground Railroad activity may suggest that he was born elsewhere and brought to Ohio by runaway parents or relatives. Perhaps 40% of those escaping by Underground Railroad passed through Ohio and a number of these stayed there.

Walter enlisted in the 27th Regiment, United Sates Colored Infantry, apparently at or soon after the time it was organized in 1864. He would have been seventeen years old. The 27th had a short but illustrious wartime experience. The unit went first to Maryland. From there, they pushed into Virginia, moving as far south as the James River. Part of the 27th's mission was to guard federal trains moving through enemy territory. They then participated in the siege of Petersburg and Richmond from June 1864 to December 1864. The 27th then moved into North Carolina where they helped capture Fort Fisher in January 1865 and then they were involved in the capture of Wilmington in February 1865. By April 1865, the 27th Regiment moved on Raleigh and was part of the occupying force there. In May 1865, the 27th was present at the surrender of Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston. The men of the 27th Regiment were mustered out in September, 1865.

Walter Scott's service must have been exemplary. That's because, in less than two years, this teenager rose from private to sergeant. Only the best soldiers, black or white, were promoted to sergeant so rapidly. Most of Scott's fellow enlistees left the Army as privates. Scott left the Army at or shortly after the time the regiment was disbanded.

In 1870, he was back in Ohio, married to a woman named Josephine, said to have been born in Mississippi. They had a year old baby also named Walter. Living with them was 108 year old Phoebe Smith. The 1870 census did not show relationships, so it is not clear who this person is. She could be the grandmother or great-grandmother of either Walter or Josephine or she may not be related to them at all.

In 1870, Walter was working as a steamboat deckhand on the Ohio River. [Interestingly, Robert Fulton's first commercial steamboat, operating between Albany and New York City, was nicknamed “Clermont,” same as the county in which Scott resided.] On the 1870 census, Scott and his family are described as “mulatto,” suggesting that he had one white parent, most likely his father. The birth place of his father is blank, while his mother is said to have been born in Virginia. Also on the 1870 census is a 49 year old black man named Willis Scott, also living in Clermont County and working as a steamboat steward. Willis Scott is said to have been born in Virginia.

By the time of the 1880 census, Walter and Josephine were still in Clermont County, Ohio, but now with four children: the aforementioned Walter, May, age 9, Minor, age 7, and Martha, age 2. Walter had continued to work on the steamboat.

We don't know what the Scott family did in the twenty years between 1880 and 1900, except that they moved from Ohio to Spokane, Washington. In Spokane at the time of the 1900 census, Walter and Josephine resided with their daughter “Alfa” Keene [Martha], who had been widowed and their granddaughter, Josie Keene. Walter was working as an “expressman.”

Now of course, the most interesting question is raised. In 1900, Washington state had a black population of just over 2,500. So why did Walter Scott move his family across the continent to the Pacific Northwest? To answer that question, we may have to go back to the Army.

After the Civil War, the Army, as it does after every major war, reorganized and downsized. Two black infantry regiments were retained and designated the 24th and 25th Regiments. Two black cavalry regiments were retained and designated the 9th and 10th Cavalry. These four regiments were shifted to the west where conflicts with the Indians were becoming more intense and new settlements were being established. These regiments became known as the Buffalo Soldiers.

Both the 24th and 25th Infantry were at one time or another stationed at Fort George Wright near Spokane. This installation opened in 1899. There were in those regiments a number of men who had made the Army a career after the Civil War. Several had made sergeant; a number were from Ohio and Kentucky. It's easy to suppose that Walter Scott knew some of these men and had been in contact with them. So Scott's contacts in the Army may have told him about the social climate for Negroes in the Northwest. This climate was observed and described by Booker T. Washington during a tour of the region in about 1913. In a letter to the New York Age, Washington wrote: "As one travels still further in the direction of the Pacific Ocean, conditions among our people change, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse, but on the whole for the better."1

Washington commented specifically about relationships between the community and the black soldiers:

I spent three pretty busy days in Spokane and spoke nine times to various kinds of audiences, One piece of information which was given to me by both white and colored people, especially by whites in Spokane, interested me very much and that was that the 25th Infantry, a Negro regiment of the United States Army,made a better record when in camp at Fort Wright near Spokane than any other soldiers that have ever camped there. One of the members of the Chamber of Commerce told me that the citizens of Spokane were practically unanimous in their regret that the colored soldiers were replaced by white ones. The members of the 25th Infantry made an exceptional record for fine and orderly conduct. It was very noticeable in Spokane that the reputation which these soldiers made had gone a long ways towards giving the white people a higher regard for the colored people in that vicinity.2

Washington goes on to note other examples of cordial racial relations in Spokane, Seattle, and Tacoma. It's not hard to imagine that this benign atmosphere was conveyed to Walter Scott by some of his Army buddies, who probably urged him to relocate. [It must be said that by the time of world War II, Spokane's regard for black soldiers seems to have cooled. In an official Army study entitled The Employment of Negro Troops, it is noted that "Spokane, Washington, citizens objected to stationing Negro Air Forces units at nearby fields, for they felt that their own Negro populations were too small to provide social contacts for Negro men.”]

Perhaps on the strength of such rosy assessments, the Scotts left Ohio and moved to Washington state. By 1910, Josephine had died. Walter was working as a porter at a hardware store. Walter the younger was a janitor; hid wife Blanche was a masseuse. Younger son Minor was a laborer at a smelter in the Tacoma area.

It's not clear to me that the Scotts were necessarily better off in the Pacific Northwest than they had been in the Old Northwest. Booker T. Washington's letter may provide a clue as to why:

One finds in a city like Spokane a few colored people who are succeeding in the professions and in business, and those men are well thought of. The principal drawback to the people in the city grows out the fact that they are barred, as I stated in my former communication, from the trades. As of yet, I have found no place where the trades unions give the colored man any chance at the trades. It seems pretty well understood in this part of the world that a colored laborer must be a porter, messenger, or something of that kind.3

This attitude on the part of working class unions may not have been motivated completely by racial animus. One must suppose that the government's use of black troops to suppress labor demonstrations had something to do with it as well.

In any event, Walter Scott moved out west for the same reason other Americans did: to find greater opportunity for his family. He died sometime between 1920 and 1930. His son Minor died in 1952 after working as a longshoreman in Seattle.

This is just a glimpse inside a much more complex story. Thanks, Miriam [seriously!] for opening up an area many of us don't know much about: the history of African-Americans in the Pacific Northwest.

Footnotes

1. The Booker T. Washington Papers, L. Harlan & R. Smock,, eds. (Univ. of Ill. Press 1982), Vol. 12:1912-14, p. 141, online at http://www.historycooperative.org/btw/Vol.12/html/141.html.

2. Ibid.

3. Ibid., p. 142

Jasia's New Gig

Jasia over at Creative Gene has launched a new blog called Creative Genealogy. She says, "This blog will look at a myriad of creative ways you can share the fruits of your genealogy research with your friends and family. And I assure you these ways will be anything but dry and boring!" Knowing Jasia's other work, I'm positive that this will be a good one. Congrats and good luck!