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Showing 111–120 of 1279 results for Virtual Tour of Washington's Field Headquarters

When Women Lost the Vote: A Revolutionary Story: Thomas Blue

Thomas Blue is one of at least four free Black men who voted in Montgomery Township in October 1801.
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Finding Freedom: Deborah - Birch Pass

In the terms of the surrender to the Americans, the British were to return all captured property—including human property. The British did not adhere to this stipulation, and instead evacuated thousands of free and formerly enslaved men and women to Canada. Birch Passes, named for British Brigadier General Samuel Birch, were given to those who could prove they sought the protection of the British forces during the war. The passes, such as this example, guaranteed a place on a departing ship. According to the 1783 “Inspection Roll of Negroes,” Deborah received a Birch Pass that allowed her to go to Nova Scotia as a free person. Cato Rammsay, an enslaved man who escaped from Norfolk, Virginia, received this Birch Pass that allowed him to go to Nova Scotia as well. 

Passport for Cato Ramsay to emigrate to Nova Scotia, 21 April 1783; NSA, Gideon White fonds, MG 1 vol. 948 no. 196

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Finding Freedom: Andrew - Claim for Increase in Revolutionary War Pension Payment

Andrew Ferguson traveled west to Knox County, Indiana, in 1844 to apply for an increase in his Revolutionary War pension payments due to the growing pain of his wartime injuries. This written record documents his testimony given at the county courthouse and the support Ferguson’s application received from a fellow Black veteran named Daniel Strother. According to his testimony, Ferguson was wounded in the leg at the Battle of Camden in 1780 and in the head at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse in 1781. Two doctors examined Ferguson following his testimony and agreed that his injuries prevented him from earning a living from manual labor. The doctors supported his claim for an increase in his pension payments, but the United States Government denied Ferguson’s request. 

National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, DC/Fold3.com

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Meet the Figures: Oneida Nation Theater: Skenandoah

Skenandoah was born in 1706 as a Conestoga but became Oneida soon after through a “requickening” (absorption and reidentification) ritual. After an embarrassing episode in Albany in 1755, he abstained from alcohol for the rest of his life. According to one observer, he “possessed a vigorous mind, and was alike sagacious, active and persevering.” In 1775, he accompanied a Presbyterian missionary friend to the new army camp outside Boston, where they met Washington and the Massachusetts Provincial Congress. Because of his allegiance to the Revolution, he was imprisoned by the British at Niagara in 1779-1780 and under a sort of house arrest until 1784. His engagement in the treaty negotiations with the British in this period was something for which some Oneida people never forgave him. He died in 1816, aged about 110.

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When Women Lost the Vote: A Revolutionary Story: Elizabeth Dudley

Born in 1778, Quaker woman Elizabeth Dudley had 10 siblings. She voted along with her father and three of her brothers in 1807.
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When Women Lost the Vote: A Revolutionary Story: Sabillah Pearson

Quaker woman Sabillah Pearson was born near Moorestown, New Jersey, in 1783. She cast her ballot in 1807 at the age of 24.
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Finding Freedom: Andrew - United States Census, 1830

Andrew Ferguson moved to Indiana (which became a state in 1816) after the Revolutionary War. The 1830 United States Census, shown here, documents Ferguson’s residence in Monroe County. Ferguson is listed as a “Free Colored” man between the ages of 55 and 100. A “Free Colored” woman between the ages of 36 and 55, possibly his first wife, is listed in Andrew’s household. No other family members are documented in their household. 

National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, DC/Ancestry.com

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When Women Lost the Vote: A Revolutionary Story: Mary Kitts

Born in 1776, Mary Kitts was a member of the Oldman’s Creek Moravian Church. She voted when she was a property-owning widow in 1802.
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When Women Lost the Vote: A Revolutionary Story: Eleanor Boylan

Eleanor Boylan voted when she was about 51 years old and a widow. She lived until 1846 when she died at about the age of 97.
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When Women Lost the Vote: A Revolutionary Story: Miriam Venable

Miriam Venable voted along with her mother, brother, uncles, and grandfather in 1807. She is buried in the churchyard of Trinity Episcopal Church in Moorestown, New Jersey.
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