“The Enslaved and Free People of Color in Antebellum Georgia” is the title of the Black History Month program to be held at the Georgia Archives on February 3.
The program is co-sponsored by the Metro Atlanta Chapter of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society and the Friends of Georgia Archives and History. The program is free, with no registration required, and runs from 9 a. m. until just before 5 p.m.
Lisa Bratton, of Tuskegee Institute, is scheduled to give the keynote address. Other planned speakers are: Terri Ward, on “The Slave Community of McIntosh County”; D. L. Henderson, on “Records of Free Persons of Color”; Emma Davis Hamilton and Rhonda Barrow, on “The American Colonization Society and the post-Civil War immigration to Liberia”; Joanne Smalley, on “The Georgia Supreme Court Records: a Case Study”; and Kayla Barrett, from the Georgia Archives staff, on “The Records of the Georgia Archives.”
All of the speakers are well-known authorities on various aspects of African-American history and records, so this should be a top-notch seminar and well worth attending. For more information, see GeorgiaArchives.org, aahgsatl.org, or call 678-364-3710. The Metro Atlanta Chapter has regular meetings with speakers throughout the year and is a good place to meet others doing similar research.
Big Cities, Small Towns: History of DeKalb’s Communities
The January 30 Lunch and Learn lecture at the DeKalb History Center in Decatur will feature archivist Fred Mobley speaking on “Big Cities, Small Towns, a History of DeKalb’s Communities.” This overview of the county’s many communities and neighborhoods will be gleaned from the center’s rich collection of original records and published sources. The free event will be from noon to 1 p.m. at the Old Courthouse in Decatur. Bring your own lunch. For more information, go to dekalbhistory.org or call 404-373-1088, ext. 23. The DeKalb History Center’s archives is open by appointment and accepts donations of materials related to DeKalb’s history, as it has done for more 50 years.
DeKalb Deed Abstracts Index
Bruce Pruitt, who abstracted and published DeKalb County Deeds from 1842 through 1874 in four books, has now completed his series with a comprehensive index to said volumes. His latest work, “Index to Abstracts of Deeds: DeKalb County, GA Books H, L, M, N, O, P, Q, & R (1842-1874),” is an important volume to have to make the series more accessible. The book contains a full-name index to all people mentioned, after which there is a separate index of place names, lot numbers, and many other proper names in the deeds. Cost is $15 postpaid, from A. B. Pruitt, Box 815, Whitakers, N.C., 27891. His website is abpruitt.com.
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