Latest news with #WalterHawthorne
Axios
19-06-2025
- General
- Axios
Websites expand ancestry records of enslaved people
Two genealogy sites are adding troves of historical materials about enslaved people in the U.S. to databases, which could give many of their descendants a fuller picture of their families' histories. The moves come as the nation on Thursday celebrates Juneteenth, the annual celebration of the end of slavery. Why it matters: In recent years, descendants of enslaved people have gained unprecedented access to collections of long-lost family records online — made possible by advances in technology, AI, and DNA testing. The big picture: A growing number of Black Americans are tracing how their families were torn apart, received Anglo names and sold across the country because of slavery, which began in the British colonies more than 400 years ago and officially ended with the 13th Amendment in 1865. They're also learning about how some relatives escaped slavery and what their lives were like in the aftermath of emancipation. Driving the news: announced last week that it will significantly expand its free Articles of Enslavement records collection — an archive of newspaper articles documenting the experiences of enslaved people in the U.S. The website is expanding its archive nearly fourfold, using proprietary AI models and machine learning to index 110,000 newly discovered articles that reference more than half a million people. Many of the original newspaper articles contain never-before-seen information about enslaved people in communities where courthouse and community records were otherwise destroyed or lost. How it works: Users can visit Ancestry's expanded landing page dedicated to enslavement records and search by name or explore a state with the most records. AI will comb through the once-hard-to-search data for names of enslaved people, connecting names in Ancestry's other databases of public documents to piece together puzzles. Zoom in: Michigan State University announced this week it's publishing new data on its "Enslaved: Peoples of the Historical Slave Trade" website, That's a project in partnership with other organizations, such as FamilySearch International, that documents the lives of enslaved people of African descent. The latest data release makes information regarding 2 million Black Americans born before emancipation in the 1900 Census available for discovery and download. The expanded dataset will significantly aid researchers' ability to identify formerly enslaved people and their families for academic study, the university said. What they're saying: "Tracing people from the era of enslavement into the generations that followed emancipation presents exceptional challenges to descendants and researchers," Walter Hawthorne, an MSU history professor and head of the project, said in a statement. That's because managing databases across multiple sites remains challenging, along with ensuring the long-term preservation of projects and resources, MSU said. "The details of these records can lead to key breakthroughs in helping descendants of previously enslaved people in the U.S. make discoveries about their families prior to 1870," Nicka Sewell-Smith, Ancestry's senior story producer and genealogist, said in an announcement. State of play: Juneteenth celebrations began in Texas, and commemorate June 19, 1865 — the day Union Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, with news that the Emancipation Proclamation had been signed by President Lincoln more than two years earlier.
Associated Press
18-06-2025
- General
- Associated Press
2 Million Black Americans Born Prior to Emancipation in the 1900 US Census
New dataset from FamilySearch bridges generations documented in the 1900 United States census ' is excited and honored that FamilySearch is publishing a complete dataset through our project.'— Walter Hawthorne, MSU Professor of History SALT LAKE CITY, UT, UNITED STATES, June 18, 2025 / / -- Michigan State University (MSU) and FamilySearch International are happy to announce an extensive expansion to MSU's online collection Enslaved: Peoples of the Historical Slave Trade ( ), a project that documents the lives of formerly enslaved individuals of African descent. The newly expanded collection uses 1900 United States census data to significantly enhance the ability to discover formerly enslaved individuals and their families for genealogical and academic research. This exciting new, free resource can be accessed now at and MSU and FamilySearch determined that the 1900 census would significantly benefit MSU's initiative because of its potential to identify about 2 million people named in the census who were likely enslaved before emancipation in the United States. (Enslaved individuals were not named in many historical records, including U.S. censuses. Censuses taken after 1863 are sometimes the first records to include these individuals by name.) FamilySearch then worked with Brigham Young University's Record Linking Lab to identify the individuals in the census, along with links to the original census images on and records in the FamilySearch Family Tree. To search the 1900 U.S. Census, filtered for 2 million Black Americans born before emancipation, search the collection directly at 'FamilySearch is the premier genealogical website in the world. It has an immense amount of searchable data about individuals who appear in a great range of primary sources—from censuses to baptismal records to birth records and more. is excited and honored that FamilySearch is publishing a complete dataset through our project. This is a rare collaboration between a center that caters mostly to an academic audience and a nonprofit organization that caters to the general public,' said Walter Hawthorne, MSU professor of history and head of the project. Tracing people from the era of enslavement to the generations that followed emancipation presents exceptional challenges to descendants and researchers, Hawthorne noted. Progress has been made in recent years due to a growing number of archives, databases, and collections that help organize and make sense of records of enslavement. These resources have only recently become readily accessible for scholarly and public use. Such advancements come with the unique challenges of finding and accessing these databases online and the preservation of these projects and resources. is a constellation of resources built to address these challenges. Its primary focus is individuals who were enslaved, who enslaved others, or participated in the trading of enslaved persons. 'We're honored to contribute to this important project that brings greater visibility to the lives and legacies of formerly enslaved individuals,' said Stephen Valentine, FamilySearch executive vice president for North America, Europe, Middle East and Africa. 'In addition to sharing this valuable dataset, we're excited that scholars and descendants can access original historical images and linked family records in the FamilySearch Family Tree. These connections enrich academic research and empower families to discover and preserve their heritage in deeply personal ways.' The crowdsourcing capabilities of the free FamilySearch Family Tree have been instrumental to the development of multiple record-linking projects by Brigham Young University (BYU) and will enable the continued enhancement of MSU's 'Two Million Black Americans Born Prior to Emancipation in the 1900 United States Census' dataset as a portal to deeper research possibilities. Professor Joe Price, director of BYU's Record Linking Lab, explained that the new dataset, combined with Family Tree, will allow people to explore their family history and see their personal connections to any ancestors who were likely formerly enslaved. The rich data in the 1900 census will then open the possibility to link back to previous census records (1880 and 1870) and eventually to records that predate emancipation. As individuals contribute their own genealogical information and uncover new records, these contributions will strengthen scholarly research, enriching our understanding of the lives of formerly enslaved people and their families. Search the new 1900 United States census dataset today at and RELATED • Find your African American Ancestors on • Journal of Slavery and Data Preservation: 1900 U.S. Census Essay and Searchable Dataset • Tutorial to download the 1900 US Census dataset on Kristina Poznan [email protected] Legal Disclaimer: EIN Presswire provides this news content 'as is' without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
