tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7734338450587111138.post2984077756136187253..comments2023-10-18T02:04:41.258-07:00Comments on The USCT Chronicle: What happened to President's Island Contraband Camp?Angela Y. Walton-Rajihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12987860835348165902noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7734338450587111138.post-63182397336287489062013-01-10T14:06:54.587-08:002013-01-10T14:06:54.587-08:00Hello,
I am researching my family history and I h...Hello,<br /><br />I am researching my family history and I have reason to believe my direct ancestor was located on Presidents Island in 1880. Perhaps as part of a Yellow Fever quarantine. <br /><br />Specifically I was hoping someone familiar with the are could tell me where "Second Civil District, Shelby County" would be located today? <br /><br />I found a 1880 census that shows my ancestor and his wife living in the Second Civil District. They are listed as laborers. On the same census sheet every single person listed for several pages lists their race as black, except my ancestor who lists is as white. Any idea why that would be? <br /><br />I understand the Yellow Fever outbreak of 1879 may have used President Island as a quarantine station. <br /><br />We have a lot of Cherokee blood in us so it is possible that everyone else considered them black, but they themselves identified as white. <br />And of coarse it is also possible that they were black and the census worker got it wrong.<br /><br />All this is assuming Presidents Island is the Second Civil District of 1880.<br /><br />Appreciate any comments. <br /><br /><br />DodgerH8terhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15692990677563656140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7734338450587111138.post-88615672657723979672011-03-31T11:06:25.132-07:002011-03-31T11:06:25.132-07:00Angela and Mark,
I am so happy to hear that the o...Angela and Mark,<br /><br />I am so happy to hear that the one-room schoolhouse from P.I. is going to be saved, but I am also interested in the larger story of the island during the Civil War and directly following it being told. I have contacted several Memphis media and gotten no response, which is strange. I cannot imagine a more timely or newsworthy story.<br /><br />A regular visitor to Memphis, I have looked at the FB Records there many times and not seen much at all on P.I. These records are not pre-bureau records.<br /><br />Otherwise, I've picked up a few references from Ira Berlin's work. An example comes from Leah Black, a freedwoman who filed a complaint with the Southern Claims Commission. A witness for her residency in Memphis during the war wrote that he was acquainted with her during the war, having many times seen her going between President's Island and Camp Shiloh of the Colored People feeding the soldiers and selling her wares (I paraphrase a bit).<br /><br />It looks to me like we're going to have to put forth a major effort to get the story of this contraband camp and others told.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09891767440310731330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7734338450587111138.post-74804786086519304552011-03-20T15:25:18.873-07:002011-03-20T15:25:18.873-07:00Hello Mr. Scott,
Thank you so much for your remar...Hello Mr. Scott,<br /><br />Thank you so much for your remarks and for visiting the blog!<br /><br />I would love to know where the schoolhouse is located now. Has it been removed from President's Island, and is it being restored?<br /><br />Also I would love to know more about the records that you are using from Memphis Freedman's Bureau. Are you getting any data from the years that President's Island was a contraband camp?<br /><br />Looking forward to hearing more.<br /><br />-Angela-Angela Y. Walton-Rajihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12987860835348165902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7734338450587111138.post-64425606379745097532011-03-17T14:24:30.075-07:002011-03-17T14:24:30.075-07:00I am Mark scott - teacher at East High. My class i...I am Mark scott - teacher at East High. My class is the one doing the Presidents Island One Room School House Project. Today I found what I believe to be the grave of Mrs. Elnora Devers at Elmwood Cemetery. Her grave is not marked however records at the cemetery state that she died in 1979. That date fits well with one of the interviews on the blog where one of her former students stated that she died after 1970. I really enjoyed your site and hope to add to our blog in April and May this year.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12411688894539111830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7734338450587111138.post-29102461389388169602011-03-16T14:57:13.158-07:002011-03-16T14:57:13.158-07:00Angela,
I am the Mark Scott that you mentioned on ...Angela,<br />I am the Mark Scott that you mentioned on your site. The project is ongoing and my current students are researching the Freedmen's Bureau schools in Memphis. The Main Library in Memphis has the microfilm of the FB Records. In Fact I was viewing some of them today. I only looked through (3) rolls - there are many. Within the rolls there are multitudes of records re: the Riot of 1866 and I also found some records from the medical hospital on the island. The American Missionary Association supported the schools with teachers and the school on P. Island was supported in this fashion in the 1860's. It would be great if the students could incorporate your knowledge of education/life on the island to their studies.<br /><br />Mark Scott<br />markscott003@gmail.com<br />islington@bellsouth.net<br />scottmarka@mcsk12.netUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12411688894539111830noreply@blogger.com