~Janel Cayer

~Elizabeth Lorang

Mathew Brady’s photograph of B. Peyton Brown, ca. 1860 – ca. 1865. National Archives and Records Administration.

Brady’s photograph of B. Peyton Brown (ca. 1860-1865) is held at the National Archives and Records Administration in the sub-series “Mathew Brady Photographs of Civil War-Era Personalities and Scenes, compiled 1921 – 1940, documenting the period 1860 – 1865″ (see ARC Identifier 524418 | Local Identifier 111-B). This series is part of Record Group 111: Records of the Office of the Chief Signal Officer, 1860-1865.

~Janel Cayer

This group also includes the petition of Horace Sprigg, which claims compensation for one slave named Martha Ann Sprigg. According to the final report of the commissioners, Sprigg’s claim was denied by the emancipation commission. The commissioners stated, merely, “Claim not allowed,” and no other explanation is provided in the report. Nearly two years later, Sprigg’s claim was brought before the Senate, and compensation was once again requested. A report published in the June 23, 1864 issue of the New York Times offers details regarding the denial of Sprigg’s claim. According to the report, Horace Spriggs was “a colored citizen of Washington” and was the slave of John Parker prior to April 1862. Sprigg claims to have purchased his daughter, Martha Ann Sprigg, from Parker for about $200. The emancipation commissioners, as stated in the Congressional proceedings, “refused to allow the claim, on the ground that a slave could not acquire slave property, according to their then existing laws.” Though Sprigg further petitioned to Congress for the compensation of his daughter, it is not clear from these sources if he was ever awarded for his claim.

~Janel Cayer

Thanks to Diane Bender for pointing out this mistake.

~Janel Cayer

Included in this batch of documents is a petition submitted on June 2, 1862 by Margaret J. Beall, claiming compensation for five former slaves, Lucy Moore and her four children: William H., Richard, John Louis, and George Moore. Four days later, on June 6, 1862, Margaret J. Beall, Jane Elizabeth Beall, and Matilda B. Louisa Beall jointly filed another petition claiming compensation for seventeen former slaves, eight of whom were inherited by the petitioners from their mother (Jane N. Beall), and nine of whom were born into the service of the Beall family.

This group of documents also features a petition which was filed by Amelia Tilghman, who was identified by the emancipation commission as a free black living in Washington. According to the final report of the commissioners, Amelia Tilghman died before the emancipation commissioners filed their final report. The amount awarded for Tilghman’s claim was paid to her husband, John Tilghman.

~Janel Cayer

The supplementary material relating to Wheeden’s petition appears to have been incorrectly grouped and microfilmed with the petition of John Marbury (petition number 184, as yet unpublished on Civil War Washington). Though petition number “184″ is written on the cover of the misplaced bond, the document is actually meant to supplement Wheeden’s petition, to which the missing bond has been added.

–Janel Cayer

This batch of new documents includes a petition which features two counter claims for one slave. On May 28, 1862, William L. Hoyle submitted a petition claiming compensation for three female slaves: Mary, Margaret, and Matilda Dyson. In the following July, John C. McKelden and trustee, William R. Woodward, submitted a counter petition, claiming that Hoyle was indebted to Woodward. McKelden and Woodward’s petition includes an indenture, which suggests that Hoyle had used Mary Dyson as collateral, should he not be able to repay this debt. The documents pertaining to these claims can be found in this petition. According to the final report submitted by the emancipation commissioners, Hoyle received compensation for his claim to both Margaret and Matilda Dyson; McKelden received compensation for his claim to Mary Dyson.

Also included in this group is the petition of George W. Riggs, in which Riggs requested that compensation for his claim to the service of Anthony Bell be paid directly to Bell. According to the commissioners’ final report, however, the commissioners did not, for reasons unknown, honor Riggs’s request.

~Janel Cayer

Basic keyword and advanced search forms for querying the Civil War Washington database.

A description of how to get the most out of the advanced search is coming soon. In addition, we are planning an update to the advanced search for early December, which will bring further improvements in functionality, including the ability to show all results within a category. A longer term project is increasing the number of records and the quality of the information in the database. In order to get the most out of the database, we need to enrich the existing records—particularly in documenting known relationships between entities—as well as add new records. In the near future, we plan to add all of the people mentioned in the petitions filed in response to the DC Emancipation Act, and we hope to import detailed information about the person-person and person-place relationships embedded in the petitions.

We are eager to hear from users about how the search may be further improved—as well as what features you especially like. Please send feedback to the Civil War Washington project team.

~Liz Lorang