HOUMA, La. (AP) - A partnership between an African-American Museum and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has opened a pathway for Houma residents to connect with their history.
The Courier reports (http://bit.ly/2oGIbYM ) Houma's Finding Our Roots African-American Museum and the Mormon church have collaborated to make Freedmen's Bureau records available at the museum.
The museum's vice-president, Alvin Tillman, says getting beyond 1870 is the problem many African-Americans have in terms of genealogy. He says they hope to get people in museum to let them know they can go further.
Black residents were first listed by name in a U.S. census in 1870. Previously, federal censuses listed slaves under the master's household.
The project is in its beginning stages, but the group has been conducting research on the Freedmen's Bureau records.
Information from: The Courier, http://www.houmatoday.com
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