Family Collections

The Emma Lee and Jimmie Adams Papers include personal and business correspondence, financial records, legal records, programs, postcards, business cards, and printed material documenting the personal and business activities of Emma Lee and Jimmie Adams. The papers are organized into five series: correspondence, financial records, legal records, religious activities, and printed material. The bulk of the papers is personal correspondence written to Emma Lee Adams from various relatives in Louisiana, Texas, Ohio, and Chicago, Illinois. Many of the letters are from Emma Lee’s sisters, parents, and cousins and discuss general family matters such as weddings, births, illnesses, and work life. Dates: 1951-1959 Collection number: MS 63 Creators: Emma Lee and Jimmie Adams   Collection Size: 1 linear foot (2 boxes) Guide to the Emma Lee and Jimmie Adams Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

Dates: circa 1930s-1950s   Collection number: MS 160   Creator: Bean, Sandra.   Collection Size: 1.5 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Sandra Bean Home Movie Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) The Sandra Bean Home Movie Collection includes nine reels of 8mm and 16mm film documenting African Americans beginning in the late 1930s. The home movies include four b&w and four color films totaling 103 minutes and shows women gardening, children playing, sleeping car porters traveling across the country working for the Pullman Company, and families enjoying their leisure time dancing and fishing. A majority of the footage is thought to be taken by Ernest Bean, a sleeping car porter from the Bay Area, and documents the work of sleeping car porters working for the Pullman Company and middle class African Americans in the Bay Area during the 1930s-1940s. View online items We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

The Maxine and Roy C. Blackburn Papers include clippings, correspondence, certificates, photographs, and programs relating to the lives and careers of Maxine Blackburn and her brother, Roy C. Blackburn. Maxine's accomplishments as a pianist, organist, and choral director are documented in clippings and programs about various local concerts she participated in or organized. Roy's civic activities as a member of the Republican party and as a member of the Oakland Police Department are documented in newspaper clippings and pamphlets. The papers include correspondence received from Roland Hayes while he worked as his Pacific Coast Manager. Newspaper clippings also document Roy's role as Director of Negro Publicity for the 1939 World's Fair and as a clerk for the State Relief Administration in the late 1930s. A majority of the photographs are family and friends of the Blackburn family. Dates: 1915-1979   Collection number: MS 13   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Maxine and Roy C. Blackburn Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

The James E. Brackett papers include 91 photographs and Olive Brackett’s class notes and textbook attending Lee Ann’s Academy of Cosmetology in Oakland, California. Photographs are arranged by subject into four subseries: Brackett family photographs, military service, NAACP events, and assorted. Dates: 1932-1976   Collection number: MS 94   Creator: Brackett, James E.   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the James E. Brackett Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

The John Edward Brooks papers includes correspondence, certificates, photographs, printed material, employment records related to Brooks' military service, employment as a police officer, and disability and equal employment claims. The papers are arranged into four series: biographical, employment records, printed material, and photographs. The bulk of the papers documents Brooks’ employment history, including his military service at Fort Lewis and in Germany, and also includes his applications for disability and equal employment claims. Dates: circa 1924-1988   Collection number: MS 34   Creator: Brooks, John Edward.   Collection Size: 1 linear foot (2 boxes)   Guide to the John Edward Brooks Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

The Amanda Brown Photograph Collection includes 37 family photographs and portraits of African Americans mostly in the San Francisco Bay area during the 1910-1920s. Dates: circa 1910s-1940   Collection number: MS 90   Creator: Brown, Amanda.   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Amanda Brown Photograph Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

The Brown Family papers include photographs, an oral history, and notes on the Brown family genealogy. The bulk of the papers are photographs documenting the Brown, Clark, and Watkins families, most of which are photographs of various social gatherings around Palo Alto, California in the 1910s. There are also a number of photographs documenting horse racing, ranching, and harvesting at a ranch in Woodland, California in the 1910s. The papers include a photograph album created by Fred Brown when he stationed at Patterson Field, Ft. Campbell, Kahuku Army Airfield and Saipan during World War II. Dates: 1910-1976   Collection number: MS 36   Creator: Brown family.   Creator: Brown, Fred.   Collection Size: .75 linear feet (2 boxes)   Guide to the Brown Family Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

Dates: 1916-2017 (bulk 1916-1990)   Bulk Dates: 1916-1990   Collection number: MS 164   Creator: Smith, Jackie Bryant   Collection Size: 5.6 linear feet (5 boxes + 3 oversized boxes + 8 artworks)   Guide to the Bryant Family Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) James J. Bryant was born to George and Addie Bryant in Perry, Kansas, on January 16, 1888, the second son among five brothers. Florence Bryant was born to Henry and Liza Stevens in Linn Creek, Missouri, on January 21, 1894, the youngest of six children. The Bryants were married in Wichita, Kansas, on June 28, 1916 and moved to Oakland in 1938. James was a long-time sleeping car porter for the Pullman Company and active in the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. Florence was named Oakland’s inaugural Mother of the Year in 1954 and was active in organizations such as the March of Dimes. James J. Bryant passed away on March 27, 1976, and Florence Bryant passed away on August 29, 1985. Jackie Bryant Smith, one of five daughters of James J. and Florence Bryant, was born on June 5, 1941, in Oakland and was active with the NAACP. The Bryant Family Papers include correspondence, records, realia, publications, and photographs that document aspects of the family's work life, social life, and political activities. The papers are organized into six series: James J. Bryant, Florence Bryant, Jackie Bryant Smith, Photographs, NAACP, and Printed Material. We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

The Calbert family papers include photographs, biographical sketches, and two monographs written by members of the Calbert family. The papers are organized into four series by family member: William E. Calbert, Madlyn W. Calbert, Sadie H. Calbert, and William Riley Calbert. William E. Calbert materials include a biographical sketch, two portraits, and a photograph of U.S. Army chaplain William E. Calbert's promotion to lieutenant, a biographical sketch of William Riley Calbert written by William E. Calbert, and a letter from librarian Miriam Matthews which includes a reproduction of an undated San Pedro St. YMCA group photograph. Also included in the papers is a monograph, The African American presence: the black chaplain, written by Madlyn W. Calbert; Sadie H. Calbert’s funeral program and self-published book of poetry, My thoughts, my faith, my dreams, and a 1909 greeting card with calendar and photograph from Busch Gardens in Pasadena, California inscribed by William Riley Calbert. Dates: 1909-2011   Bulk Dates: 1966-1989   Collection number: MS 109   Creator: Calbert, William E.   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Calbert Family Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

The Virna M. Canson papers include photographs, correspondence, programs, certificates, and newspaper clippings documenting Canson’s activities with the NAACP and credit unions, politics, and her personal and family history. The papers are arranged into two sub-groups, Virna M. Canson and Clarence Canson. The bulk of the papers are photographs related to Canson’s family history in Oklahoma and her participation in politics, civil rights, and credit unions. The papers include some general correspondence and awards related to her work at the NAACP, her service on various advisory boards, and the NAACP’s Federal Credit Union annual meetings. The Clarence Canson sub-group includes two certificates from the Tuskegee Institute and his law degree from the University of the Pacific. Dates: circa 1900s-2003   Collection number: MS 29   Creator: Canson, Virna M., 1921-   Collection Size: .5 linear feet (1 box + 1 oversized box)   Guide to the Virna M. Canson Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

Letter, February 4, 1871, from attorney James F. Stuart to Rafael Castillo regarding two men who located on Castillo's school lands. Deed of sale, November 1, 1873, between Jose Maria Castillo and Antonio Sanches for 160 acres of land in Alameda County. (OHC MSS CASTILLO) 2 items Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

The Collier Family Papers include correspondence, photographs, military service records, deeds, and newspaper clippings that document members of the Collier, Taylor, and Coffin families. The papers are organized into six series: Francis B. Collier, Muriel Taylor Collier, Cherie Collier Ivey, Claire Lynne and Muriel Patricia Florey, Willis Patrick and Lillian Taylor, and photographs. The bulk of the collection is approximately 800 photographs of mostly of Frank and Muriel Collier, their children, Patricia Flory, Claire Lynn Flory, and Cherie Collier, and family, friends, and relatives. There are also a number of photographs of Muriel Collier’s first husband, Ishmael Flory, the noted civil and labor rights activist, her father, Willis Patrick Taylor, who was active in the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, and her uncle, Alfred Oscar Coffin, the first African American to receive a Ph.D. in the biological sciences. View online items Dates: 1894-1999   Collection number: MS 23   Creator: Collier, Muriel Taylor   Creator: Collier, Francis B.   Collection Size: 3.5 linear feet (8 boxes + 1 oversized box)   Guide to the Collier Family Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

The Frank and Diane Davison Home Movie Collection consists of 23 color and b&w, 8mm home movies documenting the family life of the Davison family during the 1960s. The home movies include 63 minutes of footage of the family camping, skiing, at the beach, dancing “The Twist”, and celebrating Halloween, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and birthdays of friends and family members. The majority of the footage appears to take place in Alaska and Pacific Northwest with footage of family trips to Atlantic City, New Jersey, Oakland, California, and Panama. Dates: circa 1950s-1967   Collection number: MS 175   Creator: Davison, Frank, Jr.   Creator: Davison, Diane.   Collection Size: .5 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Frank and Diane Davison Home Movie Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

The De Shield Family Papers document three generations. The bulk of the collection concerns the life and businesses of Ivan De Shields. His personal papers consist primarily of documents, such as a voter registration card, a poll tax receipt, and his death certificate. There are two postcards reminding him of Masonic Lodge meetings, and a deposit book for the Knights of Pythias, of which he was a member of the sick committee. Most of his materials, however, relate to his businesses, such as promotional materials for the Eucalyptus oils he produced in his distillery. There is also a business letter and some inventory slips for two laundry companies. Some files record Ivan's financial affairs, such as receipts for state and county taxes between 1904-1927, as well as a letter and receiver's certificate concerning debt refinancing of the California Safe and Deposit and Trust Company. A letter from Los Angeles, addressed "Dear Cousin," solicits his investment in a business venture. The papers of his father, Benjamin De Shields, give only a brief glimpse into his personal life, such as a marriage certificate and a letter from a friend describing San Francisco in 1886. The bulk of his papers are legal documents regarding land titles, satisfaction of mortgage, and two surveys of land owned by him in 1872 and 1875. Albert De Shields represents the third generation and his papers consist of his diploma from McClymonds High School, Oakland, California in 1930, as well as the school yearbook, in which he appears on page 19. The materials concerning Horatio L. Scott are miscellaneous items relating to his travels away from Oakland which are described in two biographical newspaper clippings enclosed. Among these items are a gun permit from South Africa, 3 letters, and a club sponsorship based on his service with the British infantry during the Boer War. View online items Dates: 1862-1945   Collection number: MS 20   Creator: De Shields, Albert   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the De Shields Family Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

The Rebecca Emerson Papers include photographs, correspondence, legal documents, and ephemera that document the activities of Rebecca Emerson and the Prince family in Texas. The papers are organized into four series: Rebecca Emerson, Prince family manuscripts, Clem Emerson, and Curtis Parrish. The bulk of the papers are 1048 photographs that document Emerson’s family and friends beginning in the 1910s through the 1970s. The photographs have been organized roughly by location, documenting Emerson’s time living in San Antonio, Texas in the 1920s, with various photographs of Emerson and friends at the San Antonio missions, San Pedro Park, Brackenridge Park, and flooding in downtown San Antonio; a trip to Colorado in 1923; assorted portraits of Emerson and her family and friends; and hunting, fishing, and assorted photographs while she was living in Alaska in the 1940s.  Dates: 1867-1978   Bulk Dates: 1915-1953   Collection number: MS 43   Creator: Emerson, Rebecca   Collection Size: 3.25 linear feet (7 boxes)   Guide to the Rebecca Emerson Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

The Flood family was one of the earliest and most prominent African American families to settle in Oakland, California. After purchasing his freedom, Isaac Flood (1816-1892) moved to California in following the Gold Rush, settling in Oakland in 1853. He worked as a laborer and tradesman and married Elizabeth Thorn Scott (1828-1867) in 1855, a school teacher from Sacramento who started the first public school for African American students in the state. In 1857, Elizabeth opened a private school in the Flood home for African American students, which was moved to the African Methodist Church in 1863 and operated for three years before closing in 1866. The couple had two children, George Francis Flood, who was born in 1857 and was thought to be the first African American born in Oakland, California, and Lydia Flood (1862-1963). The Flood Family Papers includes 18 photographs, Lydia Flood Jackson’s funeral program, and two letters written by Lydia Flood Jackson to Ruth Lasartemay. View online items Dates: circa 1850s-1963   Collection number: MS 49   Collector: Flood, Lydia Flood.   Creator: Flood family.   Collection Size: .1 linear feet (2 folders)   Guide to the Flood Family Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

The Gibson family can trace its roots back to the pioneering days of California. Charles Nelson Gibson was born in Sacramento in 1879. His parents, William Henry Gibson and Lucinda Ray Gibson, became part of the African American community of West Oakland in the late nineteenth century. William Gibson obtained a position as a dining and club car waiter on the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1898 and worked for the railroad for thirty years. Lucinda Ray was a descendent of Nelson Ray, a slave who obtained his freedom in 1864 and came out to California to mine for gold. Through his profits, Ray acquired enough money to pay for his wife and children's freedom and settled in Placerville, where he worked as a carpenter and blacksmith. The Ray family moved to Sacramento sometime prior to 1877. The Gibson Family Papers encompass materials relating to six family members: Audrey Gibson Robinson; Charles Nelson Gibson; Lucinda Ray Gibson; Lois Gibson; Maude E. Gibson; and Frederick D. Robinson. Papers consist of clippings, biographical information, a scrapbook, photographs and assorted items such as postcards and poems collected by members of the Gibson family. Arranged by name of family member and thereafter by format and date. Dates: 1887-1980   Collection number: MS 6   Collection Size: 1 linear foot (2 boxes)   Guide to the Gibson Family Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

The Hackett family immigrated to San Francisco in 1885, when James Alexander Hackett along with his wife, Alice, and daughter, Sadie, came to San Francisco in search of employment at the advice of his first cousin, Charles Calvin Petty, a pastor at Starr King Zion Church in San Francisco, California. Two brothers of James Alexander, Sylvester R. and Charles C. Hackett, would both also move to California. James Alexander and Alice Hackett (née Hickerson) were one of the first African American families to settle in Alameda, California, where they eventually constructed a house at 1608 Union St. and resided with their twelve children, Sadie, Nora, Myrtle, Luther, Arthur J., Latrecia, Paul, Teresa, Lincoln, Alice E., Grace E., and Josephine. The Hackett Family Papers consist of mostly portrait photographs of family members and friends and assorted printed material that includes short biographies of members of the family, a photocopy of a diploma of Tyra D. Hackett, an appointment book, and a collection of calendars. View online items Title: Hackett Family papers   Dates: 1882-1975   Collection number: MS 25   Collection Size: .5 linear feet (1 box + 1 oversized box)   Guide to the Hackett Family Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

Dates: 1929-1988   Collection number: MS 16   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Charlotte Harris Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) The Charlotte Harris Papers include photographs, postcards, church programs, and awards related to the activities of the Harris and Fletcher families. The bulk of the collection is photographs of family and friends of Charlotte Harris in Seattle, Washington and Berkeley, California. There are also group photographs of the Ladies of Leisure, an African American women's social club in Berkeley, California. We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

The Harrison Family Home Movie Collection includes five 8mm color home movies recorded by the Harrison family of Richmond, California documenting the family’s barbeque business, Harrison’s Bar-B-Que, and daily life for African Americans in Richmond, California during the 1960s. The home movies total 107 minutes and include footage of a road trip the family made through Denver, Colorado on their way to visit family in rural Texas near Ballinger, Texas and Amarillo, Texas. Footage also includes farm workers picking and processing grapes mostly likely in the Napa Valley and scenes from the California State Fair. Bulk Dates: circa 1960 - 1967   Collection number: MS 177   Creator: Harrison, W.H.   Collection Size: .5 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Harrison Family Home Movie Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

The Hickerson Family Papers includes photographs, newspaper clippings, cards, programs, certificates, and musical scores related to the Hickerson and Swayzee families and their friends. The papers also document the Hickerson Family's involvement with the Oakland, CA First African Methodist Episcopal (First A.M.E.) Church and other Christian and civic organizations. The papers are arranged in five series: Dorothy Harris Hickerson, Joseph W. Hickerson, Religious Activities, Assorted Print Material and Publications. The photographs are arranged in four subseries: Dorothy Hickerson Harris, Family Portraits, First African Methodist Episcopal (1st AME) Church, and Assorted. Dates: circa 1920-2005 Collection number: MS 167   Creator: Harris, Dorothy Hickerson.   Creator: Hickerson, Joseph William.   Collection Size: 2.5 linear feet (3 boxes + 1 oversized box)   Guide to the Hickerson Family Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

The Ida Hill Photograph Collection includes 29 photographs of various members of the Hill and Robinson families, group photographs of African American masons, and Dicy Robinson’s memorial card. A bulk of the collection are family photographs of William and Ida Hill and their children William Hill Jr., Alfred Hill, and Beverly Hill in Oakland and Alameda, California. The collection also includes a cabinet card taken in New Orleans, Louisiana, most likely of Ida Robinson Hill’s father sometime in the 1860s and a group photograph of the Robinson family taken in front of their home in the 1890s. The collection includes ten group photographs of various African American masonic groups in California in the 1930-1950s. Dates: circa 1860s-1971   Collection number: MS 58   Creator: Hill, Ida.   Collection Size: .1 linear feet (2 folders)   Guide to the Ida Hill Photograph Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

Correspondence, photographs, and memorabilia of Corporal Homer J. Aubry, relating to his service in Company K, 363rd Infantry, American Expeditionary Forces, during the first World War. The bulk of the collection consists of letters from Corporal Aubry to his mother, Mrs. Joseph Aubry. Also included: letters to his brothers, Alfred A. and Lawrence, and letters to him from his mother and his aunt, Mrs. Hough; photographs of his service in France; certificate of appointment to rank of Corporal; honorable discharge; holiday menus; french language guides; newspaper clippings; welcome home button and program; Catholic prayer book; playing cards; notebook listing all letters he wrote during his time in France; a program for the eleven-year reunion of his company; two maps of France; and a calendar of the correspondence and military service chronology created by an unknown family member at a later date. (OHC MSS AUBRY) 7 folders, .2 linear feet Correspondence arranged chronologically. Go here for a more detailed description of this collection's contents.    Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

The Clarice Isaacs papers include assorted letters, thank you cards, and postcards from family and friends of Clarice Isaacs and two plaques awarded to Isaacs from the Circle of Positive Women and the YMCA Century Club. Dates: 1942-1987   Collection number: MS 101   Creator: Isaacs, Clarice   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Clarice Isaacs Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

Ambrosia Wysinger Jones (1905-1999) was born on August 30, 1905 in Oakland, California. She was the granddaughter of the noted civil rights activist, Edmond Wysinger, an early advocate of desegregating the California public school system in the 1890s. In the 1940s, she married Hillarie Jones and the two owned and operated a number of business enterprises, including a chain of barbershops in Oakland and ‘The Alameda’ Barbeque Pit and Union Barbershop in Alameda, California. In 1960, they started Charm Beauty College in Oakland becoming the first African Americans to own and operate a beauty college in Northern California. They also operated an additional beauty school in Richmond and started the first black travel agency, Charm Travel Agency, that catered to African Americans looking to vacation in Africa and the Caribbean. The Ambrosia Wysinger Jones Papers includes photographs, scrapbooks, correspondence, newspaper clippings, legal documents, and ephemera that document the various business activities and family history of Ambrosia Wysinger Jones. A majority of the papers are family photographs of the Jones and Wysinger families and Jones’ beauty school and travel agency businesses. The papers also include four scrapbooks with assorted cards, photographs, and newspaper clippings related to the Jones family and business activities, as well as two guest books with signatures of visitors to the Jones home. Correspondence in the collection is most related to scholarships given to students attending the Charm beauty school, and a small number of assorted programs. Dates: circa 1860s-1991   Collection number: MS 27   Creator: Jones, Ambrosia Wysinger, 1905-1999.   Creator: Jones, Hillarie, 1918-1975.   Collection Size: 1.5 linear feet (3 boxes + 1 oversized box)   Guide to the Ambrosia Wysinger Jones Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

Primarily correspondence and photographs of longtime Oakland, California, resident Juanita Miller. Also includes handwritten and typescript notes on the annual productions she put on in Joaquin Miller Park's Woodminster Amphitheater to celebrate the literary legacy of her father, poet Joaquin Miller, drafts of her writings, and her applications for recognition as a Native Daugher of the Golden West and for her father as a Pioneer of California, blank postcards from a series she copywrited featuring her father and their life together at "The Hights," and two volumes of posthumous clippings relating to her father. Notable correspondents include her father, poet Ella Wheeler Wilcox, author and politician Robert B. Roosevelt, and lecturer George Wharton James. The photographs mostly date from her adult years, many showing her annual productions in Woodminster Amphitheater.  Juanita Joaquina Miller was born in New York, New York, in 1880, the only child of poet Joaquin Miller and his second wife, hotel heiress Abbie Leland Miller. After her father's death in 1913, Juanita Miller continued living at "The Hights," dedicating the rest of her life to the arts and to relentlessly promoting her father's legacy and writings. She died in an Oakland convalescent hospital in 1970 after a brief illness. (OHC MSS MILLER, JUANITA) 12 folders (.5 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

The Lasartemay family papers include correspondence, essays, funeral and theater programs, invitations, résumés, and newspapers clippings documenting mostly the family’s participation in various civic organizations. The papers are organized in to three series: Eugene P. Lasartemay (1903-1993), Ruth Hackett Lasartemay (1902-1991), and Elena R. Lasartemay. The bulk of the papers relate to Eugene P. Lasartemay’s participation in various Oakland area civic organizations including the East Bay Negro Historical Society, Northern California Council of Camera Clubs, and the Boy Scouts. Also included is a copy of Eugene P. Lasartemay’s book For Love of Jack London: His Life with Jennie Prentiss – a true love Story and court documents related to Exie McDonald’s probate court hearing, where Lasartemay served as the estate’s executor. The biographical subseries includes Eugene P. Lasartemay’s résumés, funeral programs from his memorial service, and assorted newspaper clippings related to his involvement in the East Bay Negro Historical Society. Dates: 1946-1995   Collection number: MS 95   Creator: Lasartemay, Eugene P.   Collector: East Bay Negro Historical Society.   Collection Size: .5 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Lasartemay Family Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

Dates: 1885-1964   Collection number: MS 59   Creator: Magruder, Sylvia Anna.   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Sylvia Anna Magruder Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) Sylvia Anna Magruder (née Duncan) was born on July 1, 1880 in New Orleans, Louisiana the youngest daughter of Rev. Stephen Duncan and Sylvia Duncan. She graduated from New Orleans University and worked as a teacher and matron for ten years before marrying Rev. E.J. Magruder in 1908. The couple moved to California the following year, and in 1926 E.J. Magruder was appointed as the pastor at the First A.M.E. Church in San Francisco, California. Sylvia Anna Magruder served various civic and religious organizations in the San Francisco area, including the Y' Women of the San Francisco Buchanan St. YWCA and Woman's Home and Foreign Missionary Society of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. She also worked for African American civil rights and advocated the hiring of the city’s first African American railway conductor, police officer, and social worker. The Sylvia Anna Magruder Papers include correspondence, certificates, funeral and musical programs, newspaper clippings, and photographs documenting the life and volunteer activities of Sylvia Anna Magruder. The papers are arranged into two series: biographical material and photographs. Biographical material include correspondence from politicians and civic organizations thanking Magruder for her volunteer work, certificates from the Woman's Home and Foreign Missionary Society of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, funeral and musical programs, and assorted newspaper clippings. Photographs in the collection are mostly portraits of Sylvia Anna Magruder and members of the Duncan family, photographs taken at Sylvia Anna Magruder’s birthday celebrations, and photographs related to Magruder's participation in the YWCA and Woman's Home and Foreign Missionary Society of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

The Montjoy Family Photograph Collection consists of 653 photographs of family and friends of the Montjoy family between 1900s-1980s. The bulk of the photographs are family photographs of the Montjoy family taken at residences in Alameda and Oakland, California during the 1920-1930s and include photographs of family outings at Lake Merritt in Oakland, California and at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, California. The collection also includes photographs of students and campus buildings of Wiley College in Marshall, Texas in the 1920s. Dates: circa 1900s-1980s   Bulk Dates: 1926-1973   Collection number: MS 53   Creator: Montjoy, William R.   Creator: Montjoy family   Collection Size: 1 linear foot (1 box + 1 oversized box)   Guide to the Montjoy Family Photograph Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

The Melzrine and Warren Moore papers include military records, correspondence, church and funeral programs, and photographs documenting the life of Melzrine Moore (1922-1994) and Warren Moore (1921-1993). The papers are organized into four series: Warren Moore, Melzrine Moore, photographs, and assorted printed material. The bulk of the Warren Moore material relate to military service and employment at Ft. Huachuca, Arizona and the Naval Supply Center in Oakland, California. The Melzine Moore items are mostly educational records, including report cards, a commencement program, and diplomas, related to her attending the Colored High School in Lake Charles, Louisiana. The collection also includes six family photographs of the Moore family in Oakland, California, an assortment of church and funeral programs, and a World War II ration booklet. Dates: 1931-1994   Collection number: MS 111   Creator: Moore, Melzrine.   Creator: Moore, Warren.   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Melzrine and Warren Moore Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

Dates: circa 1870s-1912   Collection number: MS 41   Creator: Netherland, Mayme C.   Collection Size: 1.25 linear feet (2 boxes + 1 oversize)   Guide to the Mayme C. Netherland Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) Mayme (Mary) C. Netherland (1877-1973) was born to Oscar Thomas Jackson and Mary Ellen Jackson (née Scott) in Oakland, California. Her maternal grandfather, John Scott (1815-1916), was born a slave in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. At the age of 23, he escaped and joined a band of Cherokee Indians. During this time, he helped other slaves escape along the Underground Railroad. After two years of freedom, Scott was caught and sold to Lieutenant Hoskins of the U.S. Army. Scott served alongside Hoskins in the Mexican-American War and was a member of John C. Fremont’s 1844 expedition to California. At the end of the expedition, Scott escaped again and found a rich gold mine in Calaveras County. The Mayme C. Netherland Photograph Collection includes 41 photographs of friends and family of Mayme C. Netherland. Included in the collection are circa 1880s-1900s tin-type portraits and cabinet card portraits of African American women and men, as well as photographs of Netherland’s grandfather, father and husbands. View online items We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

Primarily deeds, leases, diseños, and other property records relating to land lying within the original boundaries of Rancho San Antonio. Also includes research notes about Rancho San Antonio and the Peralta family. Folder 1 contains a copy of the official translation of the Spanish land grant issued to Don Luís Peralta in 1820, a manuscript translation of the original title, a photocopied manuscript copy of the mortgage documents and title searches through 1882, and photostats of several diseños. Folders 2-10 contain primarily deeds and leases to property at one time owned by the family member(s) named on the folder. Also included, in folder 3, a family tree showing the descendants of María Teodora, and in folder 8, many of the leases are between Thomas and Elizabeth Scott and other individuals. Folder 11 contains: copies of hand-drawn maps showing the locations of the family's homes in San Jose and on the Rancho; a "Digest of historical references to the Peralta family," compiled in 1924 (with additions in 1946) by Mabel W. Thomas; "The story of Rancho de los Codornices," by Mary T. Carleton; and "Rancho San Antonio and its division among the four sons of Luis Peralta," based on notes taken at the lectures of University of California professor J.N. Bowman (with accompanying notes). (OHC MSS PERALTA) 11 folders (.3 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

Dates: 1869-1992   Bulk Dates: 1917-1992   Collection number: MS 46   Creator: Pittman, Tarea Hall.   Creator: Pittman, William.   Collection Size: 12.25 linear feet (29 boxes + 1 oversized box)   Guide to the Tarea Hall and William Pittman Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) Noted civil rights leader, social worker, and radio personality Tarea Hall Pittman (1903-1991) was born in 1903 in Bakersfield, California to William and Susie Hall. In the 1930s, Pittman became active in civil rights organizations, serving as president of the California State Association of Colored Women’s Clubs from 1936-1938, organizing West Coast branches of the National Negro Congress, and hosting the radio program, Negroes in the News, on KDIA in Oakland, California which she would continue to host for over 45 years through the 1970s. She was an active member of the NAACP serving in various roles as an officer of the Alameda County Chapter of the NAACP, Regional Director of the West Coast Region, and Regional Acting Secretary of the NAACP. Pittman is a central West Coast figure in the Colored Women's Club movement, in addition to her work around significant civil rights issues including organizing protests to force war industries to hire African American workers during World War II, fighting to abolish the segregation of the Oakland Fire Department in 1952, and lobbying for the passage of fair employment practices legislation in California, Arizona, Alaska, and Nevada. The Tarea Hall and William Pittman Papers includes photographs, correspondence, awards, certificates, financial and legal records, newspaper clippings, programs, and ephemera documenting the life and career of William Pittman and Tarea Hall Pittman. View online items We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

The Electra Kimble Price collection consists of a range of materials related to the Kimble and Price families, including photographs, a genealogy report on the Kimble family and ancestry, military papers, articles on family activities, educational and professional papers, and official records and certificates. The collection is arranged into four series: biographical, photographs, professional activities and Kimble and Price family. Dates: circa 1920-2005   Collection number: MS 67   Collector: Price, Electra Kimble.   Collection Size: 1.5 linear feet (3 boxes)   Guide to the Electra Kimble Price Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

Nurse and educator Thelma Gibson Radden (1903-2004) was born on February 18, 1903 in Oakland, California to Charles Nelson Gibson and Maude Esther Gibson. She was a fourth-generation Californian with her family tracing their roots in the state to 1864, when her great-grandfather Nelson Ray moved to Placerville, California from Lexington, Missouri. Born a slave on the Verlinder Ray Plantation, he was freed following the death of his slave owner and he purchased the freedom of his wife, Lucinda Ray, and their three daughters after arriving in California and they were reunited as a family in Sacramento in 1877. The Thelma Gibson Radden papers consist of photographs, correspondence, artifacts, clothing, ephemera, and legal records documenting her life and professional career as a nurse and her family’s long history in California and Michigan. View online items Dates: circa 1880s-2004   Collection number: MS 206   Creator: Radden, Thelma Gibson   Collection Size: 8.75 linear feet (9 boxes + 2 oversized boxes)   Guide to the Thelma Gibson Radden Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

Materials (1950-1964) relating to Rilea family genealogy, as well as documents and ephemera from the careers of brothers Ira M. Rilea Jr. and Howard E. Rilea.   The Rilea family came to West Oakland from Kansas in 1893. Ira M. Rilea worked as a Southern Pacific Railroad conductor. Ira’s sons Howard, Ira Jr., Eugene, and Walter, also worked in various roles at Southern Pacific.   Howard E. Rilea became active in community affairs through the West Oakland Improvement Club. After his retirement from Southern Pacific, Howard served as an Oakland City Council representative of District 3 from 1950-1967, and as Oakland Vice Mayor from 1959-1961. He was responsible for the establishment of Oakland’s Harrison Railroad Park at 7th Street and Harrison.   (OHC MSS RILEA)   1 folder (0.3 linear feet)   Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library. 

The Rousseau family was a family musical ensemble consisting of husband and wife, Walter H. and Margaret Rousseau, and their seven children: Anna E. Rousseau, James L. Rousseau, Charles P. Rousseau, Milton T. Rousseau, Margaret Rousseau, and Green M. Rousseau. Beginning the 1910s, the family began performing at church and vaudeville theater venues throughout California, including a four month long performance at the Panama-California International Exposition in San Diego, California in 1915-1916. The Rousseau family papers include photographs, correspondence, and contracts that document the musical performances and business activities of the Rousseau family. Dates: 1904-1958   Collection number: MS 44   Creator: Rousseau family.   Collection Size: .1 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Rousseau Family Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

Alice Calbert Fauntleroy Royal (1923-2014) was born Alice Lucinda Calbert on January 15, 1923, in her grandparents’ home in Allensworth, California to William Riley Calbert and Sadie Hickerson Hackett Calbert. The Alice Royal Collection includes material assembled and donated to the African American Museum & Library at Oakland by Royal on the activities of family members Joseph W. Hickerson (1883-1971), Dorothy Hickerson Harris (1916-1989), and William E. Calbert (b. 1918). Dates: 1913-2011   Collection number: MS 140   Creator: Royal, Alice. Harris, Dorothy Hickerson. Hickerson, Joseph William. Calbert, William E.   Collection Size: 1 linear foot (2 boxes + 1 oversize box)   Guide to the Alice Royal Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

The Rushing Family Photograph Collection consists of 200 photographs and ephemera. The bulk of the photographs document the lives of African Americans in northern Louisiana in the vicinity of the towns of Arcadia, Bienville, Minden, and Simsboro and Oakland, California. Collection is also significant for photographs of African American soldiers during World War I. Dates: circa 1860s – circa 1980s   Bulk Dates: bulk 1910s-1940s   Collection number: MS 216   Collection Size: .5 linear feet (2 boxes + 1 oversized box)   Guide to the Rushing Family Photograph Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

Photographs of the Estudillo and MacKay families and a small autograph album (1908-1911) belonging to Ruth Estudillo with signatures of friends mainly from Oceanside School in San Francisco, California, and Lockwood School in Oakland, California. The eleven photographs show her childhood friend Phoebe Lamberts, George Davis (grandson of José Joaquín Estudillo), Bernice Frances Estudillo and a miss Thompson, her uncles Raymond and Theodore Estudillo, and Ruth with her husband, Jack MacKay, and their children, Isabella and Gordon. (OHC MSS ESTUDILLO) 1 folder (.05 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed description of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

The Sellers Family Papers includes photographs, certificates, graduation and funeral programs, scrapbooks, and newspaper clippings that document the life and activities of members of the Sellers family. The bulk of the papers are family photographs of the Sellers and Johnson families of Oakland, California, Los Angeles, California, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and are mostly of family members between 1890-1930s posing at home, on vacation, or portraits. Dates: circa 1890s-1994   Collection number: MS 71   Creator: Sellers, Shirley Jean.   Collection Size: 2.25 linear feet (2 boxes + 1 oversized box)   Guide to the Sellers Family Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

The Stephens Family Papers consist of photographs and ephemera documenting Stephens Restaurant, Virginia Stephen Coker's winning entry in a 1915 newspaper contest, and Virginia Stephen Coker's achievements as a lawyer. Menus, tape receipts, and photographs from the restaurant provide a glimpse into one of Oakland's busiest establishments. The papers  include a typescript draft of a letter William Stephens (1870-1932) wrote in 1931 regarding opposition to his purchase of a house in Oakland, an example of unfair housing practices common to the era. Materials related to Virginia Stephens Coker (1903-1986) include the letter of congratulations she received upon winning the Panama-Pacific International Exposition naming contest, middle school report cards, her law school graduation announcement, and several State bar membership certificates. View online items Dates: 1896-1952   Collection number: MS 5   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box + 1 oversized box)   Guide to the Stephens Family Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

The Ruth Strange Papers include 13 photographs of friends and family of Ruth Strange. The collection includes two class photographs of the Hawthorne School in Oakland, California taken in 1922 and 1924, and also a photograph of Captain Roger Romaine, a Tuskegee Airman and member of the 99th Fighter Squadron during World War II. There is also manuscript on the genealogy of the Allen family written by Ruth Strange in 1990. Dates: 1912-1990   Collection number: MS 35   Creator: Strange, Ruth.   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Ruth Strange Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

Dates: 1906-1971   Collection number: MS 51   Creator: Wells, Robertha J.   Collection Size: .2 linear feet (1 box + 1 oversized box)   Guide to the Robertha J. Wells Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) The Robertha J. Wells Papers include education material, certificates, programs, employment records, ephemera, and photographs documenting Robertha J. Wells, Earle Keikikane and the Wells family. The papers include diplomas, programs, and term papers documenting Robertha J. Wells education career, certificates, ephemera, and employment records related to Earle Keikikane’s career as a sailor and two poems written by Keikikane, and 15 photographs mostly of Wells’ mother and father, Robert E. Wells and Anna Abigail Jenkins Wells, in Bakersfield, California and Pasadena, California in the 1900-1910s. We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

Photographs of members of the White and Rudisill families and their friends, mostly taken in and around Oakland, California between 1920 and 1930. Individuals noted in the photographs include: Margaret White Rudisill, Gerald White, Samuel Tennyson White, Cora White (née Simpson), Darl C. "Dick" Rudisill, Celeste Rucker (née Simpson), Mabel Hogan, Earl Madden, Ida McLain, Viginia Wagy (née Simpson), Harriet Simpson, Clara Simpson, Helen Bristow, and Burdette Spencer. Most of the images were taken at the White family home, 5724 Mendocino Avenue, in Oakland's Rockridge District, while other photographs depict Oakland Technical High School, the University of California at Berkeley, San Francisco Bay, Stanislaus River area, and Yosemite National Park. (OHC MSS WHITE) 3 folders (.1 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.