A New Voice: The Undiscovered Histories of the Frederick C. Douglass Ledgers

Abstract

Frederick C. Douglass, an African American lawyer in late 19th century Eastern North Carolina, kept meticulous records of his Union Soldier pension applicants’ claims. These records included the personal testimonies of widows, family members and surviving veterans. While at the time these testimonies were viewed as just one requirement in the process of attaining a pension, Douglass was actually creating a collection of histories, that a century and a half later, would provide a window into the lives of the Unites States Colored Troops and the slave community in pre and post-war Eastern North Carolina.