Items

• Marriage certificate, [Washington C. Young to Amanda L. West]
  This marriage certificate for Washington Craig Young (January 2, 1860-November 2, 1931) and Amanda L. (West) Young (June 20, 1860-January 20, 1943) features two bust-length, carte-de-visite studio portrait photographs, gold touches, pictorial details, an ornate border, and text.
• Letter, Rebecca Johnson to Miss Anderson, May 19, 1945
  This letter was sent by Miss Rebecca Mary Johnson (July 10, 1905-October 4, 1991) to Miss Marian Anderson (February 27, 1897-April 8, 1993) on May 19, 1945. This letter was sent to share details about “a project for… intercultural advancement” that will feature famous Black Americans, like Marian Anderson (p. 1). Johnson asks Anderson questions about herself to be used in the exhibit for the benefit of the Springfield, Massachusetts community and youth.
• Letter, John Hassett to Marian Anderson, December 31, 1957
  Little is known about John Hassett, the person. The letter was written on proprietor’s stationery for a South Norwalk, Connecticut retail shop specializing in religious goods, greeting cards, novelties, and gift wrapping (HASSETT’S Religious Goods,1962).
• Letter, Cheryl G. Jones to Miss Anderson, August 27, 1969
  An envelope, two-page letter, and signed photograph mailed by high school student and aspiring singer Cheryl G. Jones to globally renowned contralto Marian Anderson Fisher (1897-1993). The letter is among many letters from aspiring singers and musicians included in the Marian Anderson Papers. Anderson's life was an inspiration to them and to countless others in the United States and abroad (Kruesi 1998).
• Letter, Jane Frink to Marian Anderson, September 9, 1974
  Hoosier Jane Frink was an avid singer in high school and college. She garnered numerous awards and medals, according to print media accounts (The Terre Haute Tribune 1974), (The Terre Haute Tribune 1976). She married in 1981, though it was uncertain as to whether her vocal career blossomed (Frink n.d.).
• Letter, Mary Helen Stanek to Marian Anderson, February 21, 1952
  Mary Helen Stanek, age 10, of Lehigh, Iowa, sent a birthday card and brief letter to Marian Anderson, dated February 21, 1952. Stanek writes to wish Anderson “years and years of happiness” upon discovering they share the same birthday, February 27th.
• Letter, Dutch Barhydt to Marian Anderson, May 16,1971
  Thirteen-year-old Dutch Barhydt wrote to Anderson that he is a dedicated autograph collector. His objective is collecting original signatures from famous and influential people, including presidents and prime ministers. The teenager successfully acquired Miss Anderson’s signature.
• Will of Jeremiah Langhorne
  Jeremiah Langhorne (d. 1742) of Middletown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, set forth his last will and testament in May 1742. His primary estate, an 800-acre plantation known as Langhorne Park, is devised to his grand-nephew Thomas Biles, with provisions for heirs of his body, and in default, to his niece Sarah Growdon and her heirs, then to her husband Lawrence Growdon. He carefully stipulates that three enslaved men—Jo, Cudjo, and London—are to inherit land. Jo and Cudjo received approximately 310 acres, split mostly evenly, along with the equipment and livestock needed to farm as independent, free men. The land that Cudjo and Jo inherited was located in what was then Warwick Township, and included the land that is now Doylestown, the county seat of Bucks County. "Cudjo’s land extended from the present Hamilton Street, along Court for one-third mile to Church Street. In length it extended from the corner of Hamilton and Court, then diagonally southeast to Main and Ashland, and then along Green Street. It was a total distance of three-quarters of a mile." (See link to Bucks County Herald article, below). Both men had lifetime rights to the property. According to the Herald article, Cudjo surrendered his rights in 1751, while Jo worked his land until his death around 1768. Langhorne made provisions for the enslaved families that remained after his death, including housing, livestock, and, in some cases, small tracts of land. Langhorne further provides for the manumission of his enslaved people: all those aged twenty-four at his death (except a man named Boson) are to be freed immediately, and the remainder upon reaching twenty-four. Beyond provisions for servants and enslaved people, Langhorne bequeaths sums of money and land to members of his extended family. His nephews, nieces, and their children—including members of the Biles, Pennington, and Bates families—receive significant inheritances, both in cash and in landholdings across Bucks County and beyond. He also leaves property to friends’ heirs (notably the Hamiltons) and to distant kinsmen in England. In addition to financial gifts, he directs that livestock, farming equipment, and household provisions be distributed among Jo, Cudjo, London, and other servants. Langhorne’s will demonstrates both the complexity of landholding in colonial Pennsylvania and the intertwined presence of enslavement, family inheritance, and patronage networks within his estate planning.
• "Nancy Greene, Emma Greene, 1904"
  This photograph is a tintype of Nancy Kate Greene (1875-1926) and her daughter Emma Epps (née Greene) (1902-February 27, 1989), likely taken in Princeton, New Jersey. Invented in the 1850s and produced into the 1900s, tintypes were photographs on thin iron metal that were often hand-colored and mostly used for portraits (Library of Congress, n.d.).
• Memorial collage of Jaci Adams photographs / typed biography of Jaci Adams
  This memorial collage of Jaci DuBoise Adams features eight overlapping color photographs– two of Adams alone smiling, and the remaining of Adams smiling in small groups of people. On the back of the frame is a biography of Adams’ life, highlighting her resilience, many accomplishments, and relentless leadership and advocacy for the Philadelphia trans community and HIV/AIDS issues.
• Council of the City of Philadelphia, Resolution Honoring the Rich Life and Loving Memory of Jaci Adams
  **Honoring Jaci Adams: A Legacy of Advocacy and Leadership** Jaci Adams (1956 - 2014) was a remarkable transwoman whose life embodied resilience and the "American Dream." Born in Beckley, WV., and raised in North Philadelphia, Adams overcame a history of abuse, addiction, and incarceration to become a fierce advocate for social justice, particularly for the trans community (Staff 2014).
• Tribute to Jaci Duboise Adams
  This tribute was written by City of Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter on March 21, 2014 to honor the life and legacy of Jaci DuBoise Adams, a leader, advocate, and educator in the Philadelphia LGBT community.
• Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, The House of Representatives, Condolence Resolution
  Condolence resolution in honor of Jaci Adams (1956 - 2014). Jaci DuBoise Adams (1958-February 15, 2014) was born in Beckley, West Virginia and moved to Philadelphia in her youth with her family (AIDS Law Project 2014). Unfortunately Adams experienced such abuse that she “fled the house in search of safety” at age nine (AIDS Law Project 2014). Adams was “soon consumed by a life of prostitution, drug abuse and crime while searching for an identity” (AIDS Law Project 2014). She landed in prison, and earned her GED (AIDS Law Project 2014). In 2002 after the unsolved murder of Nizah Morris, a 47 year old transgender entertainer that was found brutally beaten at 15th and Walnut Streets in Philadelphia, Adams shared that she had “an ‘a-ha’ moment and decided that instead of being angry, maybe a career criminal like [her] could use that familiarity with the cops to slither in and become part of the solution” (Morrison 2014). Known to be genuine, accomplished yet immensely humble, to speak and teach from her vast life experience, and incredibly kind, Adams was held in high regard by many– from city officials such as Michael Nutter, to long-time friends, to folks she just met and was lending support to (AIDS Law Project 2014).
• Handwritten Stoutsburg Cemetery Ledger
  This handwritten ledger was kept by Herbert Albert Hubbard (June 7, 1875-July 11, 1948), Beverly Mills's (co-founder of the Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum) great-grandfather, at the Stoutsburg Cemetery. It includes minutes from Stoutsburg Cemetery Association meetings, including hymns sung and fundraising efforts, from 1912 through the 1920s.
• Milk glass chalice (fragment)
  Milk glass chalice c. 20th century.
• Mt. Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church (structure)
  Mt. Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church, built in 1899
• Letter. Paul B. Moses to Violette de Mazia
  This correspondence from Paul Moses to Violette de Mazia on January 21, 1951 details an acceptance from Moses to begin teaching art appreciation for Lincoln University students at the Barnes Foundation.