Black History Resources at Rodman Public Library
by Jack Weber
Rodman Public Library offers several resources for those interested in learning about Black History, including transcripts of local residents recorded by the Alliance Historical Society as part of an oral histories project that began in the 1950s. The material is available for checkout or can be heard online at rodmanlibrary.com/oralhistories or on alliancememory.org.
Here is a listing of those that have been done to date:
Mary L. Thompson
Audio: http://local.rodmanlibrary.com/audio/thompson.mp3
Transcript: http://local.rodmanlibrary.com/transcripts/thompson.pdf
Rev. Willie C. Teague
Audio: http://local.rodmanlibrary.com/audio/teague.mp3
Transcript: http://local.rodmanlibrary.com/transcripts/teague.pdf
Elliott and Lillian Young
Audio: http://local.rodmanlibrary.com/audio/young.mp3
Transcript: http://local.rodmanlibrary.com/transcripts/young.pdf
Gloria Malone
Video: http://local.rodmanlibrary.com/video/malone.mp4
Phil Stewart
Video: http://local.rodmanlibrary.com/video/stewart.mp4
All the recorded oral histories are listed on the library’s website and photographs of the audio recorded individuals can be found on Alliance Memory in the Voices of Alliance Collection.
Researching Black History Beyond Alliance
Those studying Black history, especially those interested in genealogy, may also be interested in African American Heritage, a database from ProQuest that provides detailed records for African Americans. Records include federal census, marriage and cohabitation records, military draft and service records, registers of slaves and free persons of color, and more.
Visit rodmanlibrary.com/dbases and search the genealogy and history category or alphabetically to access African American Heritage.
Reprinted with permission from Rodman Public Library’s Buzz newsletter, February 2022.