Tallahassee Black Families Collection

Item set

Title

Description

Tallahassee was founded in 1825 and selected as the capital because of its location, which was the halfway point between Pensacola and St. Augustine. The city depended on a plantation economy, which was fueled by slave labor; as a result, by 1860, the Black population grew to three times the size of the White population. The descendants would create a rich and unique history in Tallahassee, which this collection has recorded and preserved. The collection contains the Mr. & Mrs. Levi Simmons Papers, Martin Family Papers, Pasty Miller Papers, Benjamin J. Baker Papers, Robert Meacham, Jack Jefferson Papers, Davis and Pemberton Family Reunion Program, Katherine Nickelson Spieghts Collection, Martha Brown Collection, Dr. Alpha Omega Campbell, Lewis Washington Taylor, Cherrye L. Turner Spencer, The Gardner Family History, The Hall family of Leon County, Rev. Bernyce H. Clausell History, and Charles Henry Rollins History.

Physical Location

Tallahassee Black Families Collection, John G. Riley House Archives, Tallahassee Community College Library, Tallahassee, Florida.

Items

Advanced search

Lewis Washington Taylor Check

A Capital City Bank check for three dollars signed by "L. W. Taylor" dated January 24, 1907.
Lewis Family materials

Archive collection description for documents regarding the Lewis Family and the Lewis State Bank, which is noted on the document as "Tallahassee's oldest bank". The description includes a brief biography of the Lewis Family.
Sons of Jack Jefferson

A photo labeled as "Sons of Jack Jefferson; Tallahassee, Fl; 1-1-94"
Inez Gardner-Robinson Reunion Dinner program

Program for the 1993 Gardner Family Reunion Dinner.
Hall article

A photocopy of an article from the December 1975 release of the Magnolia Monthly, discussing the Hall Family of Leon County. It also includes a photocopy of several pages from the 1911 release, The Lands of Leon - a supplement to The Weekly True Democrat.
Givens Family Reunion programs

Programs from the 1988 and 1994 Givens' Family Reunions. Programs include the history of the Givens Family since 1850, extensive family trees, and family photos.
Gardner Family materials

Several documents on the Gardner Family, including a detailed family history, A Compilation of You written by the granddaughter of Betty E. Gardner-Meeks, family tree illustrations, and a photocopy of a newspaper clipping celebrating Mrs. A. Georgia Gardner, an extensive history of the children of Willie and Georgia Gardner, and personal correspondence.
Floyd Family materials

Several pages were taken from a program for the 1994 Floyd Family Reunion. Includes a family tree illustration, a memorial page, and a family history that includes information on Tallahassee's Floyd Chapel A.M.E. Church located in the Dawkins Pond area, in addition to several family photos.
Family Poem

A poem about family by an unknown author.
Edwards-Payne Family Reunion program

A program for the 1998 Edwards and Payne Family Reunion. The booklet contains several family trees for both families that date back to the early 1800s, family histories, a brief history of Tallahassee's Edwards Cemetery, as well as several pages recognizing important milestones within the families.