Explore people and objects across Black history. Start anywhere, or follow the collection by date.
115,761 matching cards · 24 cards per page
December 13, 1796
FROM THE SOURCE CATALOGA framed bill of sale for Flora, an enslaved woman, dated "this 13th Day of December, 1796." The document is handwritten in brown ink on cream laid paper. The document transfers the ownership of "a certain Negro Wench named Flora" from Margaret Dwight in…
1844
FROM THE SOURCE CATALOGA large, pre-printed bill of sale with handwritten text on both sides. It describes the mortgage of four enslaved persons by George Lynes. The enslaved persons are identified as “S Bella, L Sally, Ben, and L Anthony.” The document states that Lynes…
March 3, 1800
FROM THE SOURCE CATALOGA bill of sale for an enslaved woman named Hannah and her children Claudia and Stephen, sold from Maurice Simons to William Doughty for 326 pounds, 5 shillings on March 3, 1800 in Charleston, South Carolina. The documented is a pre-printed bill of sale for…
January 8, 1827
FROM THE SOURCE CATALOGA handwritten bill of sale for a woman named Leah and her two daughters, Sarah and Mariah, for the amount of $750 to Robert Watson. The document is handwritten in brown ink on a square sheet of off-white paper. At top left it is dated [1822 Jany. 8th]. It…
March 7, 1854
FROM THE SOURCE CATALOGA printed bill of sale form completed with handwritten details. The one-sided single-sheet document begins with [The State of South Carolina] at the top left and details the sale of a woman and her three daughters from A. Nachman to C.W. Seignious for the…
January 14, 1800
FROM THE SOURCE CATALOGA bill of sale for "one negro man slave named Sam." Sam was sold by James Thomas to Edward Rouzee for one hundred (100) pounds. The signature of Thomas is in the lower right corner, next to the word "seal," which has been circled. The document was…
May 21, 1818
FROM THE SOURCE CATALOGThis handwritten, single page document is a bill of sale prepared by Tho. Matthews that states that Edward Rouzee purchased for eleven (11) dollars "Old Ned" at the sale of Henry Garrett on May 21, 1818. The opposite side states "Thomas Matthews / Rec'd in…
1832
FROM THE SOURCE CATALOGA handwritten document of black ink on rag paper recording the sale of two enslaved women, Nelly and Milley, and their respective children from Thomas A. Clark to James P. Clark. On one side, the document records the value of the enslaved persons being…
February 18, 1812
FROM THE SOURCE CATALOGA bill of sale for "two negro men named Daniel and Bartley." The men were sold by George W. Banks to Edward Rouzee for nine hundred and twenty five (925) dollars . The bill of sale was received February 18, 1812 and is signed by Banks at the bottom right.…
1858
FROM THE SOURCE CATALOGA bill of sale for a man named Will from Benjamin H. Grist to David W. Lamb for the sum of $1,285.32, with approximately half of that cost being due January 1, 1859. The document is a letterpress printed form entitled [MORTGAGE OF PERSONAL PROPERTY -…
January 11, 1830
FROM THE SOURCE CATALOGA partially printed bill of sale of an enslaved man named Jesse to the Governor of Georgia. The document is brownish white with black printed text with brown handwritten additions. The additions were written by William Adams, who also signed the document.…
July 1, 1799
FROM THE SOURCE CATALOGA bill of sale regarding an enslaved woman identified as "Jenny." The document uses a pre-printed form for John Tayloe, with details completed by hand in brown ink, for the sale of Jenny for five shillings to his brother-in-law William Augustine…
1844
FROM THE SOURCE CATALOGA bill of sale for an enslaved man identified as “Joseph or Joe." The document includes both printed and handwritten text. The document records two separate transactions for the man, one on the front and one on the back. The front of the document concerns…
Loading image…1969–
William Osborne Perkins III (born February 2, 1969) is an American hedge fund manager, entrepreneur, author, film producer, and poker player. He is the founder of Skylar Capital, an energy-focused hedge fund, and a co-founder of the Earth observation…
1906–1958
William Gamiel Perkins (June 26, 1906 – January 24, 1958) was an American professional baseball catcher and corner outfielder who played in the Negro leagues and the Mexican League from 1928 to 1948 with several teams. A native of Albany, Georgia, Perkins…
1942–2016
Bill Pettis (December 23, 1942 - September 27, 2016) was an American competitive bodybuilder. Pettis was friends with Arnold Schwarzenegger when they both trained in Venice Beach starting in the 1970s. Pettis was known for the biggest biceps in the world.
1870–1932
Pickett’s steer-wrestling method, developed from observing ranch dogs, became a standard rodeo event, and he later toured as a star of Wild West shows.
1935–2023
William Deltoris Pinkney III (September 15, 1935 – August 31, 2023) was an American sailor and executive. In 1992, he became the first African American to sail around the world solo via the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Horn.
Loading image…1763–1829
Bill Richmond (5 August 1763 – 28 December 1829) was a British boxer, born into slavery in Richmondtown, New York. Although born in Colonial America, he lived for the majority of his life in England, where all his boxing contests took place. Richmond…
Loading image…1950–2026
William James Riley (20 September 1950 – 29 March 2026) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player, and was the third black player and first of African Nova Scotian descent in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played 139 games for the Washington…
Loading image…1878–1949
Bill "Bojangles" Robinson (born Luther Robinson; May 25, 1878 – November 25, 1949), was an American tap dancer, actor, and singer, the best known and the most highly paid Black entertainer in the United States during the first half of the 20th century. His…
Loading image…1943–2007
William Henry Robinson, Jr. (June 26, 1943 – July 29, 2007) was an American professional baseball outfielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1966 to 1983, for several teams. He also played some first and third base. Robinson batted and…
1934–2022
Russell anchored the Boston Celtics dynasty, became the NBA's first Black head coach as a player-coach in 1966, and was a committed civil-rights advocate.
1965
FROM THE SOURCE CATALOGAn image of Bill Russell and Elgin Baylor playing in 1965. The image features Baylor with the ball going to the net and Russell jumping up to defend him. The two are surrounded by other players on the court. The background of the image shows the stands…
Biographies, museum objects and archive records are distinct card types. Every card links to its historical source.
