freedmen

The Friends of Freedmen's Cemetery was founded in 1997 for the purposes of preserving, commemorating and researching a little known, Civil War-era, African American burying ground in Old Town Alexandria.

The Hanover County, Virginia, marriage register of freedmen, officially titled, “Marriage Register of Freedman living in Hanover Co Va, Who were Married by the Act passed by the Legislature of Virginia, February 27th 1866” is a list of 550 African American couples whose marriages were validated by action of the Virginia legislature.

During the Civil War, Union-occupied Roanoke Island, which lies between the North Carolina mainland and the barrier islands known as the Outer Banks, became home to thousands of former slaves. This site presents an introduction to the colony and the colonial experiment that was conducted there. It also features some primary sources, maps, and projects for students.