Stories from the 1st U.S. Colored Cavalry with Leslie Anderson

Research at the National Archives and Beyond

Join Hosts Janice and Cherekana of Speak On It ! with Leslie Anderson for a conversation about Stories from the 1st U.S. Colored Cavalry. The 1st U.S. Colored Cavalry included free men, freedmen, freedom-seekers, and white officers from the United States and around the world. Who were they? Where did they come from? Where did they go? And what of those who didn’t survive? Many who returned to civilian life established families and contributed to their communities. Others struggled with debilitating injuries, madness, and broken hearts. This program examines the pre-and post-war lives of selected troops and officers by using pension applications and sources from local history. Learn about strategies and sources that you can apply to your research. Leslie Anderson, a native Virginian, is the owner of Anderson Historic Research, LLC, and a former reference librarian at Alexandria Library, Local History/Special Collections Branch. Named a Virginia Humanities Scholar in 2020, she won the 2013 NGS Family History Writing Contest. Her publications include, Virginia Slave Births Index, 1853-1865 (Project Editor), Alexandria (Co-author), and the Magazine of Virginia Genealogy. Leslie holds a Master of Science in Library Science, and her genealogical education includes GRIP, IGHR, and Gen-Fed. She’s a member of AAHGS, NGS, and VGS. She blogs at "1st U.S. Colored Cavalry: Private Lives, Public Records."