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1854 Old Courthouse Circle, Columbiana, Alabama 35051
1854 Old Courthouse Circle, Columbiana, Alabama 35051
Shelby County Museum & Archives
Shelby County Museum & Archives
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED
HELP US MEET OUR GOAL OF $20,000
"The transcription project will break through the '1870 Brick Wall' barrier. It will make genealogy and family history more accessible to the black population that has struggled for generations to find their history hidden among the pages of our county's records."
- Jennifer Maier, Executive Director, Shelby County Museum & Archives
The Daniel Foundation of Alabama issued a challenge grant for $20,000 to assist with our Crowdsourced Records Transcription Project that began earlier this year.
To receive funding from the Daniel Foundation of Alabama, the Shelby County Historical Society must raise $20,000 in matching funds. The Society has already started fundraising efforts, and with the help of its members, the goal of $20,000 raised can be quickly achieved.
The Daniel Foundation grant would provide funding for the transcription of Shelby County's oldest court records containing the names of over 6,000 enslaved people living in Shelby County between 1818-1865. The textual material will include wills, deeds, court case records, and probate estate files. To accomplish this project, the Society has partnered with the software firm "From The Page," which allows for collaborative transcription through crowdsourcing. The transcription project will break through the "1870 Brick Wall" barrier. It will make genealogy and family history more accessible to the black population that has struggled for generations to find their history hidden among the pages of our county's records. The project will take an estimated two years to complete.
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