PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Museum of the American Revolution and Ancestry.com are working together on a new family history resource for people of Native American and African American descent.
The museum acquired the Patriots of Color Archive in 2022. In it: nearly 200 rare documents — original muster rolls, pay vouchers, enlistment papers, discharge forms and more — originally belonging to Black and Native American soldiers who served during the Revolutionary War.
“A lot of people don’t realize how many Black and Native men served in the Revolution. It was in the thousands — not tens or hundreds,” says Amiee Newell, director of collections and exhibitions at the museum.
Ancestry.com digitized the collection and made it available online for free. Amiee Newell with the museum says the collection was a perfect fit.
“We really try to tell stories of all kinds of people. So when we had the opportunity to acquire the collection, it was so exciting and fit so well into what we do here,” she said.
“We’ve only scratched the surface of these stories.”
It can be difficult or impossible for people of color to locate ancestral documentation. However, now, through the digitized archive, Black and Native families might find answers.
“People can search for their ancestors or names and browse through and check out all of the documents.”
Newell says the museum has plans to expand on the archive. “We are starting here to work on a digital project to go even deeper into the soldiers’ stories. So stay tuned for that.”