First Community Digitization Day

Our first Community Digitization Day was held on February 27 at the Carver Center. We had more materials contributed than we could digitize in the time we had available, but we were able to select some interesting items for inclusion in the project.

Church related items are a rich source of information about families and, of course, religious life in the community. Karen Ford-Kelley contributed the item depicted in the image to the left. It is an "Order of Service" program for a service at Allen Chapel. The event featured choirs from Wayman A.M.E. Church in Rock Island, Illinois, Allen Chapel and Second Baptist Church in Galesburg. Rev. J.J. Handy gave the sermon and benediction. Ms. Ford-Kelley also contributed the Mortgage Burning Program of the Second Baptist Church, and both of these items let us know that the black churches in the area worked closely together and celebrated one another from time to time.

Church programs, bulletins and reports usually list names, and sometimes include photographs, making these kinds of materials a treasure trove for genealogists.

This project is made possible in part with funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this site do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.