TSLA’s Union Provost Marshal Database is now online

During the Civil War, the provost marshal was the Union Army officer charged with maintaining order among both soldiers and civilians. The provost marshals were the Union’s military police. Records of this office, which the State Library & Archives is making searchable online, reveal a great range of activities in Tennessee. The provost and his soldiers hunted down and arrested deserters, spies, and civilians suspected of disloyalty; confined prisoners; maintained records of paroles and oaths of allegiance; controlled the passage of civilians in military zones and those using government transportation; and investigated the theft of government property. In some instances, provost courts were set up to try cases that fell under the provost marshal’s jurisdiction and those cases where military personnel were accused of civil crimes.

This scene depicted in the January 18, 1862 edition of Harper’s Weekly was typical of provost marshal offices throughout the country, as citizens waited in line to apply for permission to travel within Union-occupied territory.

The provost marshal records, microfilmed by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), were collected from War Department files and are dated 1861 to 1867. In the series of records with which the State Library and Archives is working, each document pertains to two or more civilians, or “citizens,” as they were referred to during the Civil War, and were gathered from provost marshals across the country. [Note: There is another series of records about individual citizens, which we might want to tackle next.]

These documents provide valuable information related to many Tennesseans, not only of soldiers but of ordinary men and women caught in the turmoil of war. They include correspondence, oaths of allegiance, orders, passes, transportation permits, lists of prisoners, paroles, provost court papers, and claims for compensation for property used or destroyed by military forces. Now, these documents are available online on the Tennessee State Library and Archives web site.

Pass from the Provost Marshal's Office at Gallatin, Tennessee, to permit W. T. Robinson to travel within Federal lines until further orders. The pass was issued by order of Brigadier General E. A. Paine, and signed by Major J. J. Searitt, provost marshal.
(Image from the Tennessee Virtual Archive (TeVA) Civil War Military Records Collection.)

The Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) Union Provost Marshal Database project began in 2011, with the goal of creating a fully searchable online database for the Tennessee portion of these records. The staff at TSLA, along with volunteers Cinnamon Collins and Shirley Wilson, have been going through and digitally scanning any documents that were from provost marshal offices in Tennessee or that relate to Tennesseans during the Civil War. All of this hard work and effort has now culminated in a database which lists the name, location (city or county), year, file number (if provided), and a brief description of the document(s), along with a digital copy of the document itself.

The Union Provost Marshal Database will be of great benefit to genealogists, historians, and others, who can use the database to learn fascinating details about their ancestors and what their lives were like during the Civil War. We invite you to search the site at http://www.tnsos.net/TSLA/provost/index.php.

The State Library and Archives is a division of the Tennessee Department of State and Tre Hargett, Secretary of State.

Hunting for Ancestors Instead of Bargains on Thanksgiving Weekend

People who need a break from holiday shopping Thanksgiving weekend are encouraged to attend the Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) “Family History Day” on Saturday, November 30. The third annual event, which is designed to introduce more people to genealogy, will include a free workshop on how to get started in researching family history.

The workshop will be held from 9:30 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. in the TSLA auditorium, which is located at 403 Seventh Avenue North, directly west of the State Capitol in downtown Nashville. Trent Hanner, a reference librarian at TSLA, will provide an overview of records that are available at TSLA and how to navigate through the various databases.

Although the event is free, reservations are required because seating in the auditorium is limited. To make a reservation, call (615) 741-2764 or e-mail workshop.tsla@tn.gov.

Please note that parking in front of the TSLA building is limited due to construction, however, there is plenty of additional parking behind the building.
  

The State Library and Archives is a division of the Tennessee Department of State and Tre Hargett, Secretary of State.

Tennessee Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped at your service!

Do you know that tucked away in one side of the first floor of the Tennessee State Library and Archives is the Tennessee Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped? This is another gem in the crown of TSLA that offers access to Braille, audio and large print books to anyone within the State of Tennessee who cannot use standard print.

TSLA staff member Ron Gross delivers a mail truck full of audiobooks for Tennessee Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped patrons.

Some interesting facts:

• As of the end of our last fiscal year there were 7,170 individuals registered for our services, including 6,608 adults and 562 children ranging in age from 18 months to 105 years.

• There are also 226 institutions registered with us; schools, hospitals and nursing homes who borrow books for their students, patients and residents.

• We have 101,383 titles available for loan and our circulation for the last federal fiscal year was 216,393!

Even with these staggering numbers TLBPH is “the best kept secret” in Tennessee. Our staff gives personal attention to all patrons, whether they want to select their own titles or have us recommend them. We don’t want to be a secret, so we hope you will share or “Like” this post on the TSLA Facebook page to help us spread the word! If someone you know could benefit from TLBPH services, contact us by email at tlbph.tsla@tn.gov or by phone at 615-741-3915.

  

The State Library and Archives is a division of the Tennessee Department of State and Tre Hargett, Secretary of State.

Ghosts, ghouls, and tape!

Halloween is right around the corner, but we see scary preservation issues year-round at the conservation laboratory at the Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA).

Foremost among these is tape. Did you know that any kind of tape used on your family collections is potentially a hazard? Some tapes are advertised as being archival, which is true in that the adhesive doesn’t chemically react to the paper. However, tape is meant to be permanent, and anybody in the preservation field will recommend you never to do anything permanent to your collection.

Conservator Carol Roberts uses a specialized heating tool to remove the plastic layer of the tape. In this image you can also see an example of a pressurized tape which has oxidized the paper fibers. Even if the tape is removed, the staining is permanent. Tape removal should only be performed by a trained paper conservator as the process is incredibly complicated and can be quite hazardous without the proper protective wear and equipment.

One of the responsibilities of our team of conservators is the removal of tape within TSLA’s collections. Our conservators are available to answer any questions regarding your paper-based collections at 615-253-6460. You can also find out more about caring for your family collections at http://www.tn.gov/tsla/preservation/PreservingFamilyColl.htm.

So please, be careful this Halloween, and beware the tape.

The State Library and Archives is a division of the Tennessee Department of State and Tre Hargett, Secretary of State.

State Library and Archives to Host Workshop on Andrew Jackson

Historians have traditionally presented Andrew Jackson as a man who struggled to overcome the obstacles of his backwoods upbringing and helped create a more democratic United States. Jackson served as the seventh president of the United States, and is considered the hero of the Battle of New Orleans. In his public life, Jackson is best known for his fight to defeat the Second Bank of the United States and for the controversial relocation of Native Americans from the southeastern United States to Oklahoma.

With that in mind, the Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) is hosting the latest in its series of workshops, titled "Andrew Jackson: Frontiersman or Elite Southerner?" The workshop, which is free and open to the public, will be held October 26 from 9:30 a.m. until 11 a.m. at the State Library and Archives building, 403 Seventh Avenue North in downtown Nashville.

Dr. Mark R. Cheathem, author of the recently published book, Andrew Jackson, Southerner, will lead the workshop. Dr. Cheathem argues for a reassessment of long-held views on Jackson, suggesting that in fact "Old Hickory" lived as an elite southern gentleman. By emphasizing Jackson's southern identity - characterized by violence, honor, kinship, slavery, and Manifest Destiny - Dr. Cheathem offers a bold new perspective on one of the most renowned and controversial presidents.

Dr. Cheathem is an associate professor of history at Cumberland University in Lebanon. In addition to Andrew Jackson: Southerner (2013), he is the author of Old Hickory’s Nephew: The Political and Private Struggles of Andrew Jackson Donelson (2007).

Those wishing to attend this free workshop must contact TSLA to reserve a seat as the number of attendees is limited. Due to construction, parking is limited around the Library and Archives building. Patrons can register by telephone by calling 615-741-2764, or by e-mail at: workshop.tsla@tn.gov.
 

The State Library and Archives is a division of the Tennessee Department of State and Tre Hargett, Secretary of State.

Taking the State Capitol to the Classroom

This week, the office of the Tennessee Secretary of State launched an initiative to distribute DVD copies of the documentary, “Tennessee State Capitol: Grounded in Tradition,” to every school in Tennessee.

At a news conference Tuesday, Secretary of State Tre Hargett and Clarksville-Montgomery County Director of Schools B.J. Worthington were joined by state legislators, school board members and other state and local officials in announcing that DVDs of the documentary will be distributed to every school in the school system.

The project is a result of a request by the Tennessee General Assembly that the Secretary of State’s Office produce the documentary. It premiered in an event at the Nashville Public Library earlier this year. Copies of the DVD are being distributed to school districts in all 95 of Tennessee’s counties.

On Friday, state and local officials will gather at the Chattanooga Convention Center, Meeting Room 12 at 1 p.m. Eastern Time for the next stop in this educational initiative, which also happens to coincide with Tennessee's Civil War Sesquicentennial Signature Event in Chattanooga. Archivists from TSLA will be on hand for that event for its "Looking Back: The Civil War in Tennessee" digital archiving project and traveling exhibit.

The Tennessee State Capitol documentary covers the building’s history from the time the original cornerstone was laid in 1845 through the present day. It covers serious events - including the Union Army’s occupation of the Capitol - and whimsical ones - like the time a car drove through the building’s lobby as a publicity stunt. The documentary can be viewed online from the Secretary of State’s web site at www.capitol.tnsos.net. There are plans to add other online resources to the site, including a virtual tour of the Capitol, as well as features and fun stories about the building’s history.

To learn more about both events, please visit our previous blog posts on the Tennessee State Capitol video and the Looking Back project.

The State Library and Archives is a division of the Tennessee Department of State and Tre Hargett, Secretary of State.

Lots to "like" about TSLA...

The Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) Facebook page has been very active lately with updates on several events and programs going on at TSLA...


The Chronicling America Project
First, we're proud to announce the addition of more than 1 million newspaper pages to the Chronicling America project, making historical newspapers from Greeneville, Jonesborough, Memphis, Sweetwater, and Winchester freely available on the Internet. These newspapers focus on the period from the 1850s to almost 1900. In cooperation with the University of Tennessee, TSLA has already provided more than 120,000 pages of historical Tennessee newspapers to the site. In the previous phase of the project, TSLA focused its efforts on digitizing newspapers from the Civil War era, roughly 1850 through 1875.


Saturday Workshop Series
On Saturday, October 26th at 9:30 am, the Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) is hosting the latest in its series of workshops, titled "Andrew Jackson: Frontiersman or Elite Southerner?" Dr. Mark R. Cheathem, author of the recently published book, Andrew Jackson, Southerner, will lead the workshop. Dr. Cheathem is an associate professor of history at Cumberland University in Lebanon. In addition to Andrew Jackson: Southerner (2013), he is the author of Old Hickory’s Nephew: The Political and Private Struggles of Andrew Jackson Donelson (2007).

Those wishing to attend this free workshop must contact TSLA to reserve a seat as the number of attendees is limited. Due to construction, parking is limited around the Library and Archives building. Patrons can register by telephone by calling 615-741-2764, or by e-mail at: workshop.tsla@tn.gov.


Art Beyond Sight Awareness Month
And last but certainly not least, people who visit the Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) during the month of October will have an opportunity to see award-winning artwork created by students from the Tennessee School for the Blind. This is the fourth year TSLA has displayed art from the school to commemorate "Art Beyond Sight Awareness Month," an annual event sponsored by Art Education for the Blind, a New York-based nonprofit organization.

"Dot" the tiger is the mascot of the Tennessee School for the Blind's athletic department. Constructed entirely of Braille Paper Mache, Dot represents a "team effort" of all the art classes at Tennessee School for the Blind.

This free exhibit is located in the lobby of TSLA’s building at 403 Seventh Avenue North in downtown Nashville. The library is open from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., Tuesdays through Saturdays. Among the items in the exhibit is a paper mache version of "Dot," a tiger who serves as the school’s mascot, that is on permanent loan to TSLA. Visitors are encouraged to feel the texture of the scraps of braille paper used to make the nearly life-sized tiger.

For more updates like this, we encourage you to "like" us on Facebook, and continue following the TSLA Blog for additional features.
 

The State Library and Archives is a division of the Tennessee Department of State and Tre Hargett, Secretary of State.