Mattie Sloan Collection of Black Minstrel Ephemera: Winstead's Mighty Minstrels
1927-1956, undated
Manuscript Collection #1439- Creator(s)
- Sloan, Mattie B.
- Physical description
- 0.75 Cubic Feet, 1 document case, 1 half document case, consisting of photographs, slides, ledgers, work licenses, advertising circulars, advertising cards, and a poster.
- Preferred Citation
- Mattie Sloan Collection of Black Minstrel Ephemera: Winstead's Mighty Minstrels (#1439), East Carolina Manuscript Collection, J. Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA
- Repository
- ECU Manuscript Collection
- Access
- The collection is open for research.
This collection contains documents and memorabilia (1927-1956, undated) kept by Mattie Sloan related to Winstead's Mighty Minstrels and other Black Minstrel groups such as Irvin C. Miller's "Brown Skin Models". Included are ledgers (1944, 1951, 1954, undated) recording ticket sales, salaries, and routes for the Winstead group and photographs, work licenses, advertising circulars and cards, and a poster. The strength of the collection is the historical significance that shows the involvement of African Americans as performers and managers that were not often included in standard histories of circuses and vaudeville.
Biographical/historical information
Mattie Barber Sloan was the bookkeeper and assistant to Thomas Store Winstead for his group Winstead's Mighty Minstrels, a Fayetteville, North Carolina, Black Minstrel group who toured the Eastern United States from 1931 to 1956. Sloan was married to Frank Sloan, the bandleader of Winstead's Might Minstrels.
Scope and arrangement
The Mattie Sloan Collection of Black Minstrel Ephemera consists of photographs, ledgers, work licenses, advertising circulars, and cards compiled by Mattie Sloan. The materials relate to Winstead's Mighty Minstrels. Information used to create this finding aid came from Circus and Vaudeville – Alex Albright. alexalbright.works/research/circus/. Accessed 16 Jan. 2024.
Administrative information
Custodial History
October 13, 2023, 0.75 cubic feet; Mattie Barber Sloan was the bookkeeper and assistant to Thomas Store Winstead for his group Winstead's Mighty Minstrels, a Fayetteville, North Carolina, Black Minstrel group who toured the Eastern United States from 1931 to 1956. Her husband Frank was the bandleader. This collection contains documents and memorabilia (1927-1956, undated) kept by Mattie Sloan related to Winstead's Mighty Minstrels and other Black Minstrel groups such as Irvin C. Miller's "Brown Skin Models". Included are ledgers (1944, 1951, 1954, undated) recording ticket sales, salaries, and routes for the Winstead group and photographs, work licenses, advertising circulars and cards, and a poster. A few of the photographs belonged to Katie Abraham who had been a featured dancer with Silas Green from New Orleans in the late 1920s. Purchased from Alex Albright.
August 1, 2025, 0.1 cubic feet; 20 slides depicting performers from the Silas Green from New Orleans variety show, Sherman H. Dudley, Jr., and scenes of Black life. Gift of Alex Albright.
Source of acquisition
Purchased from Alex Albright
Processing information
Processed by Martha Elmore and Jennifer Beatty (2023-2024)
Updated by John Dunning, January 2026
Copyright notice
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