Collection (1883–1910) consisting of correspondence, eight Civil War pension application ledgers, 2 account books and church record book. The majority of the collection consists of claims for pensions by blacks who served in the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy during the Civil War. The claims request compensation for wounds and injuries received or diseases contracted by the applicants. Claims were submitted either by the veterans themselves or by their survivors. While the majority of claimants appear to have lived in the vicinity of New Bern and James City, North Carolina, many resided throughout the central portion of eastern North Carolina. The ledgers were once the property of Frederick Douglass, a black lawyer, minister, and teacher of New Bern who handled the claims.
Collection (1889-1890, 1893-1894) including Civil War black soldiers pension and compensation applications compiled by Frederick C. Douglass, a black lawyer, minister, and teacher in New Bern, NC who served as a government pension agent, 1889-1897.