Dr. Carter G. Woodson (1875-1950), known as “The Father of Black
History,” was born in Buckingham County, Virginia, the son of former
slaves. He received his doctorate from Harvard, rose to prominence as a
writer and historian, and was the editor of
The Journal of Negro History. He is best known for establishing Black History Week, which evolved into Black History Month.
In 1924 Dr. Woodson compiled from the U. S. Census records of 1830
the names and numbers of free Black owners of slaves, listed by State,
along with the number of slaves owned by each. The statistics were
copied by three assistants under his supervision, personally reviewed by
Dr. Woodson, and published in
Free Negro Owners of Slaves in the
United States in 1830, Together with Absentee Ownership of Slaves in the
United States in 1830. (Washington, DC: The Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, 1924.)