My great grandfather was an African American police officer in the 1800s . His name was Vernon William Brown. I think he was located in Philadelphia.
My great grandfather was an African American police officer in the 1800s . His name was Vernon William Brown. I think he was located in Philadelphia.
Dear Ms. Brown,
Thank you for posting your request on History Hub!
We searched the National Archives Catalog and located the Population Schedules for the 1880 Census, the Population Schedules for the 1890 Census; the Population Schedules for the 1900 Census, the Population Schedules for the 1910 Census, the Population Schedules for the 1920 Census, the Population Schedules for the 1930 Census, and Population Schedules for the 1940 Census in the Records of the Bureau of the Census (Record Group 29) that may contain information about an African American Vernon William Brown living with his wife and children in Pennsylvania. Please check to see if their names match those of your ancestors. The 1940 Census schedules are digitized and available using the Catalog. For information about the U.S. Census, see the Decennial Census of Population and Housing Technical Documentation as well as NARA’s page on Census Records. You may also contact the National Archives in Washington, DC - Textual Reference (RR1R) via email at archives1reference@nara.gov.
The web page Search Census Records Online and Other Resources provides information about accessing these records online. There may be a fee for using Ancestry or Fold3. Please check for access at your local library as many library systems subscribe to these sites, making them free for their patrons. FamilySearch can be accessed with a free account.
You may experience a delay in receiving an initial acknowledgment as well as a substantive response to your reference request. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and patience.
We suggest that you review NARA’s African American Heritage website, especially the Archives Resources section, the Subject Portal, and the African American Records: Freedmen's Bureau web pages as well as NARA’s Rediscovering Black History blog and the History Hub response to How do I search for my family’s history?
In addition, we suggest that you search the Police Department (Philadelphia); City Archives | Department of Records | City of Philadelphia; Philly History; Local libraries, Archives, and Other Repositories - Genealogy; and Historical Society of Pennsylvania websites to obtain any information pertaining to your great grandfather Vernon William Brown’s service in the 1800s as a police officer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Plus, we also suggest that you contact the Pennsylvania Vital Records to request a search for a possible birth, marriage and death certificate for Vernon William Brown. You may wish to note any name variants or broaden your search for the surrounding years. In addition, the FamilySearch Research wikis for Pennsylvania Vital Records and African American Resources for Pennsylvania may be helpful.
If you are able to share more information about the date of his birth and location, names of his parents, spouse and/or children, then we may be able to direct you to additional, potentially relevant resources.
We hope this is helpful. Best of luck with your family research!
Dear Ms. Brown,
Thank you for posting your request on History Hub!
We searched the National Archives Catalog and located the Population Schedules for the 1880 Census, the Population Schedules for the 1890 Census; the Population Schedules for the 1900 Census, the Population Schedules for the 1910 Census, the Population Schedules for the 1920 Census, the Population Schedules for the 1930 Census, and Population Schedules for the 1940 Census in the Records of the Bureau of the Census (Record Group 29) that may contain information about an African American Vernon William Brown living with his wife and children in Pennsylvania. Please check to see if their names match those of your ancestors. The 1940 Census schedules are digitized and available using the Catalog. For information about the U.S. Census, see the Decennial Census of Population and Housing Technical Documentation as well as NARA’s page on Census Records. You may also contact the National Archives in Washington, DC - Textual Reference (RR1R) via email at archives1reference@nara.gov.
The web page Search Census Records Online and Other Resources provides information about accessing these records online. There may be a fee for using Ancestry or Fold3. Please check for access at your local library as many library systems subscribe to these sites, making them free for their patrons. FamilySearch can be accessed with a free account.
You may experience a delay in receiving an initial acknowledgment as well as a substantive response to your reference request. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and patience.
We suggest that you review NARA’s African American Heritage website, especially the Archives Resources section, the Subject Portal, and the African American Records: Freedmen's Bureau web pages as well as NARA’s Rediscovering Black History blog and the History Hub response to How do I search for my family’s history?
In addition, we suggest that you search the Police Department (Philadelphia); City Archives | Department of Records | City of Philadelphia; Philly History; Local libraries, Archives, and Other Repositories - Genealogy; and Historical Society of Pennsylvania websites to obtain any information pertaining to your great grandfather Vernon William Brown’s service in the 1800s as a police officer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Plus, we also suggest that you contact the Pennsylvania Vital Records to request a search for a possible birth, marriage and death certificate for Vernon William Brown. You may wish to note any name variants or broaden your search for the surrounding years. In addition, the FamilySearch Research wikis for Pennsylvania Vital Records and African American Resources for Pennsylvania may be helpful.
If you are able to share more information about the date of his birth and location, names of his parents, spouse and/or children, then we may be able to direct you to additional, potentially relevant resources.
We hope this is helpful. Best of luck with your family research!
