Seeking information on White House Doorman, Preston Bruce

Rancy Bruce's mother was Margaret Bruce.  She is listed as a widow in the 1900-1920 censuses.  In the 1880 census she is 21 years old, living with her mother Cornelia and stepfather Louis Sanders.   She died in May 1930.

Dear Ms. Harris,

Thank you for posting your request on History Hub!

We searched the National Archives Catalog and located the Population Schedules for the 1870 Census, the Population Schedules for the 1880 Census,  the Population Schedules for the 1890 Census, and the Population Schedules for the 1900 Census in the Records of the Bureau of the Census (Record Group 29) that may include records of Samuel Dudley.   As extended families often lived in close proximity, you may be able to browse the surrounding pages for listings of Dudleys that may be related.  For access to the non-digitized schedules, please contact the National Archives at Washington, DC - Textual Reference (RDT1) via email at archives1reference@nara.gov. 

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and pursuant to guidance received from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), NARA has adjusted its normal operations to balance the need of completing its mission-critical work while also adhering to the recommended social distancing for the safety of NARA staff. As a result of this re-prioritization of activities, you may experience a delay in receiving an initial acknowledgement as well as a substantive response to your reference request from RDT1. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and patience.

The 1870 Federal Census was the first time that African Americans were included in the registry, so prior to that only freed individuals were listed in the census.  For information about the U.S. Census, see the Census Bureau technical documentation and questionnaires.

You may wish to search Ancestry.com or FamilySearch.org for the U.S. Census. There may be a fee for using Ancestry. Instead, check for access at your local library as many library systems subscribe to these sites, making them free for their patrons.

We also suggest that you place a Genealogy Research Request with the South Carolina Department of Archives and History for the vital records of Samuel Dudley and review the FamilySearch Research wiki for African American Resources for South Carolina.

We hope this is helpful. Best of luck with your research!

Hello Ms. Harris,

My name is Preston Bruce.  I am the 3rd and the Preston Bruce you are inquiring about grandson.  Did you ever find out my great, grandfather Rancy's fathers name?

As you have found, Margaret Bruce was Rancy's Mother. Her mother was Cornelia and she had a step sister Rosaline and step brother Colin.  I have not had success in locating any information on her husband (my great great grandfather or her father

As for Amanda, i too have come up short on finding much of anything on her parents.

So if i may ask, how are you related as i saw you mentioned you "had that in your tree"

Ms. Harris,

I have a copy of Mr. Preston's book. You might try to get in touch with the three people who assisted him in writing the book. They might have the information you are looking for. Maybe the publisher, Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books can help with that information. The three women were: Katherine Johnson, Patricia Hass, and Susan Hainey.

Hope this helps.

Rebecca