Methodology

Historical narratives are written through the lens of historians as they interpret historical data. While this process is deeply important for everyone to access information, it is imperative that we take into account the historians’ individual experiences and perspectives in how they interpret the historical data. Speaking bluntly, nearly all of the narratives we have are written through the lens of white men. Even well-meaning narratives are inevitably colored by the assumptions, viewpoints, and politics of the researcher, and lack the contextual knowledge that members of the Black community and those directly affected by the crime of slavery possess. For example, it is a mistake to contextualize the Black people of historic Santa Cruz as American without further study, as some might have arrived from Africa more recently.

Black-led research teams are vital to Black historical research so that we do not lose the nuances and patterns that underlie these narratives. Black-led research is a cornerstone of restorative justice—a term that originated in the justice system to refer to a journey toward well-being and wholeness that victims, offenders, and community members can experience together (restorativejustice.org)—and it applies to historical research as well. We are very thankful for the time local historians Ross Gibson and Phil Reader put into the research on London Nelson we have today. They did incredible work with the technology available to them in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. We are now committed to moving that work forward by reengaging the historical data with today’s technology, and with a Black-centered, Black-led, Black-informed research team.

The research phase of this project involves evaluating local and distant primary source data and applying historical research methods to recreate timelines and examine overlaps of locations for the individuals whose narratives we are developing. To do this we will visit numerous historical societies, county records, and university archives throughout the state, as well as collections elsewhere in the nation. The University of Tennessee houses the family papers (records slaveholders exchanged with the government for financial compensation at emancipation) of London and Marlborough Nelson, and can be used to identify the port from which they came. In addition, at least some of his descendants appear to live in South Carolina.