Genealogy Records and Research

This section presents some genealogy records about Black Arlingtonians and their allies. Use the navigation menu to explore the sections of this category.

Subject of Research: Blog by Halls Hill historian Wilma Jones: Arlington Virginia History From the Black Side.; https://hallshill.com/blog-3/
Story: My name is Wilma Jones and I’m a self-published author, award-winning blogger and keynote speaker. My new project is all about the neighborhood I grew up in and still reside in today, Halls Hill. It’s a small neighborhood of about 800 families located outside Washington, DC in north Arlington, Virginia.
People: Wilma Jones
Place: Halls Hill Highview Park

Item sets: Black Mobility Archive: Arlington, VA

Subject of Research: Self-published book by Halls Hill historian, Wilma Jones: My Halls Hill Family: More Than A Neighborhood, 2018.
Story: This covers 1865 to the 1960s from Wilma Jones' family perspective.
People: Wilma Jones
Place: Halls Hill Highview Park

Item sets: Black Mobility Archive: Arlington, VA

Media: 81YHou1nZuL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg

Subject of Research: DeAnna Beane talks about her involvement in the Civil Rights Movement in Arlington, Virginia in the 1960s
Story: A portion of the interview transcript, which relates to Arlington, VA:
"I guess Chicago was where the activist in me began to emerge. No I guess it emerged before then. Hadn't thought about it but when we lived in Arlington, that was during the beginnings of the Civil Rights Movement. And Arlington, Virginia was very segregated. That's where our church was, very segregated.

Okay, now wait a minute. I want to try to follow chronology. I'm not sure where--so after you left Chicago, after he got his Ph.D. [degree] in Chicago, you all moved to New Jersey first?

Yes, but what I want to say is I missed a piece of life. I don't know if it's, if it doesn't matter. I mean we can leave it out.

Okay.

When, when I was--those years when I was at Howard [University, Washington, D.C.] and I was a minister's wife, our church was in Arlington, Virginia. So we were there four years. And in that four years, the Civil Rights Movement came to Arlington. And we were asked what do you want to change in your community? I can't remember if it was my husband's influence or what, but the group decided we want the movie theaters open to our children. And so that's what we did. You know we picketed and demonstrated. And the American Nazis party had its headquarters about a half a mile down on Lee Highway from our church.

Now this is led by the infamous George Lincoln Rockwell.

Rockwell, yes. I had the pleasure of being tormented by him and his Nazis. They would picket opposite us with signs that said Niggers go back to Africa and all sorts of things. And then the state legislature in Virginia passed a law saying picketing was illegal. And we decided to test it. I'm trying to remember if we were working with SNCC [Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee] CORE [Congress of Racial Equality], I cannot remember, it was one of the two.

So do you--now this would have been in 196--what?

'62 [1962].

Two, okay, now I'm, I'm wondering if--now who actually came to Arlington to represent the movement? Was it someone from--is that what you're trying to--

Yeah, it was either SNCC or CORE, and I--

I'm thinking it sounds like CORE to me, but I don't--

Okay, I, I just cannot remember. They asked what is it we wanted to change. And once we told them, then they told us the strategy. And the thing that I was trying to remember was who helped us. I was arrested. They had--we had to pick a couple of people from the community to test the new law. And they decided the minister's wife would be a good candidate. She had some credibility. And there were a couple of us, another woman and I think two or three men. And so we were arrested while we were picketing, treated very kindly by the police. Fingerprint--taken to the station and fingerprinted, all of that. And the, the organization that was helping us said don't worry, we'll have a good lawyer. And I, I'm drawing a blank on his name."
People: Informal science educator DeAnna Beane (1940 - ) was director of Youth ALIVE! (Youth Achievement through Learning, Involvement, Volunteering and Employment) at the Association of Science and Technology Centers, Inc.
Source: DeAnna Beane (The HistoryMakers A2013.020), interviewed by Larry Crowe, February 12, 2013, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 5, story 7, DeAnna Beane talks about her involvement in the Civil Rights Movement in Arlington, Virginia in the 1960s

Item sets: Black Mobility Archive: Arlington, VA

Subject of Research: Charles Drew Lived Here - The "father of the blood bank" grew up in Arlington. And his legacy is lasting.
Source: https://www.arlingtonmagazine.com/charles-drew-lived-in-arlington/

Item sets: Black Mobility Archive: Arlington, VA

Subject of Research: Joseph Paul Reason (b. 1941)
Source: https://aaregistry.org/story/joseph-reason-born/

Item sets: Black Mobility Archive: Arlington, VA

Media: Joseph_Paul_Reason.jpg

Subject of Research: Esther Cooper Jackson (b. 1917)
Source: https://aaregistry.org/story/esther-cooper-jackson-born/

Item sets: Black Mobility Archive: Arlington, VA

Media: esther-cooper-jackson.jpg

Subject of Research: "Crazy Dion" Diamond experiences harassment during a civil rights sit-in at the Cherrydale Drug Fair in Arlington, VA June 10, 1960
Story: Dion Diamond was known for doing solo sit-ins in the 1950's and got involved with civil rights groups to continue non-violent civil rights action.
People: "Crazy Dion" Diamond
Place: 5401 Lee Highway, Arlington VA; https://www.google.com/maps/place/5401+Lee+Hwy,+Arlington,+VA+22207/@38.8964934,-77.1381646,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x89b7b452c70818b7:0x5b257b43bbbeb12b!8m2!3d38.8964934!4d-77.1381646!16s%2Fg%2F11c2607fr0?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDEwNi4xIKXMDSoJLDEwMjExMjM0SAFQAw%3D%3D
Event: A civil rights sit-in at the Cherrydale Drug Fair
Source: Where is he now?; https://washingtonareaspark.com/2013/01/20/crazy-dion-diamond-a-1960-rights-warrior-in-the-suburbs/; https://www.npr.org/2018/01/12/577343980/the-civil-rights-activist-whose-name-youve-probably-never-heard; https://www.arlingtonva.us/Government/Projects/Plans-Studies/Historic-Preservation/60th-Anniversary-of-the-Arlington-County-Lunch-Counter-Sit-ins; Arlington Sit-Ins

Item sets: Black Mobility Archive: Arlington, VA

Media: 8396866644_8d29ea98bf_z.jpg

Subject of Research: Hartman Reed, one of the first Black cab drivers in Arlington
Source: https://www.arlnow.com/2022/06/08/arlingtons-historic-crown-cab-is-hartman-reeds-legacy/

Item sets: Black Mobility Archive: Arlington, VA

Media: Hartman Reed with his cab in an undated photo (photo courtesy of Marguarite Reed Gooden)

Subject of Research: George L. Vollin Jr. Interview
Story: This is a transcript of an oral history interview with George Vollin, originally recorded on audio cassette tape March 10, 1992.
Source: https://libraryarchives.arlingtonva.us/Detail/objects/929

Item sets: Black Mobility Archive: Arlington, VA

Subject of Research: Joan Mulholland Interview
Story: This is a transcript of an oral history interview with Joan Mulholland, originally recorded to audio cassette tape on September 2 and December 11, 2008.

Subject(s):
Arlington Public Schools (Arlington, Va.)
Congress of Racial Equality (CORE)
Desegregation
Mulholland, Joan Trumpauer, 1941-
Source: https://libraryarchives.arlingtonva.us/Detail/objects/208

Item sets: Black Mobility Archive: Arlington, VA

Subject of Research: Capt. Carl Porter Interview
Story: This is a transcript of an oral history interview on audio cassette tape, recorded on March 5, and March 26, 1975, relating to the Columbia Pike neighborhood.
Source: https://libraryarchives.arlingtonva.us/Detail/objects/893

Item sets: Black Mobility Archive: Arlington, VA

Subject of Research: Walter De Groot Interview
Story: This is a transcript of an oral history interview with Walter De Groot, originally recorded to audio cassette tape recorded on June 30, July 12, August 6, and August 22, 2004. Includes information and discussion of the Columbia Pike neighborhood. One of the interviews was conducted during a walking tour of Columbia Pike in Arlington County.
Source: https://libraryarchives.arlingtonva.us/Detail/objects/193

Item sets: Black Mobility Archive: Arlington, VA

Subject of Research: Frank L. Ball Interview
Source: https://libraryarchives.arlingtonva.us/Detail/objects/905

Item sets: Black Mobility Archive: Arlington, VA