Box 31 - Rosewood Massacre

Box 31 contains materials from the Rosewood Massacre Collection dating from 1994–1996 and is arranged alphabetically by claimant surname, documenting individual compensation claims and supporting evidence submitted by survivors and their descendants. This box includes files for individuals such as Linda Sherman Graham; Zelma and Marie Goins; Tommie Grover; members of the Hall family (Cora Bradley, Eric, Gerald Jr., Henrietta, Joe L., and others); Virginia D. Hayes; Doretha Haywood; Eugene Hay; Rogers Haywood; Rosalyn Hester; Ingram Oscar L.; Dorothy Mae Jackson; Dorothy Goins Hosey; Vera Jenkins; and additional claimants.

The folders primarily consist of claims-related documentation, including Rosewood Claims Bill checklists, claims information forms, affidavits, and detailed Rosewood property affidavits describing property loss and family ties to Rosewood. Many files also include extensive correspondence between claimants and state officials or attorneys (such as Robert A. Butterworth, Gregory Durden, and Frank M. Beisler), memoranda regarding claim status, and handwritten notes.

Supporting documentation varies by file but frequently includes vital records (birth certificates, death certificates, marriage licenses, Social Security records, and driver’s licenses), census records, family trees, obituaries, land descriptions, maps, legal notices, and occasional materials such as scholarship applications or public hearing documents.

For example, a typical folder—such as those for the Hall or Hester families—may contain a claims checklist from 1994, multiple affidavits verifying lineage and residency, correspondence discussing claim eligibility and processing, and a multi-page property affidavit detailing land ownership and losses, along with supporting records like birth certificates or family trees used to substantiate the claim. Collectively, Box 31 reflects both the administrative process of the Rosewood claims program and the personal documentation used to validate survivor and descendant claims.

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