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James de T. Abajian collection of Black (African-American) ephemera, 1876-1981 (bulk 1960-1980).
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Collection Overview
Title:
James de T. Abajian collection of Black (African-American) ephemera, 1876-1981 (bulk 1960-1980)Collection of Black (African-American) ephemera
Creator/Contributor:
Abajian, James de T., creator, collector.Abstract:
Comprises James de Tarr Abajian's collection of printed ephemera, much of it related to the San Francisco Bay Area African-American
community, as well as photocopies, notes, and original documents pertaining to Abajian's research interests. Organizations
represented include the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame, the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, the San Francisco
African American Historical and Cultural Society, the Black Panther Party, the National Association for the Advancement of
Colored People, the Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples, the First Unitarian Church (San Francisco), and the Golden State
Mutual Life Insurance Company. Abajian's research files include additional ephemera and research materials, as organized by
him into envelopes. In addition to ephemera, the collection also contains a small amount of Abajian's research notes and primary
sources, including his investigations into the history of African-American printers, and several first-hand accounts of the
1906 San Francisco earthquake. A very small amount of correspondence is also present.
Date:
1960 (issued)Subject:
n-us-caAfrican Americans -- California -- San Francisco Bay Area
African Americans -- Social life and customs
San Francisco Earthquake and Fire, Calif., 1906 -- Personal narratives
Note:
COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE: Advance notice required for use.
Collection processed at folder level in 2010.
James de T. Abajian collection of Black (African-American) ephemera, BANC MSS 82/77 c, The Bancroft Library, University of
California, Berkeley.
In English.
Related collection: James de T. Abajian papers (BANC MSS 86/213 c).
Related collection: Afro-American bibliography correspondence (BANC MSS 85/137 c).
Related collection: James de T. Abajian index files and scrapbooks (BANC MSS 86/206 c).
Related collection: African Americans in the San Francisco Bay Area (BANC PIC 1985.079--AX).
Related collection: Afro-American posters, greeting cards, and portraits (BANC PIC 1982.034-.036--PIC).
Related collection: Portraits of African Americans (BANC PIC 1982.035--PIC).
James de Tarr Abajian (1914-1986), bibliographer and historian of African American history, was the chief librarian of the
California Historical Society from 1949-1968. He was also director of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Special Collection at San
Francisco Public Library from 1969-1971. Abajian's writings include The Black Presence in San Francisco (1974), Blacks and
Their Contributions to the American West; A Bibliography and Union List of Holdings through 1970 (1974), and Blacks in Selected
Newspapers, Censuses and Other Sources: An Index to Names and Subjects (1977). Abajian presented much of his significant documentary
material on African Americans in California and the West, collected throughout his career, to The Bancroft Library in the
1980s. This material includes books, printed ephemera, manuscripts, sheet music, periodicals and photographs. His personal
papers were donated to the library after his death in 1986.
Type:
Ephemera.Physical Description:
print
2 cartons (2.5 linear feet)
Language:
English
Origin:
CaliforniaCopyright Note:
COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE: Advance notice required for use.