Agnes Kane Callum
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Agnes Kane Callum (February 24, 1925 – July 22, 2015) was a
genealogist Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their Lineage (anthropology), lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family ...
known for her research into Maryland's African-American history. She was a founding member of the Baltimore Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society, a frequent columnist for ''
The Catholic Review ''The Catholic Review'' is Maryland's largest paid weekly newspaper distributed by mail. The ''Review'' covers national and international news of interest to Catholics and serves as the newspaper of record for the archdiocese of Baltimore. Hi ...
'', and the founding editor of a black genealogical journal, ''Flower of the Forest''. Callum was inducted into the
Maryland Women's Hall of Fame Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...
in 2014.


Early life and education

She was born in
Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...
, Maryland, in 1925, the fifth of 12 children of Phillip Moten Kane and Mary Gough Kane. Her paternal grandfather, Henry Kane, was born into slavery at Sotterley Plantation in
St. Mary's County, Maryland St. Mary's County, established in 1637, is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the population was 113,777. Its county seat is Leonardtown. The name is in honor of Mary, the mother of Jesus. St. Mary's Count ...
. After attending Baltimore public schools, she held a variety of jobs, including salesperson for a black-owned cosmetics company, Beauty Queen Co.; insurance agent for the
North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company NC Mutual (originally the North Carolina Mutual and Provident Association and later North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company) was an American life insurance company located in downtown Durham, North Carolina and one of the most influential Af ...
; licensed practical nurse at Rosewood Hospital; and night clerk for the
United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...
. She was active in her community, joining the Eastside Democratic Organization, founding a neighborhood club called "Clean Up for a Better Neighborhood," and organizing educational field trips for local schoolchildren. At age 44 she resumed her education, earning a master's degree in
social sciences Social science (often rendered in the plural as the social sciences) is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of society, societies and the Social relation, relationships among members within those societies. The term was former ...
at
Morgan State University Morgan State University (Morgan State or MSU) is a Public university, public historically black colleges and universities, historically black research university in Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland. It is the largest of Maryland's historically bla ...
. In 1973 she received a
Fulbright-Hays Scholarship The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States cultural exchange programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people o ...
and studied at the
University of Ghana The University of Ghana is a public university located in Accra, Ghana. It is the oldest public university in the country. The university was founded in 1948 as the University College of the Gold Coast in the British colony of the Gold Coast ...
at Legon. Callum became interested in her family history while still an undergraduate, when she wrote a paper titled "The Acquisition of Land by Free Blacks in St. Mary's County Maryland" for a Black History class.


Career

In 1979 she published her first book, ''Kane-Butler Genealogy: History of a Black Family''. She went on to publish many volumes of research documenting the connections between the enslaved and slave holders in Maryland, and
U.S. Colored Troops United States Colored Troops (USCT) were Union Army regiments during the American Civil War that primarily comprised African Americans, with soldiers from other ethnic groups also serving in USCT units. Established in response to a demand fo ...
in Maryland. She also contributed many articles to the ''Catholic Review'' about the role of people of African descent, such as
Mathias de Sousa Mathias de Sousa was an early settler of the Province of Maryland and is often cited as the first person of African descent to vote in an American legislature, owing to his presence at a 1641 Maryland Assembly meeting. De Sousa came to Maryland a ...
, in
colonial Maryland The Province of Maryland was an English and later British colony in North America from 1634 until 1776, when the province was one of the Thirteen Colonies that joined in supporting the American Revolution against Great Britain. In 1781, Maryla ...
. In 1982 she gave a presentation titled ''The Genealogy of a Slave Family of St. Mary's County, Maryland 1793–1900'' at the annual conference of the
Association for the Study of African American Life and History The Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) is a learned society dedicated to the study and appreciation of African-American History. The association was founded in Chicago on September 9, 1915, during the Natio ...
(ASALH). That same year, she founded a black genealogical journal, ''Flower of the Forest'', named for a tract of land in
St. Mary's County, Maryland St. Mary's County, established in 1637, is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the population was 113,777. Its county seat is Leonardtown. The name is in honor of Mary, the mother of Jesus. St. Mary's Count ...
, that had been owned by the Butler family for 125 years. Callum edited and published the journal for 25 years. She was still publishing online as late as 2014. She was a member of the Board of Trustees of the Sotterley Plantation, a founding member of the Baltimore chapter of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society, and a founding member of the Commission to Coordinate the Study, Commemoration and Impact of Slavery's History and Legacy in Maryland. Callum's research has helped many people trace their ancestors who were enslaved in Maryland. She documented the history of St. Francis Xavier Church in East Baltimore, the first Catholic parish officially established for African Americans. Her research into slave life at the Sotterley Plantation provided the basis for the educational program "Slavery to Freedom," at Sotterley.


Personal life

Her husband, Solomon Melvin Callum, died in 1975. She had five children, two of whom predeceased her.


Death and memorials

She died in Baltimore on July 22, 2015, of complications from
Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a neurodegenerative disease primarily of the central nervous system, affecting both motor system, motor and non-motor systems. Symptoms typically develop gradually and non-motor issues become ...
. In 2006, a complete set of her published works was donated to the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture in Baltimore. In 2007, the Baltimore chapter of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society was renamed the Agnes Kane Callum chapter in her honor. She received an honorary degree in history from
St. Mary's College of Maryland St. Mary's College of Maryland (SMCM) is a Public college, public Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in St. Mary's City, Maryland.Maryland State Archives, Online Manual, "St. Mary's College Of Maryland: Origin & Fun ...
in 2008. In 2017, the Slave Cabin Exhibition at Sotterley Plantation was dedicated to her memory.


Books

* * * * * * *


See also

*
History of slavery in Maryland Slavery in Maryland lasted over 200 years, from its beginnings in 1642 when the first Africans were brought as slaves to St. Mary's City, to its end after the Civil War. While Maryland developed similarly to neighboring Virginia, slavery decline ...
* Eleanor Butler


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Callum, Agnes Kane 1926 births 2015 deaths American genealogists 20th-century American women writers Writers from Baltimore American magazine editors Morgan State University alumni Deaths from Parkinson's disease in the United States American women magazine editors American women historians Historians from Maryland 20th-century African-American women writers 20th-century African-American writers 21st-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women