Chandler Tintype, Hollywood Indian Ledger, Harlem Heirs

Wes: THIS WEEK ON HISTORY DETECTIVES: HOW DID THIS CIVIL WAR-ERA TINTYPE HELP REIGNITE A FIERY DEBATE ABOUT AFRICAN AMERICANS BEARING ARMS FOR THE CONFEDERACY?

IT'S BREATHTAKINGLY RARE.

Eduardo: WHAT DOES THIS ACCOUNTS LEDGER FOR A MOVIE COMPANY HAVE TO DO WITH THE CHANGING WORLD OF THE LAKOTA SIOUX?

THIS IS A WARRIOR IN TWO WORLDS.

Gwendolyn: AND HOW IS THIS ORNATE DOCUMENT CONNECTED TO SOME OF THE EARLIEST SETTLERS OF NEW YORK CITY AND A MULTIMILLION-DOLLAR LAND DISPUTE?

Elvis Costello: ♪ WATCHIN' THE DETECTIVES ♪ ♪ I GET SO ANGRY WHEN THE TEARDROPS START ♪ ♪ BUT HE CAN'T BE WOUNDED 'CAUSE HE'S GOT NO HEART ♪ ♪ WATCHIN' THE DETECTIVES ♪ ♪ IT'S JUST LIKE WATCHIN' THE DETECTIVES ♪ ♪ WATCHIN' THE DETECTIVES ♪ Wes: OUR FIRST CASE DELVES INTO THE HISTORY OF TWO FAMILIES AND ONE EXTRAORDINARY IMAGE.

I'M WES COWAN, AND I'M INVESTIGATING A CONFEDERATE TINTYPE I'VE SEEN ONCE BEFORE, WHEN I APPRAISED IT ON ANTIQUES ROADSHOW IN JUNE 2009.

THIS IMAGE, I WOULD INSURE IT FOR AROUND $30- TO $40,000.

THE TINTYPE HAS BEEN HANDED DOWN THROUGH A MISSISSIPPI FAMILY SINCE THE CIVIL WAR AND COMES WITH A CONTROVERSIAL STORY: THAT A YOUNG MASTER AND HIS FORMER SLAVE FOUGHT TOGETHER FOR THE CONFEDERATE ARMY.

THIS IMAGE AND A HANDFUL OF OTHERS DEPICTING AFRICAN AMERICANS IN CONFEDERATE UNIFORM HAVE HELPED FUEL A DEBATE CONCERNING BLACK AMERICANS WHO BORE ARMS FOR THE CONFEDERACY.

150 YEARS AFTER THE START OF THAT FRATRICIDAL WAR, BOBBIE CHANDLER AND CHANDLER BATTAILE, DIRECT DESCENDANTS OF THE MEN IN THE TINTYPE, WANT TO KNOW IF THERE'S ANY TRUTH TO THEIR FAMILY LORE.

HEY, WES.

CHANDLER, IT'S GREAT TO SEE YOU AGAIN.

GOOD TO SEE YOU; THANKS FOR COMING OVER.

I'D LIKE YOU TO MEET MY FRIEND, BOBBY CHANDLER.

BOBBY, IT'S A PLEASURE TO MEET YOU.

NICE MEETING YOU.

WELL, GUYS, I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW EXCITING THIS IS FOR ME.

AFTER THE ROADSHOW EPISODE AIRED, THERE WERE A LOT OF QUESTIONS THAT WERE RAISED ABOUT THE STORY.

VIEWERS WROTE IN DROVES TO QUESTION WHETHER THE AFRICAN AMERICAN IN THE PICTURE WAS A SLAVE OR A FREE MAN AND WHETHER SO-CALLED BLACK CONFEDERATES WERE A MYTH.

IT'S A STORY AND A DEBATE THAT I ALSO FIND FASCINATING.

IT'S JUST GREAT TO GET TOGETHER WITH BOTH OF YOU TO REALLY NOW DIG A LITTLE BIT DEEPER.

WE HAVE THE TINTYPE THAT YOU'VE SEEN BEFORE.

IT'S AN IMAGE OF MY GREAT-GREAT- GRANDFATHER, ANDREW CHANDLER, AND BOBBY'S GREAT-GRANDFATHER, SILAS CHANDLER, BOTH IN CONFEDERATE UNIFORMS.

THE PHOTOGRAPH WAS TAKEN, WE BELIEVE, IN 1861, AS THEY WERE GOING OFF TO WAR.

SILAS HAD BEEN A SLAVE IN THE CHANDLER HOUSEHOLD, BUT ACCORDING TO THEIR FAMILY STORY, THE CHANDLERS GRANTED SILAS HIS FREEDOM JUST BEFORE THE WAR, AND THAT HE FOUGHT HEROICALLY ALONGSIDE HIS FORMER MASTER IN THE 44th MISSISSIPPI REGIMENT.

ANDREW WAS SHOT IN HIS RIGHT LEG, AND SILAS, WE BELIEVE, HELPED SAVE HIS LIFE.

THE CONFEDERATE SURGEONS WERE INTERESTED IN AMPUTATING HIS LEG BECAUSE OF THE INJURY, AND SILAS CONVINCED THE CONFEDERATE SURGEONS NOT TO OPERATE.

OKAY, AND, BOBBY, DID YOUR FAMILY EVER TALK ABOUT THIS PHOTOGRAPH?

WELL, ONE OF THE STORIES WAS THAT HE SAVED HIS PENNIES AND BOUGHT HIS FREEDOM.

THE OTHER STORY WAS THAT HE WAS GRANTED HIS FREEDOM BY THE CHANDLER FAMILY, AND THEY PRESENTED HIM WITH SOME LAND, AND HE BUILT A CHURCH ON IT.

WE'D BEEN TOLD THAT MY GREAT-GREAT-GRANDFATHER GAVE 80 ACRES TO THE FREED SLAVES AFTER THE WAR ON THE CONDITION THAT THEY BUILD A CHURCH ON THE LAND.

AND YOU SAY THIS HAS CAUSED SOME CONTROVERSY EVEN AMONG YOUR FAMILY.

THAT'S RIGHT.

SOME MEMBERS OF THE FAMILY DON'T THINK HE FOUGHT AS A CONFEDERATE SOLDIER.

THEY THINK THAT HE WAS A SLAVE AND DOING WHAT HE HAD TO DO.

BOBBY HAS A COPY OF SILAS' CONFEDERATE ARMY PENSION APPLICATION.

AND CHANDLER LENDS ME ANDREW'S ONLY SURVIVING WARTIME LETTER HOME AND SOME OTHER MILITARY RECORDS.

I WANT TO FIND OUT IF SILAS REALLY WAS A CONFEDERATE SOLDIER, AND IF HE WAS A FREED MAN WHEN HE BECAME A CONFEDERATE SOLDIER.

I WOULD BE VERY INTERESTED TO KNOW ARE THERE ARE ANY TITLE CHANGES TO LAND AROUND THERE AFTER 1865 THAT RECORD THAT AS A GIFT?

I'D LIKE TO TAKE ALL THIS STUFF WITH ME, AND WHEN I COME BACK, I'LL HAVE SOME ANSWERS.

THANK YOU.

THIS IS THE MOST AMAZING PHOTOGRAPH.

IT'S BREATHTAKINGLY RARE TO SEE A CONFEDERATE WITH AN AFRICAN AMERICAN IN A CONFEDERATE UNIFORM SITTING SIDE-BY-SIDE.

THE IMAGES I HAVE SEEN SHOW THE AFRICAN AMERICANS SEPARATED OR STANDING WHEN THE WHITE SOLDIERS ARE SITTING.

IN A WARTIME LETTER WRITTEN TO HIS MOTHER FROM THE TENNESSEE FRONT DATED AUGUST 1862, ANDREW WRITES THAT A YANKEE RAIDING PARTY IS RUMORED TO BE PUSHING SOUTH INTO MISSISSIPPI.

HE'S CONCERNED ABOUT HIS FAMILY AND ABOUT SILAS, WHO HAS RETURNED HOME FROM THE FRONT LINE.

"DO NOT LET THEM CATCH SILAS."

IS HE WORRIED ABOUT HIS FRIEND, OR IS HE CONCERNED FOR HIS PROPERTY?

PART OF THE WHOLE STORY HERE HAS ALWAYS BEEN THAT THE FAMILY THINKS THAT ANDREW WAS WOUNDED, AND SILAS SAVED HIM FROM HAVING HIS LEG AMPUTATED.

AND, BINGO, HERE'S THIS MEDICAL CERTIFICATE DATED IN 1864 WHERE IT DETAILS THE WOUND THAT ANDREW HAD.

"GUNSHOT WOUND TO THE RIGHT LEG AND ANKLE AT CHICKAMAUGA."

THEN THERE IS THIS APPLICATION FOR PENSION.

A LIFETIME HAS PASSED.

IT'S NOW 50 YEARS AFTER THE WAR, IN 1916, AND SILAS IS LISTED AS 78 YEARS OLD.

THE APPLICATION IS FOR INDIGENT SERVANTS OF A SOLDIER OF THE LATE CONFEDERACY.

SO WHAT'S THAT MEAN?

SILAS CHANDLER IS NOT APPLYING FOR A PENSION AS A SOLDIER, BUT IT'S VERY CLEAR, HE SAYS THAT HE SERVED FOR NEARLY FOUR YEARS IN THE CONFEDERACY.

THE APPLICATION ALSO ASKS ABOUT SILAS' OWNER.

DO SERVANT AND SLAVE MEAN THE SAME THING ON THIS FORM?

[ ♪♪♪ ] DAVID VAUGHAN IS A CONFEDERATE PHOTO EXPERT FROM ATLANTA, GEORGIA, AND A FRIEND.

HE MEETS ME IN NEW ORLEANS.

I'M SURE YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH THIS IMAGE.

WOW, BUT TO HOLD IT IN MY HANDS FOR THE FIRST TIME IS A REAL THRILL FOR ME.

DAVID AGREES THAT THE COMPOSITION OF THE CHANDLER TINTYPE -- BOTH MEN SEATED SIDE-BY-SIDE -- IS UNIQUE.

WES, I BROUGHT THIS ALONG FOR COMPARISON.

IT SHOWS A WHITE CAPTAIN WITH HIS AFRICAN-AMERICAN MANSERVANT TAKEN BY A.J.

RIDDLE.

THE CAPTAIN IS IN PERFECT FOCUS, AND THE CENTER OF THE FOCAL PLANE IS ON THE CAPTAIN'S FACE.

THE AFRICAN AMERICANS ARE PUSHED BACK INTO THE PHOTOGRAPH, AND THEY'RE NOT AS PROMINENT AS THEIR WHITE COUNTERPART.

THOUGH SUBTLE, IT'S A COMMON MOTIF IN BOTH CONFEDERATE PORTRAITURE AS WELL AS IN IMAGES OF UNION OFFICERS WITH ESCAPED SLAVES, KNOWN AS CONTRABAND.

YOU HAVE A PEPPERBOX IN SILAS' COAT, AND ANDREW HAS TWO PISTOLS, A PINFIRE AND A REVOLVER.

A PEPPERBOX IS A TYPE OF PISTOL USUALLY CARRIED AS A BACKUP WEAPON.

DOES THIS MEAN THAT BOTH OF THESE INDIVIDUALS WERE GOING OFF TO FIGHT TOGETHER IN THE WAR?

IT REALLY TELLS ME THAT THE PISTOLS WERE A PHOTOGRAPHER'S PROP.

SO SILAS' WEAPONS WEREN'T HIS, BUT RATHER COSTUME PIECES USED TO DRESS UP PHOTOGRAPHS FOR THE FOLKS BACK HOME.

I SEE TWO DIFFERENT KINDS OF UNIFORMS.

WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THAT?

WELL, THEY'RE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT.

SILAS IS WEARING A SHORT SHELL JACKET, AND ANDREW IS WEARING A CONFEDERATE JACKET WITH A DARK COLLAR AND CUFF.

A LITTLE BIT MORE WORKMANSHIP GOES INTO ANDREW'S JACKET.

BOTH CONFEDERATE UNIFORMS, 100%, NO QUESTION ABOUT THAT.

BUT DAVID DOESN'T THINK THE UNIFORM PROVES SILAS WAS A SOLDIER.

INSTEAD, HE SUGGESTS THAT SILAS WAS ANDREW'S MANSERVANT, A SLAVE BROUGHT TO THE FRONT LINES TO PERFORM ESSENTIAL TASKS FOR HIS MASTER, LIKE HUNTING, FORAGING, COOKING, AND LAUNDRY.

I TELL YOU, WES, THERE'S NOT ANYTHING IN THE PHOTOGRAPH THAT WOULD SUGGEST THAT HE WAS FREE.

UNTIL I SEE THE DOCUMENTATION, I WOULD HAVE TO ASSUME THAT HE WAS A SLAVE.

A WEBSITE OF CIVIL WAR ROSTERS MAINTAINED BY THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE LISTS ANDREW AS SERVING IN THE 44th MISSISSIPPI, BUT NOT SILAS.

I WONDER WHAT I CAN FIND IN THE MISSISSIPPI STATE RECORDS.

BY THE 1850s, MISSISSIPPI DOMINATED THE GLOBAL COTTON TRADE, PRODUCING MORE COTTON THAN ANY OTHER SOUTHERN STATE, NEARLY 600 MILLION POUNDS IN 1859 ALONE.

ON THE EVE OF THE CIVIL WAR, MISSISSIPPI'S SLAVE POPULATION HAD SWELLED TO 430,000.

BUT THERE WERE 773 FREEDMEN IN THE STATE WHO WERE EITHER BORN TO FREE MOTHERS OR WHO HAD BOUGHT OR HAD BEEN GRANTED THEIR FREEDOM.

WAS SILAS ONE OF THESE FREE AFRICAN AMERICANS?

I CAN'T FIND ANY MANUMISSION OR EMANCIPATION RECORDS FOR MISSISSIPPI, BUT HERE'S THE CENSUS.

OKAY, FREE INHABITANTS IN THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI.

SO THESE ARE THE RECORDS THAT A CENSUS TAKER TOOK IN JUNE OF 1860.

THERE'S NOT A SINGLE FREE PERSON OF COLOR LISTED IN CHICKASAW COUNTY, WHERE THE CHANDLERS HAD THEIR COTTON PLANTATION.

HERE'S LOUISA CHANDLER, ANDREW'S MOTHER, THE RECORDED HEAD OF HOUSEHOLD.

VALUE OF REAL ESTATE AT $24,000.

$24,000 IN 1860, TO OWN THAT MUCH REAL ESTATE, WOULD INDICATE THAT SHE'S FAIRLY WEALTHY.

SHE ALSO HAS A VALUE OF HER PERSONAL ESTATE, SEPARATE FROM THE REAL ESTATE, OF $40,000.

$40,000 COULD INCLUDE LIVESTOCK, ANY OUTSTANDING DEBTS THAT WERE OWED TO HER, BUT IT COULD ALSO INCLUDE THE VALUE OF SLAVES.

NOW, HERE'S SOMETHING INTERESTING.

THIS IS THE 1860 SLAVE CENSUS FROM CHICKASAW COUNTY.

THE CHANDLERS OWNED APPROXIMATELY 35 SLAVES.

NONE ARE NAMED, WHICH IS TYPICAL FOR THE PERIOD.

BASED ON SILAS' PENSION APPLICATION, HOWEVER, I CALCULATE THAT HE'S ABOUT 22 OR 23 YEARS OLD IN 1860, AND HERE'S A 25-YEAR-OLD MALE.

IS THIS SILAS?

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA HISTORIAN MARY FRANCES BERRY IS CONDUCTING RESEARCH AT ONE OF THE LARGEST ARCHIVES OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY IN THE COUNTRY, THE AMISTAD RESEARCH CENTER AT TULANE UNIVERSITY.

THE FAMILY TRADITION IS THAT SILAS WAS FREED BY THE FAMILY AND WENT OFF TO WAR WITH ANDREW CHANDLER.

COULD AN AFRICAN AMERICAN HAVE BEEN RECOGNIZED AS A SOLDIER IN THE SERVICE OF THE CONFEDERACY?

THERE WERE SOME FREE NEGROES -- FREE PEOPLE OF COLOR, THEY WERE CALLED -- WHO CAME OUT TO JOIN THE CONFEDERACY IN THE FIRST MONTH OF THE WAR IN PLACES LIKE NEW ORLEANS.

MARY EXPLAINS THAT THE LOUISIANA NATIVE GUARDS WERE A MILITIA OF MOSTLY WEALTHY FREE CREOLES WHO PLEDGED ALLEGIANCE TO THE CONFEDERACY AT THE OUTSET OF THE WAR.

HOWEVER, IN EARLY 1862, THE LOUISIANA LEGISLATURE DISBANDED THE MILITIA.

THEY NEVER FOUGHT IN THE CONFEDERACY, AND THEY WERE NEVER ACCEPTED AS SOLDIERS BY THE CONFEDERATE GOVERNMENT.

THERE ARE OTHER SCATTERED INSTANCES OF FREE PEOPLE OF COLOR JOINING LOCAL SOUTHERN MILITIAS, BUT MARY SAYS CONTRARY TO THE FAMILY STORY, IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE FOR SILAS TO HAVE BEEN FREED ON THE EVE OF THE CIVIL WAR.

HE WAS NOT FREE UNDER THE LAWS OF MISSISSIPPI.

MISSISSIPPI DID NOT PERMIT THE MANUMISSION OF SLAVES AT THE TIME THAT THIS PHOTOGRAPH WAS TAKEN.

IN THE DECADES LEADING UP TO THE CIVIL WAR, THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI HAD ENACTED A SERIES OF INCREASINGLY DRACONIAN LAWS RESTRICTING SLAVE EMANCIPATION.

AND BY 1856, A COMPLETE BAN WAS PASSED.

MISSISSIPPI LAW MADE SLAVES SLAVES FOR LIFE, DURANTE VITA.

FOR THEIR LIVES, THEY WERE SLAVES UNDER THE LAWS OF MISSISSIPPI, AND THEREFORE SILAS WAS A SLAVE.

PROFESSOR BERRY EXPLAINS THAT ONLY WHEN THE CONFEDERACY WAS NEAR COLLAPSE IN MARCH 1865 DID JEFFERSON DAVIS AGREE TO ARM AND TRAIN SLAVES WITH THE GOAL OF REINFORCING HIS DECIMATED ARMY.

BUT IT WAS TOO LATE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE, AND SHE SAYS THERE IS NO SUBSTANTIATED EVIDENCE THAT THE RECRUITED SLAVES FOUGHT IN THE WAR.

AFRICAN AMERICANS THEN DIDN'T SERVE IN THE ARMY, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THEY DIDN'T SERVE THE ARMY.

ABSOLUTELY.

AFRICAN AMERICANS WERE NOT SOLDIERS FOR THE CONFEDERACY, BUT THEY IN FACT DID ALMOST EVERYTHING THAT WAS NEEDED.

MARY EXPLAINS HOW THE MYTH OF BLACK CONFEDERATES HAS ITS ROOTS IN THE NUMBER OF SLAVES WHO WERE PRESSED INTO LABOR TO SUPPORT THE CONFEDERATE ARMY.

THEY DID VIRTUALLY EVERYTHING...EXCEPT FIGHT.

SO THE CONCEPT OF AFRICAN AMERICANS FIGHTING FOR THE CONFEDERACY IS NO WAY TRUE.

IT'S NOT ACCURATE TO SAY THAT THERE'S NO WAY, BECAUSE IT IS POSSIBLE THAT SOME SLAVE WHO WAS A PERSONAL SERVANT OR A GROOM OR A COOK OR WAS THERE WITH HIS MASTER AND HAD A WEAPON, JUST AS SILAS HAD A WEAPON IN THE TINTYPE, COULD HAVE FIRED A SHOT AT SOMEONE, BUT WHAT YOU CAN SAY: THAT THEY WERE NOT LEGALLY SOLDIERS AND WERE NOT ACCEPTED BY THE CONFEDERACY AS SOLDIERS.

SHE POINTS TO SILAS' PENSION APPLICATION AS FURTHER PROOF THAT HE WAS A SLAVE.

THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI DECIDED IN 1888 TO FIRST START OFFERING PENSIONS.

THEY INCLUDED IN THIS LAW OF 1910, WHICH IS THE APPLICATION THAT SILAS USED, SLAVES OF SOLDIERS.

AND WHY WOULD THEY DO THAT?

MARY SUGGESTS THAT SERVANTS' PENSIONS WERE BORN OF SOMETHING CALLED THE LOST CAUSE, AN IDEOLOGY WHICH EMERGED DURING RECONSTRUCTION.

IN THE LATE 19th CENTURY AND THE EARLY 20th CENTURY, THERE WAS A GREAT TIDE OF FEELING IN THE SOUTH ABOUT TRYING TO JUSTIFY THE WAR ITSELF, AND PART OF THAT JUSTIFICATION WAS TO SAY THAT SLAVES FOUGHT FOR THE CONFEDERACY, SLAVES WERE LOYAL TO THEIR MASTERS.

AND SO ALL OF THIS WAS REINFORCED BY INCLUDING THEM IN THE PENSIONS.

THE PENSION APPLICATION CONFIRMS THAT ANDREW WAS INDEED THE OWNER OF SILAS DURING THE CIVIL WAR.

WHETHER OR NOT THEY HAD A CLOSE PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP IN SOME TERMS OF INTIMACY THAT WE WOULD DESCRIBE, WE CAN NEVER KNOW.

SLAVERY HAS ITS OWN COMPULSION, AND AS LONG AS COMPULSION IS THERE, AND FORCE, YOU CAN NEVER CONCLUDE ANYTHING ABOUT AMIABILITY.

AT LEAST SOME OF THE CHANDLER FAMILY STORY ISN'T ADDING UP.

WHAT ABOUT THE FINAL CHAPTER, THAT LAND HAD BEEN GRANTED TO SILAS AND OTHER FORMER SLAVES FOLLOWING THE WAR?

THE CHANDLER FAMILY DEEDS ARE KEPT AT THE CLAY COUNTY COURTHOUSE IN WEST POINT, MISSISSIPPI.

LOCAL HISTORIAN JACK ELLIOTT, WHO IS ALSO A DISTANT BRANCH IN THE CHANDLER FAMILY TREE, OFFERS TO HELP.

GOD, WHERE DO WE START?

WELL, WE CAN START WITH THIS INDEX BOOK HERE.

THIS IS AN INDEX TO LAND TITLE.

OKAY.

THERE'S A CALLIE CHANDLER, A.M. CHANDLER.

YEAH, THAT'S ANDREW RIGHT THERE.

OKAY, THAT'LL TAKE DEED BOOK SIX.

WE LOCATE A WARRANTY DEED FROM 1883.

IT DESCRIBES THE SALE OF ONE ACRE OF LAND FROM THE THREE CHANDLER CHILDREN, INCLUDING ANDREW, TO DEACONS OF THE PALO ALTO BAPTIST CHURCH, WHICH DID HAVE A CONGREGATION OF FORMER SLAVES.

AND WHAT'D THEY SELL IT FOR HERE?

A HUNDRED DOLLARS.

SO THEY'RE SELLING AN ACRE OF LAND FOR $100 IN 1883.

DOESN'T THAT STRIKE YOU AS A LITTLE BIT EXPENSIVE?

IT IMPLIES THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING ON IT.

I SUSPECT THERE WAS MOST LIKELY A CHURCH ALREADY IN EXISTENCE.

QUITE LIKELY THE CHANDLER FAMILY HAD BUILT THE CHURCH BUILDING OR AT LEAST CONTRIBUTED SUBSTANTIALLY TO IT.

SO THE CHANDLER FAMILY WAS INVOLVED WITH THE CONGREGATION OF FORMER SLAVES ESTABLISHING A CHURCH AFTER THE CIVIL WAR, BUT THERE'S A HITCH.

SILAS CHANDLER'S NAME'S NOT ON THIS DEED, THOUGH.

NO, HE'S NOT.

WAS SILAS EVER A MEMBER OF THE PALO ALTO BAPTIST CHURCH?

JACK POINTS TO AN ENTRY IN THE HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY.

WHAT HE SHOWS ME NEXT CLOSES THE FINAL CHAPTER IN THIS FAMILY TALE.

WELL, THIS WAS A GREAT STORY, AND I WAS REALLY ANXIOUS TO SINK MY TEETH INTO IT.

THE QUESTION THAT YOU BOTH WANTED TO KNOW WAS WAS SILAS A SLAVE OR WAS HE FREE WHEN THAT PICTURE WAS TAKEN?

I EXPLAIN HOW, BECAUSE SILAS HAD BEEN FROM MISSISSIPPI, THAT HAD SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES FOR OUR STORY.

I CAN TELL YOU UNEQUIVOCALLY THAT SILAS WAS A SLAVE WHEN THAT PHOTOGRAPH WAS TAKEN.

A SLAVE OWNER COULD NOT, BY LAW, FREE HIS SLAVE.

IT WAS AGAINST THE LAW.

IT WAS ILLEGAL FOR SLAVES TO ENLIST IN THE ARMY.

THEY COULDN'T HAVE DONE IT.

NOW, THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT THERE WEREN'T THOUSANDS OF SLAVES SUPPORTING THE CONFEDERATE ARMY, BUT THEY COULDN'T FIGHT.

THEN I SHARE MY DISCOVERY FROM THE CLAY COUNTY COURTHOUSE.

HERE'S A WARRANTY DEED FOR THE SALE OF LAND FOR A CHURCH IN PALO ALTO.

I EXPLAIN THAT THERE'S A KERNEL OF TRUTH TO THE CHANDLER LEGEND.

THE FAMILY DID SUBSTANTIALLY HELP A CONGREGATION OF FREED SLAVES ACQUIRE A CHURCH AFTER THE WAR, THE PALO ALTO BAPTIST CHURCH.

BUT HAD SILAS EVER BEEN A MEMBER OF THAT CONGREGATION?

JACK POINTS ME IN THE DIRECTION OF MT.

HERMON BAPTIST CHURCH IN WEST POINT, MISSISSIPPI, 15 MILES AWAY FROM PALO ALTO.

AFTER THE WAR, THIS IS WHERE SILAS CHANDLER AND HIS FAMILY SETTLED.

THIS CHURCH, FOUNDED IN 1868, WAS ESTABLISHED WITHOUT THE HELP OF THE CHANDLER FAMILY.

THAT'S WHERE I FIND SILAS' NAME ENGRAVED ON THE CORNERSTONE OF THE CHURCH HE HELPED BUILD, A LASTING TESTAMENT TO HIS LIFE AND ACHIEVEMENTS.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT ALL THIS?

WELL, THIS ANSWERS MY QUESTION.

THIS IS WHAT SOME MEMBERS OF MY FAMILY THOUGHT, AND YOU HAVE VERIFIED IT, WHAT I WANTED TO KNOW.

IT'S A RELIEF, BECAUSE NOW I KNOW THE TRUTH.

I THINK IT'S INTERESTING TO UNDERSTAND THE PLACE OF STORIES IN FAMILY HISTORIES.

OBVIOUSLY, THE STORY THAT WE'VE SHARED IS ONE THAT IS VERY COMFORTABLE AND COMFORTING TO BELIEVE, BUT WITHOUT DOCUMENTARY EVIDENCE, IT IS A STORY.

OUR FAMILIES' HISTORIES HAVE BEEN AND WILL ALWAYS BE DEEPLY INTERTWINED AND EVOLVING WITH THE TIMES.

I'M JUST DELIGHTED THAT I WAS ABLE TO BE PART OF IT.

THANK YOU BOTH.

- THANK YOU.

- THANKS, WES.

AFTER THE WAR, ANDREW AND SILAS LIVED ABOUT 15 MILES FROM EACH OTHER FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES.

BOTH MARRIED AND HAD FAMILIES, MANY OF WHOM STAYED IN CLAY COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI.

Eduardo: OUR NEXT CASE INVESTIGATES THE CONNECTION BETWEEN A MOVIE MOGUL, A FADING ACCOUNTS LEDGER, AND THE ONCE FEARSOME LAKOTA SIOUX.

IN THE FIRST DECADES OF THE 20th CENTURY, THE NATION WAS BEING FAST TRANSFORMED BY NEW INDUSTRIES, NEW IMMIGRANTS, AND A WAY OF LIFE THAT WAS EVER MORE FRENETIC AND MODERN.

FOR MANY OF THESE URBAN RESIDENTS, NATIVE AMERICANS, GLIMPSED IN PHOTOS AND MOVIES, WERE A WINDOW ON A WORLD THAT WAS EXOTIC AND VANISHING FOREVER.

BUT THE MOVIE PORTRAYALS OF NATIVE CULTURE WERE OFTEN SIMPLISTIC AND FULL OF STEREOTYPES.

SO HOW DID ONE PRODUCER REACH INTO THE PAST AND CHANGE MOVIEMAKING FOREVER?

NOW, TWO TEEN SISTERS FROM CASTAIC, CALIFORNIA, HAVE COME ACROSS AN ACCOUNTING LEDGER WHICH MAY BE LINKED TO A TURNING POINT IN MOVIE HISTORY.

WE FOUND THIS IN OUR GREAT-GRANDFATHER'S ATTIC, AND OUR DAD TRIED TO THROW IT AWAY.

I'M MEETING ADA AND MAYA RAUCH TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THEIR LEDGER.

I'M EAGER TO SEE WHAT YOU HAVE FOR ME.

IT'S THIS LEDGER WE FOUND IN OUR GREAT-GRANDFATHER'S ATTIC.

ON THE FIRST PAGE, IT SAYS "INDIAN LEDGER" AND "NYMP CORP.," AND THE DATE IS NOVEMBER 6, 1915.

DO YOU KNOW WHAT NYMP STANDS FOR?

OUR MOM TOLD US IT WAS THE NEW YORK MOTION PICTURE CORPORATION.

SHE TOLD THEM THE MOVIE COMPANY HAD OPERATED IN NEW YORK AND CALIFORNIA IN THE EARLY YEARS OF THE 20th CENTURY.

DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOUR GREAT-GRANDFATHER DID FOR THEM?

WELL, ALL WE KNOW IS THAT HE WAS IN THE FILM INDUSTRY, BUT BESIDES THAT, WE DON'T KNOW ANYTHING MORE.

THEIR GREAT-GRANDFATHER'S NAME WAS JAMES RAUCH.

A LOT OF THE NAMES IN HERE WERE REALLY INTERESTING, LIKE BIG CHARGER AND WIFE, AND ALSO BIG AL AND WIFE.

AND WE ALSO WANTED TO KNOW WHY IT SAID "PAY BARTON" ON A LOT OF THE PAGES.

I'VE NEVER HEARD OF BARTON, BUT MANY OF THESE NAMES CERTAINLY APPEAR TO BE NATIVE-AMERICAN.

WHAT QUESTIONS CAN I ANSWER FOR YOU, THEN?

WE JUST WANT TO FIND OUT A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT OUR GREAT-GRANDFATHER AS A PERSON, AND WHAT WERE THEY BEING PAID FOR, AND WERE THEY TREATED FAIRLY?

OKAY, ALL RIGHT.

I HAVE AN IDEA.

WHY DON'T YOU GUYS HELP ME OUT WITH THIS INVESTIGATION?

- YEAH, WE WOULD LOVE THAT.

- YEAH, SURE.

WELL, WHY DON'T YOU START OFF WITH THE CENSUS, AND SEE IF YOU CAN FIND OUT WHAT YOUR GREAT-GRANDFATHER DID.

- OKAY.

- OKAY, SOUNDS GOOD.

ADA AND MAYA WERE RIGHT.

THE NEW YORK MOTION PICTURE COMPANY -- LATER CHANGED TO CORPORATION -- OPERATED AROUND 1909 THROUGH ABOUT 1917.

ITS PRINCIPAL APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN A LARGER-THAN-LIFE PRODUCER NAMED THOMAS INCE, WHO SPECIALIZED IN PRODUCING WESTERNS.

I CAN'T FIND ANY RECORDS, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE THE COMPANY WAS ABSORBED BY TRIANGLE FILMS.

HERE'S A DECEMBER 1915 PUBLICATION CALLED THE TRIANGLE.

IT READS, "SPECTACULAR INDIAN PRODUCTIONS COMING: "INCE PLANNING A THRILLING HISTORICAL DRAMA USING HUNDREDS OF FAMOUS SIOUX TRIBE."

AND HERE'S MENTION OF AN IMPOSING INDIAN NAMED TWO LANCE.

I REMEMBER THAT NAME FROM THE LEDGER.

BUT I'M STILL NOT CLEAR WHAT THIS HAS TO DO WITH THE ACCOUNTS LEDGER AND MAYA AND ADA'S GREAT-GRANDFATHER.

OKAY, SO LET'S TYPE IN JAMES LEE RAUCH IN CENSUS.

SO HERE'S THE 1910 CENSUS RECORDS.

YEAH, SO LET'S GO TO THAT.

HERE IT SAYS THAT HE WAS 26 IN 1910, AND HE WAS AN ELECTRICIAN FOR SALT LAKE RAILROAD.

LET'S SEE WHAT ELSE WE CAN FIND.

SO WE HAVE HIS WORLD WAR I DRAFT CARD.

THE DATE ON THIS DRAFT CARD IS 1918.

OKAY, SO IT SAYS HE WAS AN ELECTRICIAN FOR TRIANGLE FILMS.

I THINK THAT'S WHAT WE WERE LOOKING FOR.

ADA AND MAYA LET ME KNOW THAT THEIR GREAT-GRANDFATHER, JAMES RAUCH, HAD WORKED FOR TRIANGLE FILMS, THE SAME COMPANY I FOUND IN MY INTERNET SEARCH.

DID HE WORK WITH THE INDIANS MENTIONED IN THE LEDGER?

SILENT-FILM HISTORIAN ANDREW BRODIE SMITH ASKS ME TO MEET HIM AT A THEATER IN LOS ANGELES.

I'M VERY EAGER TO SHOW THIS TO YOU.

HAVE YOU EVER SEEN SOMETHING LIKE THIS BEFORE?

UM, NO, I HAVEN'T SEEN ANYTHING QUITE LIKE THIS BEFORE.

HE'S NEVER HEARD OF ADA AND MAYA'S GREAT-GRANDFATHER, JAMES RAUCH.

DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHO THESE NAMES ARE?

I DON'T RECOGNIZE ANY OF THE NAMES IN PARTICULAR, BUT UNDOUBTEDLY THE FOLKS WERE USED IN THE PRODUCTION OF MOTION PICTURES, AND PROBABLY WESTERNS.

WELL, WHAT CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT THE NEW YORK MOTION PICTURE COMPANY?

THEY WERE KNOWN FOR THE PRODUCTION OF EPIC WESTERNS.

WESTERNS WERE ALWAYS POPULAR BECAUSE THEY COULD BE EXPORTED AROUND THE WORLD, AND THEY WERE CHEAP TO MAKE.

YOU COULD MAKE THEM OUTDOORS, SO A LOT OF PEOPLE WERE MAKING THEM.

BUT THAT BECAME A PROBLEM, ANDREW EXPLAINS.

BY THE 19-TEENS, WESTERNS SATURATED THE MARKET.

CRITICS DECLARED THEM VIOLENT, CHEAP, AND DESTRUCTIVE.

AND SO THE NEW YORK MOTION PICTURE COMPANY AROUND 1911, 1912 RESPONDED BY MAKING WESTERNS THAT WERE MORE EPIC AND HISTORICAL IN NATURE.

THEY HIRED A GUY NAMED THOMAS INCE.

ANDREW EXPLAINS HOW INCE WAS A HOLLYWOOD PIONEER, DIVIDING EACH PRODUCTION TASK AMONG SEPARATE TEAMS, THE HENRY FORD OF MOVIEMAKING.

INCE HIRED THE LEGENDARY MILLER BROTHERS' WILD WEST SHOW TO BRING GREATER AUTHENTICITY TO HIS MOVIES.

THE MILLER BROTHERS' SHOW HAD THRILLED AUDIENCES ACROSS THE UNITED STATES AND TOURED EUROPE WITH A FULL STABLE OF HORSES, STAGECOACHES, AND REAL-LIFE INDIANS.

THERE WERE ALWAYS A SMATTERING OF GENUINE NATIVE AMERICANS IN MOTION PICTURES, BUT BY AND LARGE, INDIAN CHARACTERS WOULD BE PORTRAYED BY WHITE ACTORS IN MAKEUP, SO THE DEGREE THAT WHICH NEW YORK MOTION PICTURE COMPANY WAS HIRING NATIVE AMERICANS WAS PRETTY MUCH UNPRECEDENTED.

TO HOUSE THEIR ACTORS, THE NEW YORK MOTION PICTURE COMPANY LEASED 18,000 ACRES IN CALIFORNIA'S SANTA YNEZ CANYON.

THIS MASSIVE OUTDOOR STUDIO BECAME KNOWN AS INCEVILLE.

HOW WERE THE INDIANS INCORPORATED INTO THE FILMS?

I HAVE A CLIP FROM ONE OF THESE FILMS THAT I CAN SHOW YOU.

IT'S CALLED CUSTER'S LAST FIGHT FROM 1912.

[ ♪♪♪ ] THE INCEVILLE FILMS MAY HAVE BEEN EPIC IN SCALE, BUT FOR THE MOST PART, THEY ALSO PRESENT THE STEREOTYPICAL IMAGES THAT WOULD PERVADE HOLLYWOOD FILMS FOR MOST OF THE CENTURY: NATIVE AMERICANS AS VILLAINOUS BEASTS, EXOTIC OTHERS, AND NOBLE SAVAGES.

WHAT'S YOUR OPINION ON HOW AUDIENCES PERCEIVED THE DEPICTION OF INDIANS ONSCREEN?

WELL, AT THE TIME, IT WAS THOUGHT THAT THIS WAS A REALISTIC DEPICTION, BUT IT GIVES YOU AN IDEA OF THE GRANDEUR.

CUSTER'S LAST FIGHT WAS MADE LESS THAN 40 YEARS AFTER THE BATTLE OF LITTLE BIGHORN, AND IT'S POSSIBLE THAT SOME OF THE NATIVE AMERICANS WHO FOUGHT IN THAT BATTLE ACTUALLY APPEARED IN INCE'S FILM.

BUT INDIAN ACTORS WERE LARGELY UNCREDITED.

ANDREW SAYS THAT'S WHAT MAKES THIS LEDGER SO EXTRAORDINARY.

THERE'S A NAME THAT APPEARS OVER AND OVER AGAIN IN THIS LEDGER.

IT'S THE NAME OF BARTON.

DOES THAT RING ANY BELLS FOR YOU?

I KNOW BARTON WAS AN EMPLOYEE OF THE MILLER BROTHERS' 101 RANCH WILD WEST SHOW, BUT I'M NOT SURE EXACTLY WHAT HIS RELATIONSHIP WAS WITH NEW YORK MOTION PICTURE.

I FILL ADA AND MAYA IN ON WHAT I'VE LEARNED SO FAR AND ASK THEM TO COME WITH ME TO TALK TO PROFESSOR L.G.

MOSES.

HE'S WRITTEN A BOOK ON INDIAN PERFORMERS AND WANTS TO MEET US AT TOPANGA STATE PARK.

WE'RE HERE BECAUSE THIS IS THE -- THIS IS LAND REMINISCENT OF INCEVILLE; THE FILMING OF THE WESTERN MOVIES AND MOVIES THAT HAD INDIAN ACTORS WOULD HAVE BEEN IN TERRAIN VERY MUCH LIKE THIS.

I'M DYING FOR YOU TO TAKE A LOOK AT THIS LEDGER.

DO YOU RECOGNIZE ANY OF THE NAMES THAT YOU SEE HERE?

QUITE A FEW, QUITE A FEW.

IT'S LIKE A WHO'S WHO OF THE SHOW INDIANS.

REALLY?

HE SAYS THE MEN ARE LAKOTA SIOUX FROM THE OGLALA TRIBE AT THE PINE RIDGE RESERVATION IN SOUTH DAKOTA.

TWO LANCE TRAVELED MANY YEARS WITH THE WILD WEST SHOWS, AND ALSO HE DID SOME WORK AT INCEVILLE.

BARTON, I RECOGNIZE THAT NAME AS WELL.

WHO WAS BARTON?

BARTON STARTED AS A TEACHER AT PINE RIDGE DAY SCHOOL, AND THEN, AFTER ONLY A BRIEF TIME IN THAT ROLE, HE WENT TO GORDON, NEBRASKA, AND OPENED A STORE.

L.G.

EXPLAINS THAT BARTON SPUN HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE INDIANS INTO A LUCRATIVE BUSINESS.

IT'S 25 YEARS AFTER WOUNDED KNEE.

THE MASSACRE OF AT LEAST 150 SIOUX MEN, WOMEN, AND CHILDREN IN DECEMBER OF 1890 WAS THE FINAL CHAPTER IN THE CENTURIES-LONG WAR BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT AND THE PLAINS INDIANS.

SO MANY OF THE GOVERNMENTAL PROGRAMS WERE DIRECTED AT ERADICATING ALL ASPECTS OF NATIVE CULTURE, FROM CLOTHING TO HAIRSTYLES TO THE SPOKEN WORD.

THE ONE THING OF VALUE THAT MANY OF THESE PEOPLE HAD, THE ONE THING THAT THEY COULD TRADE OF VALUE -- OTHER THAN THEIR LABOR -- WAS SOME OF THE MATERIAL ASPECTS FROM BREASTPLATES TO ROBES, BOWS AND ARROWS.

L.G.

SAYS BARTON TOOK THESE ARTIFACTS IN TRADE FOR CREDIT AT HIS STORE.

HE THEN RENTED OR SOLD THE MATERIAL TO OUTFIT WILD WEST SHOWS AND MOVIE WESTERNS.

WHY COULDN'T THEY OUTFIT THEMSELVES?

IRONICALLY, THEY DON'T HAVE IT.

SOME OF THE TECHNOLOGY, SOME OF THE TECHNIQUE HAS DISAPPEARED AS A SKILL AMONG PEOPLE IN THE TRIBE.

THIS LEDGER INDICATES "PAY BARTON" AND "BARTON CONTRACT."

WAS THAT FOR THEIR WARDROBE?

THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS SPECIFIED IN THE CONTRACT.

HERE IS A PAGE THAT DEALS MORE SPECIFICALLY WITH CERTAIN ASPECTS OF THIS CONTRACT.

IT HAS COLUMN A, "WEEKLY WAGES," COLUMN B, "DUE BARTON EACH WEEK," AND THEN "AMOUNT OF DEBT DUE BARTON IN TOTAL."

SO HERE IS ONE INSTANCE WHERE LONE BEAR, HE IS TO BE PAID $8 A WEEK, DUE BARTON EACH WEEK $7 OF THAT.

SO IN EFFECT, HE'S WORKING FOR $1 A WEEK.

WAS BARTON A BAD GUY?

HE -- HE'S REPRESENTATIVE OF HIS TIME AND PLACE.

SO WHY WOULD THEY KEEP COMING BACK UNDER THESE CIRCUMSTANCES?

L.G.

SUGGESTS WE ASK A DESCENDANT OF ONE OF THE PERFORMERS.

I LEAVE THE GIRLS AND MAKE SOME CALLS TO PINE RIDGE.

I'M EVENTUALLY PUT IN TOUCH WITH MILO YELLOW HAIR, A GRANDSON OF ONE OF THE INDIVIDUALS IN THE LEDGER.

TAKE A LOOK AT THE NAME RIGHT THERE.

TWO LANCE AND WIFE.

THIS IS MY GRANDFATHER AND MY GRANDMA.

DID YOU KNOW THAT YOUR GRANDFATHER WAS A PERFORMER IN THE MOVIES?

NO, I DON'T.

I KNEW THAT HE WAS A PERFORMER IN THE WILD WEST SHOW, THE BUFFALO BILL WILD WEST SHOW.

DID HE EVER TALK MUCH ABOUT PERFORMING?

NOT MUCH, REALLY, BUT I KNOW THAT MY GRANDMA DID.

MY GRANDMA ALWAYS SAID, YOU KNOW, "HE'S -- CHICAGO MONEY; HE'S OUT PLAYING INDIAN SOMEWHERE."

AND, "HE'S BEEN GONE FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS," LIKE THAT.

WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER ABOUT YOUR GRANDFATHER?

WHEN I GOT TO KNOW HIM AND I ASKED HIM ABOUT THE NAME TWO LANCE, HE SAYS THIS IS A WARRIOR IN TWO WORLDS, HE SAID.

ONE WORLD IS WHERE THE WHITE MAN LIVES, AND THE OTHER WORLD IS WHERE THE LAKOTA LIVES.

AND HE SAID YOU HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO BE THE BEST THAT YOU CAN IN BOTH.

MILO SHOWS ME A PICTURE OF TWO LANCE IN HIS LAKOTA REGALIA.

HE WAS A HANDSOME MAN.

OH, YEAH.

I'M SORRY IT DIDN'T RUN IN THE FAMILY.

[ laughing ] TAKE A LOOK AT THIS LEDGER HERE.

THE DEBITS ON ONE SIDE, AND THERE ARE CREDITS ON ANOTHER SIDE.

THEY HAVE EVERY APPEARANCE OF BEING EXPLOITED.

WHY DO YOU THINK TWO LANCE AND SOME OF THE OTHER INDIANS WOULD'VE PARTICIPATED UNDER THESE CIRCUMSTANCES?

WELL...

I WANT TO SHARE WHAT MILO TELLS ME WITH MAYA AND ADA.

WELL, I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR INVITING ME TO BE A PART OF THIS INVESTIGATION.

IT'S BEEN A VERY ENGROSSING MYSTERY.

I TELL THE GIRLS THEIR RESEARCH CONFIRMS THAT THEIR GREAT-GRANDFATHER WAS PART OF THE PIONEERING MOVIEMAKING OF THOMAS INCE, AND HE PROBABLY PICKED UP THE LEDGER AS A MEMENTO OF HIS TIME AT THE COMPANY.

NOW, ONE QUESTION YOU HAD ASKED IS WHY PERFORMERS SUCH AS TWO LANCE WOULD GET INVOLVED IN THIS KIND OF SITUATION, AND I'VE GOT SOMETHING I WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU.

MY GRANDFATHER DID THIS IN ORDER TO KEEP HIS FAMILY FED, BECAUSE IN ORDER TO GET A LITTLE BIT OF MONEY, THEY HAD TO DO SOMETHING.

BUT MILO THINKS TWO LANCE, THE WARRIOR IN TWO WORLDS, HAD ANOTHER REASON.

DEEP DOWN, HE PROBABLY KNEW WHY HE WAS DOING IT.

THE GREAT BIG BENEFIT IS THAT IT IS A WAY FOR HIM TO PASS ON HIS HISTORICAL IDEAS TO THE FUTURE.

AND THAT'S THE BEST WAY HE KNEW HOW, UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES, TO PRESERVE OUR WAY OF LIFE.

HOPEFULLY BY HIS PARTICIPATION IN FILMS, SOMEHOW OR ANOTHER, A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE ARE AND THE HISTORY THAT WE COME FROM TRANSPOSES ITSELF INTO THE FUTURE GENERATIONS, AND THIS, I BELIEVE, IS THE BIGGEST CONTRIBUTION THAT TWO LANCE AND HIS WIFE MADE TO US.

AND IT'S VALUABLE.

THAT'S A PLEASANT SURPRISE.

AND THERE'S ONE OTHER PIECE TO THIS INVESTIGATION.

I HAVE SOMEONE I WANT YOU TO MEET.

Eduardo: COME HAVE A SEAT OVER HERE.

THIS IS MILO YELLOW HAIR.

HE IS THE GRANDSON OF TWO LANCE.

MILO, HAVE A SEAT, PLEASE.

THIS IS MAYA, AND THIS IS ADA.

HELLO, HOW ARE YOU TODAY?

NICE TO MEET YOU ALL.

NICE TO MEET YOU.

YEAH, I'M VERY HAPPY TO MEET YOU.

IT'S BEEN A LONG ROAD, ESPECIALLY FOR MY GRANDFATHER.

AND BY PARTICIPATING IN SUCH THINGS LIKE THE MOVIES AND GOING OUT AND SEEING THINGS, THAT TYPE OF THING ALLOWED HIM TO PRESERVE THOSE THINGS THAT MAKE US WHO WE ARE AS LAKOTA PEOPLE.

AND THAT'S WHAT I BROUGHT, A LITTLE EXAMPLE OF THAT, AND I WANT TO GIVE IT TO YOU GIRLS.

AND I HOPE THAT YOU HAVE YOUR EARS PIERCED.

IF YOU DON'T, YOU MIGHT HAVE TO WAIT A LITTLE BIT.

THESE ARE PORCUPINE-QUILL EARRINGS.

OH, MY GOD!

I JUST THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT, BECAUSE, LIKE YOU SAID, IT PRESERVED TRADITION.

I MEAN, I STILL DON'T LIKE THE FACT THAT THEY WERE CHEATED OUT OF MONEY, PROBABLY, BUT I THINK IT'S REALLY GOOD THAT THEY WERE ABLE TO PRESERVE SOME TRADITION.

JAMES RAUCH CONTINUED TO WORK IN FILM THROUGHOUT THE 1920s, RISING TO THE POSITION OF ELECTRICAL SUPERINTENDENT FOR JOSEPH P. KENNEDY'S F.B.O.

STUDIOS.

TWO LANCE CONTINUED TO PERFORM IN WILD WEST SHOWS UP UNTIL WORLD WAR I.

HE EVENTUALLY RETURNED TO FARM AT PINE RIDGE, SOUTH DAKOTA, WHERE HE LIVED TO THE AGE OF 100, DYING ON DECEMBER 25, 1969.

TO SEE MORE OF THE LEDGER, VISIT HISTORY DETECTIVES ON THE WEB AT pbs.org.

COMING SOON, A HISTORY DETECTIVES GAME FOR THE CLASSROOM.

WE ARE CALLING IT HD LAB.

LOG ON AND PICK A MYSTERY, SEARCH AN ARCHIVE FOR MISSING EVIDENCE, CROSS-EXAMINE A WITNESS.

It may have burned in a factory fire.

PRETTY SOON YOU'LL BE READY FOR YOUR OWN INVESTIGATION.

Hi, my name is Jake Masterson.

I'm doing a research project on this letter here regarding the signing of Willie Mays to the New York Giants.

WHY EXACTLY DID YOU SIGN WITH THE GIANTS?

WILLIE ANSWERED JAKE'S QUESTION AND OPENED A WINDOW ON THE NOT-TOO-DISTANT PAST.

MY FIRST GAME, A LOT OF PEOPLE CALLED ME DIFFERENT NAMES, BUT THE FIRST NIGHT I PLAYED, I HIT TWO HOME RUNS, A DOUBLE.

NEXT TIME, I HIT A HOME RUN AND TWO TRIPLES.

NOT EVERY STUDENT DETECTIVE WILL HIT A HOME RUN LIKE THIS, BUT HISTORICAL MYSTERIES ARE ALL AROUND US, AND YOU CAN FIGURE THEM OUT.

HD LAB IS FUNDED BY THE CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT HISTORY DETECTIVES ON THE WEB AT pbs.org.

Gwendolyn: OUR LAST CASE TAKES A CLOSE LOOK AT A STOCK CERTIFICATE, A MULTIMILLION-DOLLAR LAND CLAIM, AND EARLY EUROPEAN SETTLERS ON THE ISLAND OF MANHATTAN.

BY THE END OF THE 19th CENTURY, NEW YORK CITY WAS A VIBRANT AND EXPLODING METROPOLIS, TEEMING WITH PEOPLE OF EVERY BACKGROUND AND BUZZING WITH ENERGY.

GILDED AGE MILLIONAIRES WHEELED AND DEALED ON THE STOCK MARKET WHILE NORTH OF THEIR WALL-STREET WORLD, A REAL ESTATE BOOM IN THE FORMER FARMING VILLAGE OF HARLEM PUSHED PROPERTY VALUES TOWARD UNPRECEDENTED HEIGHTS.

BUT EXACTLY WHO OWNED THIS LAND?

NOW BOB KLUGE FROM ROSELLE PARK, NEW JERSEY, HAS A STOCK CERTIFICATE HE THINKS MIGHT BE A PART OF THE GRAND SUCCESSES AND SCAMS OF THE GILDED AGE.

I OFTEN WONDERED WHETHER THIS STOCK WAS A SWINDLE OR WORTH MILLIONS IN ITS DAY.

QUITE A RANGE OF THINGS IN HERE.

BOB IS AN AVID STOCK CERTIFICATE COLLECTOR, NOW MOSTLY OUTDATED BY ELECTRONIC RECORDKEEPING.

STOCK CERTIFICATES WERE ONCE AS VALUABLE AS MONEY, THE PROOF YOU OWNED SHARES IN A COMPANY.

HERE IT IS.

"THE HARLEM ASSOCIATED HEIRS TITLE COMPANY."

SO THIS ONE I FOUND RATHER INTRIGUING.

IT SAYS IT'S THE OFFICIAL LINE BETWEEN NEW YORK AND HARLEM, AND NOTICE WHERE IT GOES ACROSS HERE: IT DROPS DOWN TO AROUND 59th STREET.

TODAY, HARLEM STARTS FURTHER NORTH, AROUND 110th STREET.

SO IT'S A DIFFERENT VIEW OF HARLEM THAN WE HAVE TODAY.

IT'S ALSO QUITE AN ELABORATE CERTIFICATE.

THEY WENT TO SOME EXPENSE TO PRODUCE THIS.

DID YOU DO ANY RESEARCH ABOUT THIS COMPANY?

I COULD FIND NOTHING, REALLY, ON THE HARLEM ASSOCIATED HEIRS TITLE COMPANY.

AND THAT MADE BOB SUSPICIOUS.

I DID FIND AN ARTICLE OR TWO OF ABOUT THE SAME TIME FRAME, 1892, THAT MENTIONED THE LAND TITLE DISPUTES IN HARLEM.

HE RECALLS THAT AT LEAST ONE OF THE ARTICLES MENTIONED INVESTORS HAD BEEN SWINDLED IN SOME SORT OF FRAUDULENT DEAL OR SCAM.

SO, BOB, TELL ME EXACTLY WHAT YOU'D LIKE FOR ME TO TRY TO FIND OUT ABOUT THIS CERTIFICATE.

I'D LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THIS HARLEM ASSOCIATED HEIRS TITLE COMPANY, AND I'D LIKE TO KNOW WHETHER THIS WAS PART OF ANY SCAM.

I'LL SEE WHAT I COME BACK WITH.

- THANKS SO MUCH, BOB.

- LOTS OF LUCK.

THE HARLEM ASSOCIATED HEIRS TITLE COMPANY.

A TITLE COMPANY DETERMINES THE VALIDITY OF PROPERTY OWNERSHIP.

"LANDS OWNED BY THE HARLEM HEIRS."

IT'S NOT CLEAR FROM THE MAP HOW MUCH LAND IS BEING CLAIMED, BUT A BORDER LINE HERE SEEMS TO INDICATE HARLEM TAKES UP ALMOST HALF OF MANHATTAN.

IT'S QUITE A SIZEABLE PIECE OF PROPERTY, AND THESE SHARES ARE OWNED BY ORLANDO K. WALDRON.

SO THIS IS A CERTIFICATE FOR 68 SHARES, BUT 68 OF 2 MILLION SHARES, WHICH ARE VALUED AT $100 EACH.

A DATE THAT'S WRITTEN IN AND THEN PART OF THE STAMP IS THAT IT'S 1892.

IF THIS COMPANY REALLY IS CLAIMING A SIGNIFICANT CHUNK OF HARLEM REAL ESTATE, THERE OUGHT TO BE SOME SORT OF RECORD, AND EXACTLY WHO ARE THESE SO-CALLED HARLEM HEIRS?

AH, HERE WE GO, "HARLEM LANDS" FROM 1893: MOVEMENT TO ESTABLISH THE CLAIMS OF HEIRS OF THE ORIGINAL PATENTEES TO HARLEM PROPERTIES.

THE CORPORATION IS KNOWN AS THE HARLEM ASSOCIATED HEIRS TITLE COMPANY.

SO THE COMPANY EXISTED, ALTHOUGH I DON'T KNOW FOR HOW LONG OR IF THERE WAS ANY CONTROVERSY ABOUT IT.

NOW, HERE'S SOME BACKGROUND ON THE ANCESTORS TO THE HARLEM HEIRS.

IN 1666, THE ENGLISH GOVERNOR RICHARD NICHOLS HAD ISSUED A LAND GRANT, OR PATENT, TO FIVE FAMILIES, CEDING THEM OWNERSHIP AND TITLE TO LAND IN HARLEM.

HARLEM WAS THEN A REMOTE FARMING VILLAGE MILES FROM THE BUSTLING PORT CITY OF NEW YORK.

MORE THAN 200 YEARS LATER, AT THE END OF THE 19th CENTURY, HARLEM WAS NO LONGER REMOTE NOR A VILLAGE.

THERE'S A LOT OF LAND SPECULATION UP IN HARLEM AT THE END OF THE 19th CENTURY.

IT APPEARS THE HEIRS ARE CLAIMING THEY STILL OWN A LARGE AMOUNT OF PROPERTY STRETCHING FROM 72nd STREET ALL THE WAY TO 130th STREET.

IT WAS A VOLATILE PERIOD OF TIME.

THERE HAD BEEN A MASSIVE WAVE OF IMMIGRATION, LARGELY FROM EASTERN EUROPE AND ITALY, BEGINNING IN THE LATE 1880s, AND A LOT OF TENSION BETWEEN THESE NEW IMMIGRANTS AND FAMILIES WHO HAD BEEN THERE FOR SEVERAL GENERATIONS.

NOW, THIS IS INTERESTING.

OUR CERTIFICATE WAS OWNED BY ORLANDO WALDRON.

ONE OF THE ORIGINAL FAMILIES FROM 1666 HAD BEEN HEADED BY A MAN NAMED RESOLVED WALDRON.

HE WAS HARLEM'S TOWN CONSTABLE IN 1666 AND ONE OF ITS RICHEST CITIZENS.

I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S THE SAME WALDRON; THERE COULD BE MANY DESCENDANTS OF THIS ORIGINAL TITLE.

HERE'S ONE MENTION OF ORLANDO K. WALDRON IN A BOOK CALLED PROGRESSIVE MEN OF PENNSYLVANIA, AND IT ALSO MENTIONS THAT THE WALDRON FAMILY HAD OWNED A LARGE PIECE OF LAND IN HARLEM CENTURIES AGO.

WELL, THERE IS AN ARTICLE FROM 1886 NEW YORK TIMES ABOUT AN ORGANIZATION CALLED THE HARLEM COMMONS HEIRS, WHO WERE BEING ACCUSED OF FRAUD.

COULD BOB'S CERTIFICATE HAVE BEEN PART OF A GIGANTIC SWINDLE?

RICHARD SYLLA IS PROFESSOR OF FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS AND MARKETS AT NEW YORK UNIVERSITY.

I'D PREVIOUSLY E-MAILED HIM A COPY OF THE CERTIFICATE.

WE MEET JUST AROUND THE CORNER FROM WALL STREET AT THE MUSEUM OF AMERICAN FINANCE.

I WANT TO SHOW YOU MY TITLE COMPANY STOCK CERTIFICATE.

HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF THE HARLEM ASSOCIATED HEIRS TITLE COMPANY?

I HAD NEVER HEARD OF THIS COMPANY BEFORE YOU SHOWED ME THE CERTIFICATE.

I EXPLAIN THAT OUR CONTRIBUTOR SUSPECTS THE DOCUMENT COULD BE PART OF A SCAM.

WELL, THERE'S BEEN STOCK FRAUD AS LONG AS THERE HAVE BEEN STOCKS.

THE 1890s, GIVEN THE LACK OF REGULATIONS, PROBABLY QUITE A BIT.

THIS WAS THE ERA OF THE ROBBER BARONS, PEOPLE LIKE JAY GOULD AND COMMODORE VANDERBILT AND J.P. MORGAN.

THE FINANCIAL CULTURE WAS SWASHBUCKLING, AND STOCK CERTIFICATES WERE SOMETIMES NOT WHAT THEY SEEMED TO BE.

A CLASSIC EXAMPLE WAS MR. JAY GOULD, CALLED THE MEPHISTOPHELES OF WALL STREET.

HE WAS ACTUALLY INVOLVED IN A NUMBER OF SHADY DEALS.

RICHARD EXPLAINS THAT GOULD WAS AN OWNER OF THE ERIE RAILROAD.

COMMODORE VANDERBILT OF THE NEW YORK CENTRAL WANTED TO BUY THE ERIE RAILROAD, SO HE WENT INTO THE MARKET ON WALL STREET, BEGAN TO BUY UP SHARES.

YOU KNOW, ONCE YOU GET 50.1% OF THE SHARES, YOU CONTROL THE COMPANY.

BUT JAY GOULD FOUND A WAY OF PRINTING UP MORE AND MORE SHARES.

I MEAN, THEY WERE BASICALLY COUNTERFEITING SHARES.

THIS SHOULD'VE BEEN ILLEGAL, BUT THEY USED SOME OF THEIR MONEY TO BRIBE JUDGES, WHO RULED IN THEIR FAVOR.

LACK OF EFFECTIVE REGULATION ENCOURAGED SPECULATION, DROVE UP STOCK VALUATIONS, AND TEMPTED SOME TO PERPETRATE FRAUDS.

A LOT OF PEOPLE SAID, "I DON'T KNOW WHAT THIS IS WORTH, "BUT I THINK I CAN BUY IT AT $100, LET'S SAY, "AND MAYBE SELL IT TO SOMEONE ELSE AT $120 OR $150, AND I'LL MAKE A PROFIT."

NOW, DOES THAT RAISE A QUESTION FOR YOU ABOUT THERE BEING 2 MILLION SHARES FOR A FAIRLY SMALL COMPANY?

THAT'S A LOT OF SHARES, ESPECIALLY WHEN THE PRIOR VALUE IS ESTIMATED AT $100 EACH, BECAUSE THEN THEY'RE CLAIMING THAT THIS COMPANY IS WORTH, YOU KNOW, $200 MILLION.

WHILE THAT SOUNDS SUSPICIOUS, RICHARD POINTS OUT OUR CERTIFICATE IS FOR A TITLE COMPANY CLAIMING NEW YORK PROPERTY.

GREAT FORTUNES WERE BUILT BY OWNING MANHATTAN REAL ESTATE.

WHAT WOULD THIS MEAN FOR ORLANDO WALDRON?

RICHARD THINKS THE STOCK COULD'VE BEEN ISSUED LEGITIMATELY TO RAISE MONEY TO FIGHT FOR THE LAND.

YOU HAVE TO HIRE LAWYERS, AND YOU HAVE TO GO TO COURT, AND THINGS LIKE THAT.

BUT EVEN IF THE CLAIM FLOUNDERED, WALDRON MIGHT STILL HAVE PROFITED.

HE COULD'VE MADE SOME MONEY BY SELLING HIS SHARES, SO IT WAS ONE WAY OF SORT OF HEDGING THEIR BETS.

"MAYBE OUR CLAIM WON'T BE UPHELD, "BUT WE CAN STILL GET SOME MONEY OUT OF IT IF WE CREATE THIS COMPANY AND SELL SHARES TO OTHERS."

THE LAND IS VERY ILLIQUID; THE SHARES ARE LIQUID.

DID WALDRON AND THE OTHER HEIRS CASH IN MORE THAN 200 YEARS AFTER THEIR ANCESTORS HAD RECEIVED THE LAND FROM THE ENGLISH GOVERNMENT?

I'M MEETING HARLEM HISTORIAN AND AUTHOR JONATHAN GILL AT THE HARLEM MEER IN CENTRAL PARK.

WELL, I'M EAGER TO SHOW YOU THIS STOCK CERTIFICATE, JONATHAN.

JONATHAN SAYS THE LAND WE'RE STANDING ON IS PART OF WHAT THE HARLEM HEIRS MAY HAVE BEEN FIGHTING FOR.

WE'RE ACTUALLY UNDERWATER ON THIS MAP, AND YOU CAN SEE THAT THIS ENTIRE AREA, IF IT WASN'T SUBMERGED, IT WOULD'VE BEEN VERY SWAMPY LAND, WHICH WOULD'VE BEEN OF QUESTIONABLE VALUE.

SO THIS WAS A VERY UNDEVELOPED PIECE OF MANHATTAN, AND MANY PEOPLE THOUGHT IT WAS UNDEVELOPABLE.

THE ORIGINAL FAMILIES FARMED THE MEADOWS AND MARSHES.

MOST OF THEM THEN ABANDONED HARLEM DURING THE REVOLUTION.

HARLEM ITSELF EMPTIES OUT TOTALLY DURING THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR.

HARLEM GOES THROUGH ALL THESE UPS AND DOWNS.

THEN, IN THE 19th CENTURY, WEALTHY NEW YORKERS REPOPULATED HARLEM TO BUILD COUNTRY HOUSES.

BOTH ALEXANDER HAMILTON AND AARON BURR HAD UPTOWN ESTATES, AS DID NATURALIST JOHN JAMES AUDUBON.

WELL, WHAT'S THE SHIFT?

SOMETHING MUST BE HAPPENING IN THE LATE 1880s TO '90s TO HAVE THESE CLAIMS BE MADE AT THAT TIME.

WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THIS AREA?

WHAT'S HAPPENING IS THIS LAND HAS SUDDENLY BECOME VERY, VERY VALUABLE.

JONATHAN EXPLAINS THE POPULATION OF MANHATTAN HAD REACHED OVER 1 MILLION BY 1880.

MOST OF MANHATTAN IS NOW BECOMING FILLED IN, AND THERE'S NO -- THERE AREN'T THAT MANY PLACES TO GROW.

IN 1873, NEW YORK CITY HAD OFFICIALLY ANNEXED HARLEM.

AS NEW YORK MOVED UPTOWN, REAL ESTATE SPECULATORS SAW DOLLAR SIGNS IN THIS BUCOLIC LANDSCAPE.

THIS IS WHEN SIDEWALKS ARE PUT IN, GAS LINES, SEWER LINES, ELECTRICITY EVENTUALLY, AND YOU CAN SEE THAT THE PLACES THAT WOULD BE SWAMPY HERE, THEY WERE BEING DRAINED AND AUCTIONED OFF.

COLLECTIVELY, HARLEM PLOTS WERE NOW WORTH MILLIONS.

ROW AFTER ROW OF NEW HOUSES ESTABLISHED THE LOOK OF THE HARLEM THAT IS STILL RECOGNIZABLE TODAY.

AND WHO WAS LIVING AROUND HERE?

THAT WOULD'VE BEEN -- DEPENDS ON WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.

IN THE 1840s, '50s, AND '60s, THAT WOULD'VE BEEN IRISH.

LATER ON, IT WOULD'VE BEEN JEWISH.

YOU DON'T REALLY HAVE AN IDENTIFICATION OF HARLEM WITH AFRICAN AMERICANS REALLY UNTIL WELL AFTER THE TURN OF THE CENTURY.

SO 1890s, YOU'RE REALLY ON THE CUSP OF A MUCH LARGER CHANGE.

DO YOU KNOW IF ANY OF THESE CLAIMS WERE EVER SUCCESSFUL?

JONATHAN HAS NEVER HEARD OF ANY OF THE HARLEM HEIRS GETTING THEIR LAND BACK OR BEING COMPENSATED, SO WHAT HAPPENED TO THE CLAIMS OF THE HEIRS OF THOSE ORIGINAL HARLEM SETTLERS?

REAL ESTATE LAW SCHOLAR JESSE KEENAN MEETS ME AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY.

WOW, THIS IS GREAT TO SEE.

SO WHAT'S YOUR OVERALL IMPRESSION OF WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM THIS DOCUMENT?

WELL, I, INITIALLY LOOKING INTO THIS, CAME AT IT WITH, "WELL, THIS SEEMS SOMEWHAT FRIVOLOUS OR PERHAPS FRAUDULENT," AS WAS VERY COMMON DURING THAT TIME.

BUT THE MORE I GOT INTO IT, THERE WAS A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT I FOUND THAT MIGHT SURPRISE YOU.

JESSE DISCOVERED THAT ACCORDING TO THE LAWS OF THE TIME, THE HARLEM HEIRS MAY HAVE HAD A CASE.

AFTER THE REVOLUTION, THE COURTS DIDN'T START FROM SCRATCH.

THE JURISDICTION AND THE SOVEREIGNTY MIGHT'VE SUBSEQUENTLY CHANGED, BUT THE LAW ITSELF, UNDER ENGLISH COMMON LAW, STAYED THE SAME.

SO THE JUDGES IN 1893 WOULD BE TRYING TO INTERPRET THIS CASE THE WAY A JUDGE IN 1666 WOULD'VE DONE TO THE BEST OF THEIR ABILITY.

IT WOULD'VE BEEN SOMETHING THAT THEY WOULD'VE CONSIDERED.

JESSE WAS ABLE TO DETERMINE THAT THE COMPANY DID BRING THEIR CASE TO COURT.

THE CASE ACTUALLY MADE IT AS FAR, PROCEDURALLY, AS A TRIAL, WHICH LED ME TO BELIEVE THAT THERE WAS VALIDITY OF THE UNDERLYING CAUSE OF ACTION.

JESSE WAS UNABLE TO FIND A VERDICT IN OUR COURT CASE, BUT HE DID FIND OPINIONS ABOUT OTHER SIMILAR HARLEM LAND CLAIMS OF THE ERA.

I FOUND A NUMBER OF CASES WHO HAD ACTUALLY WON AND BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN THEIR LITIGATION.

SO HAD THESE HEIRS STRUCK IT RICH WITH VALUABLE HARLEM REAL ESTATE?

WELL, I FOUND SOME THINGS THAT YOU MIGHT FIND VERY INTERESTING.

I KNOW BOB WILL BE SURPRISED TO HEAR THIS.

WELL, BOB, I'LL START OFF WITH TELLING YOU THAT THIS COMPANY AND THIS STOCK CERTIFICATE WERE BOTH ABOVEBOARD.

I GUESS INITIALLY, THINKING THAT THIS WAS GOING TO TURN OUT THE OTHER WAY, THAT THIS COMPANY WAS OUT TO BE A SCAM, I'M QUITE TAKEN ABACK.

I TELL BOB WE DIDN'T FIND A VERDICT FOR THE HARLEM HEIRS LAND CLAIM, BUT JESSE HAD DISCOVERED THE OUTCOME FOR OTHERS SEEKING A BIG PAYDAY.

THE JUDGES DECIDED TO BASICALLY SAY, "YES, YOU WON, BUT, NO, WE'RE NOT GOING TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT."

WHEN WAS THAT, AND WHY DO YOU THINK THEY DID THAT?

WELL, IN THE 1890s, THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT MARKET CRASH.

THE COUNTRY HAD BEEN PLUNGED INTO SERIOUS RECESSION, AND JESSE BELIEVES THAT ECONOMIC UNCERTAINTY PROBABLY HAD A NEGATIVE OUTCOME FOR THE HARLEM HEIRS.

HAD THE JUDGE RULED IN FAVOR OF THEM, IT WOULD'VE OPENED UP A PANDORA'S BOX, WHICH WOULD'VE BROUGHT IN THOUSANDS OF CLAIMANTS POTENTIALLY FOR A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT PROPERTY INTERESTS THAT WOULD'VE FURTHER DESTABILIZED THE MARKETS.

IT'S A VERY COMPLEX STORY, AND, AGAIN, WITH MANY LAYERS OF HISTORY.

I TELL BOB HIS DOCUMENT REVEALS A MOMENT OF NATIONAL FINANCIAL TURBULENCE.

IT ALSO SHEDS LIGHT ON THE EXPLOSIVE GROWTH OF HARLEM, A NEIGHBORHOOD THAT WOULD SOON BECOME KNOWN AS THE BLACK CAPITAL OF AMERICA, EXPORTING ITS CULTURAL RICHES AROUND THE WORLD.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THIS CERTIFICATE NOW THAT YOU KNOW THE STORY?

IT WAS A KEEPER, AND IT WILL REMAIN AS SUCH.

I DON'T KNOW OF ANY OTHER STORY LIKE THIS.

IT'S QUITE ASTOUNDING.

IN THE 1890s, HARLEM WAS A DEVELOPER'S DREAM, FILLED WITH MODERN TOWNHOUSES, HIGH-CLASS APARTMENTS, AND MOSTLY WHITE INHABITANTS.

AND MANY LANDLORDS WANTED TO KEEP IT THAT WAY.

BUT NEW YORK CITY'S GROWING MIDDLE CLASS AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY ALSO DESIRED BETTER HOUSING.

SO IN 1900, PHILIP A. PAYTON JR., AN ASPIRING REALTOR, SAW AN OPPORTUNITY.

PAYTON APPROACHED WHITE LANDLORDS TO LEASE TO AFRICAN-AMERICAN TENANTS.

HIS SALES PITCH MADE GOOD BUSINESS SENSE: AFRICAN AMERICANS WILL PAY HIGHER RENTS FOR ACCESS TO QUALITY REAL ESTATE.

PAYTON'S MESSAGE TO "RENT COLORED" TOOK HOLD, AND BY 1904, HE HAD ESTABLISHED THE AFRO-AMERICAN REALTY COMPANY.

BUT NOT EVERYONE WAS READY TO TAKE DOWN NORTHERN MANHATTAN'S RACE BARRIER.

PAYTON'S ACTIONS CAUGHT THE ATTENTIONS OF THE CITY PRESS, WHO REPORTED ON THE THREAT OF A "NEGRO INVASION."

PAYTON IS CREDITED FOR HELPING CHANGE THE RACE LINES OF NEW YORK AND WOULD LATER BE CALLED "THE FATHER OF COLORED HARLEM."

BY 1914, 50,000 OF MANHATTAN'S 60,000 AFRICAN AMERICANS WERE CREATING A THRIVING COMMUNITY IN NORTHERN MANHATTAN.

PAYTON'S ENERGETIC EXPANSION EFFORTS HELPED LAY THE GROUNDWORK FOR THE DYNAMIC HARLEM RENAISSANCE OF THE 1920s.

LET YOUR MYSTERY UNLOCK AMERICAN HISTORY.

YOU KNOW, AT HISTORY DETECTIVES, WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR THAT NEXT GREAT CASE, AND YOU MIGHT HAVE JUST WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR.

THE CRITERIA IS SIMPLE.

THE MYSTERY MUST BE CONNECTED TO AN OBJECT.

[ playing quick, random notes ] AND THE OBJECT HAS TO BE TIED TO AMERICAN HISTORY.

TO SUBMIT YOUR CASE, GO TO HISTORY DETECTIVES ON THE WEB AT pbs.org, THEN CLICK "SUBMIT YOUR STORY."

Elvis Costello: ♪ WATCHIN' THE DETECTIVES ♪ ♪ IT'S JUST LIKE WATCHIN' THE DETECTIVES ♪