Recovering Family History: Archaeological Investigations at the James Holliday House in Annapolis, Maryland

Summary

For the descendants of the people studied by archaeologists, archaeology can be deeply personal, as it reveals forgotten details of a family’s past. In the case of the James Holliday House in Annapolis, Maryland, the same African American family has occupied the James Holliday House since 1850. In 2009, the great-great-granddaughter of James Holliday asked Archaeology in Annapolis to help fill in the blanks about her family’s history, simply because there was very little information from family sources and no back stories about the lives of her 19th century ancestors. After three years of archaeological investigation, a relationship has developed between the archaeologists, the living descendants, and the subjects of the archaeology, the Holliday family. Through the combination of historical records, archaeology, and family stories, a more nuanced understanding of the family being studied has been created, from both the perspective of the archaeologist and the living descendant.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• What’s at Stake? Archaeological Experience Examined through Co-Authorship with Stakeholders   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2013

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Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 390