Brown Fellowship Society: Newspaper Clippings, 1972

The collection includes photographs, scrapbooks, legal documents, correspondence, artifacts, and other materials relating to William and Ellen Craft and their descendants. It is arranged into four series: Series one and two contain Craft, Crum, and Kinloch family materials, series three relates to the Brown Fellowship Society, and series four contains compiled newspaper clippings.

Materials relating to William and Ellen Craft include photographs, correspondence, and a tribute book collectively containing images, letters, and notes of family and friends, including well-known abolitionists and other historical figures with whom the Crafts associated. Other materials include deeds for Woodville Plantation, on which the Woodville Co-Operative Farm School operated, 1860 publication of Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom documenting the Crafts' escape from slavery, jewelry box constructed by William Craft, and other materials.

Materials relating to Charles and Emeline Craft include a family bible, autograph book containing the signatures and notes of family and friends, including prominent members of African American society, correspondence and postcards, photographs, and other materials.

In addition to photographs of family and friends, materials collected by Julia Ellen Craft and Herbert A. DeCosta relate to Howard University and alumni of Howard University, the H. A. DeCosta Company, and Charleston-area social clubs such as the Owls Whist Club, Entre-Nous Bridge Club, Charleston Chapter of Links, Inc., and others. Materials relating to Herbert A. DeCosta, Jr. and Bernice DeCosta Davis include family photographs, documents relating to Avery Normal Institute graduation, scrapbook documenting the marriage of Bernice DeCosta and Albert Miles Davis, and other materials.

Materials relating to William and Ellen Craft Crum include scrapbooks, photographs, visiting cards, correspondence, and other materials documenting the William Crum's service as minister to Liberia (1910-1912). Also included are a scrapbook of newspaper articles and poems compiled by Ellen Craft Crum and a speech delivered by William Crum on the occasion of Ellen's birthday.

Kinloch family materials include documents relating to Kinloch family history, 19th century cased photographs, a temperance card signed by Richmond Kinloch, and sampler embroidered by Emeline Aubin Kinloch in her youth.

Materials relating to the Brown Fellowship Society include an account book containing minutes for both the Daughters of the Century Society (1904-1940) and Brown Fellowship Society (1940-1975), newspaper clippings, biographical information on Jehu Jones (founder of the Society), and material relating to the Society's 200th anniversary. Prior to the acquisition of this collection in 2011, no meeting minutes of the Brown Fellowship Society were known to exist after the year 1916.

Newspaper clippings cover topics such as Charleston architecture; properties constructed or remodeled by the H. A. DeCosta Company; well-known African Americans; free people of color in history; obituaries of friends or other people not of direct relation to the family; various opinion columns and stories relating to art, artists, and culture; and family history, including the Healy family.