Our Methods

The Alabama Memory Project seeks to identify and explore racial terror lynchings and attempted lynchings. Explore our methods and definitions here.

The Alabama Memory Project takes a multi-step process to identify and document lynchings from 1865 to 1981. First, we identify cases through records published by the Equal Justice Initiative, the Monroe Work Today Project, and the CSDE Database. Then, we research newspapers, congressional testimonies, state and county legal records, and local histories. We also investigate published oral histories and conduct our own interviews. 

For a case to be classified as a “documented lynching,” we seek a minimum of three pieces of evidence. See our definitions for how we define lynching cases.

As of August 2022, our research has uncovered at least 195 new lynchings and 259 possible lynchings. (We define a lynching as “possible” when we have found only one source of evidence for it and are in the process of researching it further.)

 

Previously Documented*

New Documented Cases

Potential Cases

Total Cases

414 

195

259

868

 

*previously documented by the Equal Justice Initiative, the Monroe Works Project, and the CSDE database.

Racial Terror Lynchings

We focus specifically on lynchings of Black Americans by white Americans for the purpose, be it stated or implied, of strengthening and extending white supremacy. Racial terror lynchings occurred outside of any legal process and were not some form of “frontier justice.”  It was meant to subdue, intimidate, and control Black Americans. Racial terror lynchings are by far the most common form of lynching in American history. The term was coined by the Equal Justice Initiative in in its 2017 report, Lynching in America: Confronting the Legacy of Racial Terror. Between 1865 and 1981, the Alabama Memory Project has identified over 800 racial terror lynchings in the state of Alabama, more than half of which were previously unidentified. 

 

Attempted Lynching

Attempted lynchings refer to near-killings where one or more of the required elements of a lynching were present but the intended victim escaped or was rescued. For example, Elmore Clark was one of three black men accused of murdering a white woman in Tuscaloosa in 1933. While they were being transported to Birmingham for trial, a mob of white men reportedly overpowered law enforcement officers and shot the prisoners. Clark survived and fled.   

 

To learn more about lynching history nationwide, click here to view this article by our founder and director, Dr. John Giggie, published in the Oxford Research Encyclopedia for American History. 

This is a glossary of the most frequently used primary sources from the Alabama Memory Project. The sources listed below may be found in digital databases, state and local archives and health departments, police departments, Sheriff’s offices, courthouses, probate courts, public libraries, and county and city historical centers.  Most photos and oral histories were taken by researchers themselves. 

 

Source

Definition

Arrest Records

Arrest records are a specific type of legal document created by local police departments to record when an individual is taken into police custody. Preservation and access to these records can vary widely based on the time period and place of research.


Both police records and arrest records can be key pieces of evidence in lynching cases. These records may contain information about the timeline, people, and circumstances surrounding a lynching case that were not published or confirmed in newspaper reports. 

Black Newspapers

Black newspapers are authored and edited by Black journalists. 


We use Black newspapers to track how information about lynching spreads within the Black community and to gather a more accurate narrative about the lynching than white newspapers may suggest. 

Census Record

A census record is a specific type of genealogical record that is created by the federal government every ten years used to count the U.S. population. 


Census records often provide some of the most useful information about the life of the victim.

Congressional Testimony

Congressional testimony refers to public hearings held by the U.S. Senate, U.S. House, or a Joint or Special Committee of Congress.


AMP uses both Congressional testimony published for the 1871-1872 Joint Select Committee on Alabama Klan Violence and Congressional testimony from 1875 testifying to election massacres in Eugaula and Mobile to search for additional lynching cases that may not have been included in current national lynching databases.

Death Certificate

A death certificate is a type of vital record created by either a county or state agency to record information about an individual’s death and burial. In Alabama, counties were legally required to record deaths starting in 1881. In 1908, Alabama State Law changed to require that all deaths in the state of Alabama be recorded by the Alabama Center for Health Statistics. Some death records at both the county and state-level have been lost, destroyed, or neglected. 

Death Index

A death index is a list of available death record information stored by the state vital statistics office. Many death indexes, but not all, are digitized and searchable on online databases such as Ancestry and FamilySearch. A death index is not the same as a Death Certificate; however, if a person’s death is listed in a death index, then a death certificate should be stored and accessible through the state Department of Health Statistics.

Genealogical Record

A genealogical record is a general term that includes census records, marriage records, and birth and death records.


We use genealogical records to document information about lynching victim’s personal lives and family histories. 

Governor’s Record

A governor’s record is a document created by a state governor and their administration during their term of office. These documents are usually stored at a state or national archival collection. 


In Alabama, governor’s records are stored at the Alabama Department of Archives and History (ADAH) in Montgomery. These files can contain letters, newspaper clippings, and other sources from individuals across the state urging a governor to take action or comment on a lynching. In some instances, our researchers have found letters written by family members of lynching victims or by  the victim themself demanding justice. 

Maps

We use maps to locate lynchings, homes of lynching victims, and chronicle the time and distance that passed in a lynching event.

Marriage Record

A marriage record is a type of vital record created by either a county or a state court to legally recognize a marriage. Before 1888 in Alabama, marriage licenses and bonds were registered in the Probate Court (also known as the “Orphan’s Court before 1850) in the county of the bride’s residence. The records can be found in Probate Court in the county where the license was issued or sometimes in the county records stored at the Alabama Department of Archives and History. In 1936, Alabama started keeping statewide marriage records. For current fees and instructions for obtaining copies of the State’s records, contact the Alabama Department of Public Health


We use marriage records to find new information on lynching victims and their family. We use a combination of online and in-person research to look for marriage records stored at both the state and the county level. 

Oral History

Oral histories are interviews with people who have first-hand knowledge or memory of a lynching. 


We use oral histories to preserve the narratives of the people that remember, experienced, or were passed down stories of lynching in Alabama. These sources usually reveal new or different information than can be found in any other source and often reveal lynchings that were not documented in newspapers or legal records. 

Sheriff’s Records

Sheriff’s records were created by the sheriff of a county and his administration during his term of office. These sources are usually stored at county-level courts or by the local sheriff’s office itself. Preservation and access to these records vary widely.


Sheriff’s records and arrest records can be key pieces of evidence in lynching cases. These records may contain information about the timeline, people, and circumstances surrounding a lynching case that were not published or confirmed in newspaper reports. 

Site Photos

Site photos are sources created by our researchers when they visit the presumed location of a victim’s lynching. 

White Newspapers

White newspapers are written and edited primarily by white journalists. 


We understand the narratives presented in white newspapers usually endorse or incite violence against Black communities and are full of mistruths and fabrications. We use them to understand how white communities represented and understood lynching. 

This is a glossary of terms used and defined by AMP researchers.

Term

Definition

Accused Crime or Social Transgression

“Accused crime or social transgression” describes the crime that a lynching victim was accused of committing or the societal norm they may have broke. This does not necessarily describe a formal legal accusation of a crime and in fact rarely did.

Age

Age refers to the approximate or exact duration of a person’s life before they were killed. If the exact age is unknown, an approximate age is provided. 

County of Birth/Death

County of birth or death refers to the county where a victim was born or the place where a victim died. 

Education Level

Education level refers to a person’s highest level of schooling. 

Head of Household

“Head of household” is a term used to indicate the primary wage earner of a family or families living in the same house. 

Identification Status

“Identification status” is a term used by AMP to track if a lynching victim’s name has been confirmed and documented using primary sources. Our two categories of identification status are:

  1. “Identified” – previously identified by an esablished date base, such as the Equal Justice Initiative, the CSDE Lynching Databse, or Monroe Work Today.
  2. “Identified by the Alabama Memory Project” – not found in published databases; identified by the Alabama Memory Project and researched by AMP students

Legal Ramifications

“Legal ramifications” indicates if a lyncher ever faced legal ramifications for their actions. 

Literacy Status

Literacy status refers to the ability of a person to read and write. Depending on the decade, a person’s literacy status could affect their ability to register to vote or find a job. Often literacy status is recorded in federal census records.

Location of Lynching

The location of a lynching is used to describe the place of death for the victim. Multiple locations may be associated with the lynching of a victim. This term refers only to the location of the victim’s death. 

Name Variations

“Name variations” is used to account for variations on a victim’s name across found documents. Black citizens’ names were often misspelled or recorded incorrectly in government and other published documents. AMP accounts for every possible name variation for a victim.

Occupation

Occupation refers to a victim’s job or profession. 

Primary Accusers

“Primary accusers” describes the person or persons that accuse a lynching victim of a crime or social transgression.

Property Ownership

Property ownership refers to whether a person owned the land they lived and/or worked on.

Term

Definition

Accused Crime or Social Transgression

“Accused crime or social transgression” describes the crime that a lynching victim was accused of committing or the societal norm they may have broke. This does not necessarily describe a formal legal accusation of a crime and in fact rarely did.

Age

Age refers to the approximate or exact duration of a person’s life before they were killed. If the exact age is unknown, an approximate age is provided. 

County of Birth/Death

County of birth or death refers to the county where a victim was born or the place where a victim died. 

Education Level

Education level refers to a person’s highest level of schooling. 

Head of Household

“Head of household” is a term used to indicate the primary wage earner of a family or families living in the same house. 

Identification Status

“Identification status” is a term used by AMP to track if a lynching victim’s name has been confirmed and documented using primary sources. Our two categories of identification status are:

  1. “Identified” – previously identified by an esablished date base, such as the Equal Justice Initiative, the CSDE Lynching Databse, or Monroe Work Today.
  2. “Identified by the Alabama Memory Project” – not found in published databases; identified by the Alabama Memory Project and researched by AMP students

Legal Ramifications

“Legal ramifications” indicates if a lyncher ever faced legal ramifications for their actions. 

Literacy Status

Literacy status refers to the ability of a person to read and write. Depending on the decade, a person’s literacy status could affect their ability to register to vote or find a job. Often literacy status is recorded in federal census records.

Location of Lynching

The location of a lynching is used to describe the place of death for the victim. Multiple locations may be associated with the lynching of a victim. This term refers only to the location of the victim’s death. 

Name Variations

“Name variations” is used to account for variations on a victim’s name across found documents. Black citizens’ names were often misspelled or recorded incorrectly in government and other published documents. AMP accounts for every possible name variation for a victim.

Occupation

Occupation refers to a victim’s job or profession. 

Primary Accusers

“Primary accusers” describes the person or persons that accuse a lynching victim of a crime or social transgression.

Property Ownership

Property ownership refers to whether a person owned the land they lived and/or worked on.

Term

Definition

Accused Crime or Social Transgression

“Accused crime or social transgression” describes the crime that a lynching victim was accused of committing or the societal norm they may have broke. This does not necessarily describe a formal legal accusation of a crime and in fact rarely did.

Age

Age refers to the approximate or exact duration of a person’s life before they were killed. If the exact age is unknown, an approximate age is provided. 

County of Birth/Death

County of birth or death refers to the county where a victim was born or the place where a victim died. 

Education Level

Education level refers to a person’s highest level of schooling. 

Head of Household

“Head of household” is a term used to indicate the primary wage earner of a family or families living in the same house. 

Identification Status

“Identification status” is a term used by AMP to track if a lynching victim’s name has been confirmed and documented using primary sources. Our two categories of identification status are:

  1. “Identified” – previously identified by an esablished date base, such as the Equal Justice Initiative, the CSDE Lynching Databse, or Monroe Work Today.
  2. “Identified by the Alabama Memory Project” – not found in published databases; identified by the Alabama Memory Project and researched by AMP students

Legal Ramifications

“Legal ramifications” indicates if a lyncher ever faced legal ramifications for their actions. 

Literacy Status

Literacy status refers to the ability of a person to read and write. Depending on the decade, a person’s literacy status could affect their ability to register to vote or find a job. Often literacy status is recorded in federal census records.

Location of Lynching

The location of a lynching is used to describe the place of death for the victim. Multiple locations may be associated with the lynching of a victim. This term refers only to the location of the victim’s death. 

Name Variations

“Name variations” is used to account for variations on a victim’s name across found documents. Black citizens’ names were often misspelled or recorded incorrectly in government and other published documents. AMP accounts for every possible name variation for a victim.

Occupation

Occupation refers to a victim’s job or profession. 

Primary Accusers

“Primary accusers” describes the person or persons that accuse a lynching victim of a crime or social transgression.

Property Ownership

Property ownership refers to whether a person owned the land they lived and/or worked on.