Spencer/Torbert Photograph Album (SMC 141)

Biographical Note

There is an undated newspaper clipping glued in the back of the album, probably from the New York Age, which indicates that this belonged to the family of Dr. William H. Spencer, Jr. of Columbus, Georgia. His father, William H. Spencer, Sr. (1857-1925) was a leading figure in the education of African American children in Columbus, Georgia from the 1870s until his death. According to Wikipedia, his children were William H. Spencer, Jr., and his daughters were named Ethel, Annie, Pearl and Alma Spencer. The clipping describes the visit of Mr. and Mrs. Leon J. Torbert of Brooklyn, NY to his wife's siblings, Ethel and Annie Spencer and their brother, Dr. William H. Spencer, Jr. of Leimert Park, Los Angeles, probably in the mid-1950s. William H. Spencer, Jr., a dentist, was a member of the Colored Columbus Medical Association at one time.

Scope and Content

This album consists of 12 leafs with snapshots of an African-American family. The scenes include visits to a beach, a cabin in the woods, numerous family and friends in informal settings and holiday gatherings. None of the photographs is identified, but a few have date stamps from 1956 and 1957. These images could document the detailed itinerary of the Torberts' vacation trip described in the newspaper clipping.

Mid-1950s 1 folder (.1 l.f.)

Permission to Publish

Permission to publish material from the Spencer/Torbert Family Photograph Album must be obtained from the Columbus State University Archives at Columbus State University. Use of the following credit line for publication or exhibit is required:

Spencer/Torbert Family Photograph Album (SMC 141) Columbus State University Archives Columbus, Georgia

Provenance

Unknown

Folder List

Folder 1 - Photo album, mid-1950s