CIVIL WAR & RECONSTRUCTION
GOVERNORS PAPERS

Since September 2020, the ADAH has been digitizing the official papers of the eleven men who served as governors of Alabama from the eve of the Civil War through the Reconstruction period. These administrative records include documents such as correspondence, appointments, proclamations, pardons and paroles, and more. They are valuable records documenting a tumultuous and transformative period of history from the perspective of Alabama's chief executive. The initial phase of this project was recently completed. Approximately 28,000 documents are now available online in the ADAH's Digital Collections. They represent the following administrations:

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Andrew B. Moore, 1857-1861
John G. Shorter, 1861-1863
Thomas H. Watts, 1863-1865
Lewis E. Parsons, 1865
Robert M. Patton, 1865-1867
Wager Swayne, 1867-1868
William H. Smith, 1868-1870
Robert B. Lindsay, 1870-1872
David P. Lewis, 1872-1874
George S. Houston, 1874-1878

Rufus W. Cobb, 1878-1882

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Now that the digitization phase is complete, the ADAH needs virtual volunteers to transcribe the handwritten documents. The transcription project utilizes FromThePage, an online platform the ADAH has used for several years to successfully conduct similar crowdsourced projects. This work is done on a standard web browser and requires no special software or equipment. Anyone with an Internet connection can participate.