Matt Helm, Author at

Student Historian

Matthew D. Helm grew up in the small town of Redfield, South Dakota. After graduating from Redfield Public High School he joined the U.S. Marines. After serving in Washington State he met his fiancée, Veronica and were afterwards married. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion 7th Marines in Twenty-Nine Palms, California. From there his unit was deployed to Kuwait, then Iraq.

After serving a tour in Iraq, he was honorably discharged from the Marines and began furthering his education at the University of Washington. He is in his final year of his undergraduate studies and is presently applying for graduate school with the hopes of continuing his study in American history with a focus on the 19th century west.

Era Bell Thompson (1906-1986)

Era Bell Thompson was an author, editor and a pioneering female African American journalist. She was born in Des Moines, Iowa. When she was eight years old her family moved to North Dakota. Her father worked various jobs including farmer, messenger to the governor and … Read MoreEra Bell Thompson (1906-1986)

Kansas Freedman’s Relief Association (1879-1881)

In response to the mass exodus from the south in 1879 and 1880, Kansas Governor and Quaker John St. John established the Kansas Freedman’s Relief Association (KFRA). The Association was created in 1879 to “aid destitute freedmen, refugees and immigrants” who were migrating to Kansas. … Read MoreKansas Freedman’s Relief Association (1879-1881)

761st Tank Battalion (1942-1945)

The 761st Tank Battalion was formed in the spring of 1942 and was the first African American tank battalion to see combat in the Second World War. Commanding this battalion was a white Lt. Colonel, Paul L. Bates. As the unit fell under the scrutiny … Read More761st Tank Battalion (1942-1945)

Jonathan Gibbs (1827-1874)

Born a freeman in Pennsylvania in 1827, Jonathan Gibbs was the son of Maria Jackson and the Methodist minister, Jonathan Gibbs. Gibbs was originally trained as a carpenter until in 1848. Then he became one of only two African Americans accepted at Dartmouth College in … Read MoreJonathan Gibbs (1827-1874)

Bass Reeves (1838-1910)

Bass Reeves was the first African American commissioned to serve as a deputy U.S. Marshal west of the Mississippi River. Born a slave in Paris, Texas and owned by George Reeves, Bass Reeves grew up illiterate and remained illiterate for his entire life. When the … Read MoreBass Reeves (1838-1910)

William H. Carney (1840-1908)

William Harvey Carney was born a slave in Norfolk, Virginia in 1840. His father William Sr. had escaped slavery through the Underground Railroad and eventually earned enough money to buy the freedom of his wife and son. After freeing his family, the reunited Carneys moved … Read MoreWilliam H. Carney (1840-1908)

Nat Love (1854-1921)

Born the son of slaves in Davidson County Tennessee in 1854, Nat Love grew up during the turbulent Civil War and Reconstruction era. Rare for African Americans born enslaved in that era, Love learned to read and write as a child. In 1869 he left … Read MoreNat Love (1854-1921)

Emancipation Proclamation (1863)

Following the Union Army victory at Antietam, Maryland on September 17, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln issued a preliminary emancipation proclamation. This document gave the states of the Confederacy until January 1, 1863 to lay down their arms and peaceably reenter the Union; if these states … Read MoreEmancipation Proclamation (1863)

Archy Lee Case, 1858

There is little known about Archy Lee’s childhood except that he was born in Mississippi in 1840, an illiterate slave owned by Charles Stovall. In 1857, Charles Stovall moved to California from Missouri taking Lee with him. While in California Stovall opened a school and … Read MoreArchy Lee Case, 1858