The Records of Western New York

Learn about genealogically rich Western New York records with this new class by the Grosvenor Room’s genealogy specialist. The webinar shows examples of fascinating historical documents such as name changes, adoption records, coroner reports, military discharges, apprenticeship records, divorce records, probate files, marriage records, and poorhouse registers.  

A Buffalo Connection to the Tulsa Race Massacre: A.J. Smitherman and the Empire Star

Image of A.J. Smitherman from the
Buffalo & Erie County Public Library’s Scrapbook Collection

In 1921, A.J. Smitherman was the editor and publisher of the Tulsa Star, an influential black newspaper in Oklahoma that regularly reported on discriminatory actions against the African-American community, often at great personal risk.  At the time, Tulsa was home to a thriving community of black residents even as racially motivated lynching and violence was a regular occurrence.  In late May of that year, the black community mobilized, most likely due in part to Smitherman’s reporting, to protect the life a black male youth jailed for allegedly grabbing a white female elevator operator.  A white mob, many armed and deputized by city authorities, responded by destroying the Greenwood neighborhood of Tulsa, killing hundreds and burning down large swaths of black-owned property.   

In the aftermath of the massacre, Smitherman fled to Massachusetts having lost most of his possessions and wanted by the authorities in Oklahoma.  After avoiding extradition to Oklahoma, Smitherman and his family moved to Buffalo. In 1932 he began a new newspaper, the Buffalo Star, and published it in a similar manner as the Tulsa Star, reporting on the black community and revealing injustice locally and nationally.  The Buffalo Star was later renamed the Empire Star and began covering Rochester as well as Buffalo news.   

The Empire Star, January 18, 1949 from the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library Collection

In September 1960, Smitherman began a weekly column in the Empire Star describing his early life in Alabama and career in Tulsa.  Entitled “A Biography,” Smitherton wrote in detail about his work as an editor and his efforts to fight racial injustice in Oklahoma.

A Smitherman Autobiographical Column from the Empire Star, October 1, 1960 – Buffalo & Erie County Public Library Collection

In 1961 A.J. Smitherman passed away suddenly, leaving his autobiography unfinished. Forty-six years after his death, charges against Smitherman and others unjustly indicted for inciting the riot back in 1921 were dismissed thanks in large part to the efforts of educator and activist Dr. Barbara Seals Nevergold, a co-founder of the Uncrowned Community Builders website which honors the efforts of African Americans in the Buffalo area.     

The Grosvenor Room has collected a large run of the Buffalo/Empire Star available for view on microfilm and maintains a vertical file dedicated to life and career of Mr. Smitherman in Buffalo.  The file also contains facsimile copies of Mr. Smitherman’s poetry including a “Treasure Trove” of poems published to benefit the Bipartison Voters League.

The Empire Star, December 19, 1959 – Buffalo & Erie County Public Library Collection