Norfolk freedmen initially celebrated Emancipation Day
on January 1, 1863.  I discovered an article on the
history of the celebration in the February 26, 1926
issue of the Norfolk Journal and Guide.  I chanced
upon it as one of my relatives was a member of the
planning committee and another served as a marshall in
later emancipation parades.  

The article goes on to provide details of the history
of the event, noting that preparations for the
celebration began not long after September 23, 1862,
when news of Lincoln's proclamation appeared in a
local newspaper.

Apparently, notes and minutes of the planning meeting
survived until 1926, when those papers were sent to
the newspaper, hence the publication of the article.


Hollis L. Gentry
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