Semi-Successful at Arlington National Cemetery

Memorial Ampitheater and Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Arlington National Cemetery. Photo Credit Below.

Last April, I had the opportunity to visit Arlington National Cemetery, in Arlington, VA to attend an event connected to one of my favorite aspects of my job: meeting members of Black descendant groups tied to the early history of our nation. In this case, I was heading down to attend a public ceremony at Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial, commemorating the ongoing reconciliation work being done between descendants of the Lee family and descendants of the enslaved Black men, women, and children who labored for them at Arlington House. They have titled themselves the Arlington House Family Circle, and it is absolutely worth looking up what they have been up to.

Mystery Monday: Where Was Sydney Borden Scott Born?

When Sydney Borden Scott registered for the draft for World War II in 1942, he listed his birthplace as Petersburg, Virginia. When he applied for a Social Security Number twenty years later, in 1962, he again gave Petersburg, VA as his place of birth. Yet, when he passed away just 3 years later, in 1965, his Certificate of Death stated that his place of birth was Sparta, GA. 

Crop of Social Security Number Application for Sydney Borden Scott, 1962. Social Security Administration.