Smithsonian Institute Honors Eastern Shore Historian Of African-American Family

FEDERALSBURG, Md. — If you are looking for history about Federalsburg and Caroline County, a new place to look is the Smithsonian Institute as the National Museum of African-American History and Culture recently accepted a book by local historian Irma Harper.

Harper, 89, of Federalsburg, began documenting local history 72 years ago by going through land records. The culmination of her life’s work came when the Smithsonian Institute accepted her book “Here Lies Sarah Phillips.” This book contains the history and genealogy of seven generations of the Phillips Family, a black and mulatto family in Caroline County, dating back from the early 1700s to today. Sarah Phillips was the mother of a son who fought in the Revolutionary War and had two grandsons who fought in the Civil War.

“I’m very proud the Smithsonian Institute wanted my book about the Phillips family,” Harper said. “I’m glad to have this happen because I enjoy learning about people and their heritage.”
More