Hello! My name is Matt McDaniel, and I am a historian and the creative director at Azilia Films. We are located in the Chattahoochee Valley and are reaching out to find folks whose families may have migrated to Liberia between the 1850s and around 1900. Do you have Chattahoochee Valley roots and Liberian family? Do you have family stories about Liberia? Please contact us to let us know about your story!

Approximately 100 families (see list here) emigrated from around Columbus, Georgia and Eufaula, Alabama (the lower Chattahoochee Valley) between the end of the Civil War and the beginning of the twentieth century. 

Why do we want to hear from you? We want to connect with families separated by time and an ocean. Our plan is to knit this story — and hopefully families — together again, and to connect with the West African nation of Liberia. Some of this information may be included in a proposed public television documentary.

We are partnering with the Columbus Community Geography Center at Columbus State University, and students will be conducting a “History Harvest,” welcoming folks to share their stories and any relevant materials. We welcome documents (family bibles, letters, photographs) which we can scan on site. With permission, your stories and documents will be archived at the Columbus State University Archives.

We will hold two Liberia Migration Project “History Harvests” on Saturday, September 28, from 10 am to 12 pm at the Mildred Terry Public Library (640 Veterans Parkway) in Columbus, GA and at the Eufaula Community Center (530 Lake Drive) in Eufaula, AL from 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm.

For more information about the History Harvests contact Amanda Rees at rees_amanda@columbusstate.edu or leave a message at 706-507-8358 . For more information about the Liberia film project contact me directly at mmcdaniel@aziliafilms.com or 706-225-5170.

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