JFIFC    $ &%# #"(-90(*6+"#2D26;=@@@&0FKE>J9?@=C  =)#)==================================================]" }!1AQa"q2#BR$3br %&'()*456789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz w!1AQaq"2B #3Rbr $4%&'()*56789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz ?j(ϥ;HLܜqYRBgV_8\lu^#tv+Zo$2W;jn"%"6w1X"yP< ֭*b ΚBN*]L&C\Id>i+Ot 82JzUF**탹z(|U㷖lںUBx7``@Vg&-65cUW'Ҩ+ .Xr nlt뷎6BNTAgpEHnYh0xv#)cۻ՛+,A s[0߬v`)A)'ԺnM=4FCByvc g ؖ` /gFxx9uDs{Fjr08g4[&f :7h_YAʔ'YK"bsRkt]ҥ1UL9OܟҬzTDI)?\RzN4'Ěqi?p}jkq ?tǂn-dbƽWC,+bGK@zԴi#VS{\2<=srrA+TF~VNJ`e<7rr҂ڳI3ڒ;HIW?#Y:M4z *1i"}AUZ+xbGa;($2B=kt8lR e s}[FWgxU`wxΣ[n$` 'q|7c V+DAހdv:vᛄ-d'>="Sk\ ͤ.{|}ƹP-eH#Wy&hq^Xt`/Njdu*/s`v+滻sv0}Szct|c n?3Z$'J\HIo>`3؞Ƽ[_ nsפ KIr'Kp>u%.]EJPϳxj !] &;Z)(V-OjKCOxyr|H=8ՍO7qm 30ydjZlUijZTkdsʶ<Ҏ&5*cLj0@R 篧zvM˜hzv85#OŚ́-dgklu?*Ċ:}).x-u:+MCH`85G3mn` Ox}.\1đCunű$_3 uFUd.} y.cVxOd$2P ֻ5&0/P85Ex3{TEhNĸj[jwl{^b\c+_#XH6y&HĐ& ja<⡷-άb{h4})=5#">P] k|t3\X#z\D72yI {'?4v`ݦsk"K/XY%*̃\k:.4oz )U{GGil N~ h4-5Ѭbz@j{}Q}GʵEAڧ w]m$'Hʢ KK%I'sz{5ӂk[Âqҹ.A'~UdFTs;hS`̒O.QץtO>ԘE6FpԂogU Z-q{71_dӧ'?OYA@*&N8W׭G!LHPnhrUiϫܶ |ڱs[ _I˷cˣD;H! ωڅ+F^YI*'%W|AɴPB1sANQTҮ}^"M u ϵ:ypk|S ]:sPŀ@=hb}ǒn^ae>7k$B8s?*jkX۲ 1+ܴe c鷿kBNݖjqKXB{\'hV 5Lx$BaiNv*j $*H_o Z6)*\L 1ٹI&L }ޝxl'cP ?* oƨV 8KU>Jڕ%;_1c=.!dFrf@ц'븛Oc~@G_ch2?bh1ƺ9՚Fv~'h)6ƗPosd GCمasm\\$3<{zF^,[#̫Qme[:uyCՖx生)Ź`2ٶ ]p8 "Yd NTz86s"CRyVg^#L9_}ɷ^K{9. ȓت?Pm~gQYiq#*ouZym.7>=[~+vdHGŭ512˶qcҿS^aҊ) ?Zw8\󢊖z? r>Family history researchers have long known about the Freedman s Bank records. The originals are preserved in the National Archives. But the data on microfilm has been essentially useless because it lacked effective and reliable indexes. The microfilm contains mid-19th century family records of 480,000 African-Americans. <br> Marie Taylor discovered these Freedman s Bank records and envisioned African-Americans breaking the chains of slavery and forging the bonds of families. She put together an inspired plan for the daunting task of compiling all these records into a useable format. The day-to-day efforts of extracting, linking and automating the 480,000 names contained in the bank records, were performed by a team of inmates from the Utah State Prison. Approximately 550 prisoners donated their time to this project. They worked in a unique, three-room facility filled with microfilm and microfiche readers and 30 computer stations. After 11 years, the project was completed in the form of a CD of the Freedman s Bank records. Another CD in the works which will be ready this year is the record of the 1880 census, which includes 6.5 million citizens of African ethnic origin. Eventually, the Freedman s Bank records will be available online.<br>The CD was first released on February 26th of this year and documents several generations of African-Americans immediately after the American Civil War in a user-friendly database. When the CD was released, Charles Brewer, a member of the African-American Historical Genealogical Society, said,  This is going to revolutionize the African-American family history world. <br>Darius Gray, who helped supervise the project said,  We can develop a personal glimpse into the lives of African-American families who lived immediately after the Civil War. As new depositors to Freedman s Bank, 70,000 African-Americans ha