During the summer of 2025, I spent hours and hours on end working with historical documents that weren’t intended to be heard or used in the way we are using them. As a Black woman attending a predominantly white institution (PWI), doing this transcription work went deeper than internship experience; it has also prompted personal reflection and even grief for these forgotten soldiers. I was tasked with working with handwritten records and transcribing them into a spreadsheet. These records contained names of enslaved soldiers and where they were stationed, along with many other aspects such as their claimants and loyalty status. Each document I worked on taught me something unique, but it kept bringing me back to one truth: that all the data entries I was making were about individual Black men who were written off and whose lives weren’t seen as worthy of recognition. They were documented simply for exploitation. Although it caused some hardships, it made this work feel urgent and necessary. 

This internship has fully changed the way I see history and data. The more I’ve learned, the more I’ve understood how history and data coexist; they make historical experiences and facts comprehensible. These spreadsheets are filled with names and dates and locations, but they tell full stories. Transcribing these records made me feel like I was giving these soldiers back their identities and gave me a sort of power to know that these documents that were originally intended to garner money from these enslaved soldiers are now being repurposed to honor their sacrifice and to tell their stories. 

This project taught me many things, but the main thing was to slow down. When working with a time-sensitive task, the first instinct is to fly through and finish as many transcriptions as possible. But I realized that by rushing and not taking the time to really understand what I was doing was causing me to forget that these are people’s real lives and their stories, and that you must take the time and effort to get it right. It gives me the hope that somebody may be able to find their great-great-grandfather because I was intentional with writing these names with care. 

This caused me to develop a way to ensure these data entries were as accurate as possible. This led me to note inconsistencies and also find patterns. And knowing that sometimes you have to go above and beyond, such as looking up counties and letters in cursive and even checking to see what an abbreviated name is. It’s these steps that helped me ensure that I was being as accurate as possible with this data. 

Knowing that was my biggest lesson forces me to acknowledge that mistakes are bound to take place, but when working with something as important as this, you can’t afford to be careless. You must have transcribers that see beyond the data and see the person they’re transcribing for, and ensure they can reflect on how this work will affect future generations from an ethical standpoint. An ethical standpoint is what sets this data apart. We’re creating a space for each individual to restore their place in history and to be seen and recognized. 

So now, when I reflect on the work I dedicated my summer to, I see the lives this will change, and I see descendants who may stumble across this data and be able to find their relatives through accessible data. And the power that I’ve helped give back to these soldiers so they can be seen as the heroes they once were. 

About the Author 

Elon Brown is a Sophomore majoring in Psychology and double minoring in African American studies and Early Childhood. Elon worked as a research assistant in African American & Digital History as a DataNexus/Center for Engaged Learning Research Assistant in the summer of 2025.  

How to Cite this Post

Brown, Elon. 2025. “More than Data.” Center for Engaged Learning (blog), Elon University. January 6, 2026. https://www.centerforengagedlearning.org/more-than-data.