The Staff

Marguerite Ross Howell, Senior Assistant Editor

Marguerite joined the staff in March 1998 and has served as Senior Assistant Editor since 2001. She final edits petitions, proofreads petition transcripts and petition analysis report sheets (PARs). She also oversees staff assignments and project goals. In 1999-2000, Marguerite served as Prof. Loren Schweninger's undergraduate research assistant and had the privilege of proofreading Runaway Slaves: Rebels on the Plantation (Oxford 1999). In 2000 she proofread and indexed The Southern Debate over Slavery: Petitions to Southern Legislatures, 1778-1864 (Illinois 2001). Marguerite attended Duke University (1968-1970) and then graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in History and African-American Studies at UNCG in 2001. As an undergraduate Marguerite's research interests included the American Civil Rights movement (1954-1965). She is passionate about petitions and the wealth of information they hold.

Kate Knight, Assistant Editor

Kate started working for The Race and Slavery Petitions Project in 1993 when Prof. Schweninger hired her to collect divorce petitions from the North Carolina State Archives. She officially joined the staff in October 2001, and has since final edited county court petitions from Maryland, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. Kate has also served as the administrator of our computer systems. After graduating with a B.A. in Drama and American Studies from UNC-Chapel Hill (1991), she began an M.A. in American Civilization at The University of Texas at Austin. While living in Texas, she worked for the Governor's Executive Development Program at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs as an event planner. She organized conferences for state and county government officials with the Office of Professional Development until 2001. In 2002-2003 Kate followed Bruce Springsteen's The Rising Tour, traveling to Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, Indianapolis and several other cities. She is currently on family leave from the project.

Nicole Marcon Mazgaj, Assistant Editor

Nicole joined the staff in September 2002 after a twenty-year-career in international business. A native of Niort, France, Nicole was recruited to edit Louisiana's French language, county court petitions. She now final edits all Louisiana county court petitions and has found the work so interesting that she has agreed to stay on for a few more years. Nicole will collaborate with the editor to submit a collection of Louisiana county court petitions for publication. She holds both an M.A. (French Literature) and an M.B.A. from the University of Iowa, and she earned her undergraduate degree in English and American Literature from The University of Poitiers.

Diana Sweatt, Data Entry & Processor

Diana joined the project in May 2002 as a graduate research assistant. Currently, she final edits South Carolina and Tennessee county court petitions. When she first joined the project, Diana entered new petitions into the database, completed section editing, and transcribed county court petitions. She earned her B.A. in Medieval and Renaissance Studies from Duke University (1991) and her M.A. in European History (Medieval Europe) from UNCG (2003).

Michael Brinson Richardson, Graduate Research Assistant

Michael joined the staff in the Spring 2003. Currently, he pre-edits Louisiana county court petitions. Originally from Cleveland County, North Carolina, he received his B.A. in History from UNC-Chapel Hill (1999), and is now working on his M.A. in U.S. History at UNCG. In the spring Michael will serve as Prof. Loren Schweninger's teaching assistant for History 301, a survey of African American History to 1865. Michael intends to begin a Ph.D. in the Fall 2005 to pursue his research in the history of the New South.

Jennifer Burns, Graduate Research Assistant

Jennifer joined the staff in the fall 2002. She principally final edits Louisiana county court petitions, but works with Virginia and Kentucky county court petitions. She expects to complete her M.A. in History with a concentration in Museum Studies in 2004. Jennifer earned her B.A. in History from Linfield College in Oregon.

Rebecca Ann Parker, Graduate Research Assistant

Rebecca joined the staff in the spring 2003, and now pre-edits Louisiana county court petitions. Originally from Denton, North Carolina, she recently earned her B.A. from UNCG, and is now working toward an M.A. in European History, concentrating in German and Russian History and Holocaust Studies. Rebecca teaches Spanish at Davidson County Community College and expects to teach European and American History at the college when she completes her M.A.

Matisha Wiggs, Graduate Research Assistant

Tish joined the staff in the fall 2002. She principally final edits Louisiana county court petitions, but she has also worked with Virginia and Kentucky county court petitions. She is an M.A. candidate in the History Department, concentrating in Historic Preservation. Tish completed her B.A. in American History and Folklore at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Jennifer Hull Dorsey, Ph.D., NHPRC Fellow

Jennifer joined the staff in July 2003 courtesy of the National Historic and Public Records Commission's (NHPRC) post-doctoral Fellowship in Documentary Editing. Currently she is transcribing and editing South Carolina's county court petitions, and collaborating with the editor on the selection and annotation of county court and legislative petitions for an anticipated manuscript on African American freedom. She completed her Ph.D. dissertation Free People of Color in Rural Maryland, 1783-1832 at Georgetown University (2002), and continues her research in African American and Early National history.

Former Staff

Over the years several UNCG undergraduate and graduate students have contributed to the project as research assistants, including Elizabeth Bender, Tonya Blair, Doug Bristol, Brian Candler, Sallie Clotfelter, Janie Copple, Nicole Corlew, Denise Ettenger, Brad Foley, Duane Galloway, Melissa Garrison, Jim Giesen, Kori Graves, David Herr, Chuck Holden, Greg Houle, Mike Huber, Jeannette Jennings, Denise Kohn, Dave MacWilliams, Ka'Mal McClarin, Lisa Marshall, Diane Mead, Adrienne Middlebrooks, David Norton, Fate Passmore, Chris Patterson, Brenda Rice, Patrick Richards, John and Michael Schweninger, Julia Skaggs, Janice Sniker, Tania Taylor, Ava Vanderwater, John Walker, Joy Watson, Carlos Watson, Laurette Wharton, and Jeff Winstead. Chad Browser, Lisa Maxwell, and Robert Shelton, Ph.D. formerly served as assistant editors.