Board members visited the Maryland State Archives in May and found… that Ellen Garrison Jackson’s case challenging the 1866 Civil Rights Act was dismissed. The next step is to determine why?

MD State Archives legal scholar explains that the Latin letters “ne” following Ellen and Mary’s name in the May 1866 court record suggest that Ellen and the other African American teacher were “non est” or not there/present when summoned; but we know from Ellen’s letters that she was awaiting her summons. Was the court unable to find Ellen’s address through the Freedman’s Bureau? How hard did they try? What do you think?