Biographical Sketches of Prominent Negro Men and Women of Kentucky
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3 1833 00045 0129 Gc 976.9 J632e Johnson* W. D. Biographical, sketches of prominent Negro men and women of ky. Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2010 with funding from Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center http://www.archive.org/details/biographicalsketOOjohn giographical Sketches PROMINENT NEGRO MEN AND WOMEN KeNTucny With Introductory Memoir of the Author, and Prefatory Re- marks Showing the Difference Between American and British . Slave Holders; Also Opinions of Leading Thinkers of the Race, j»j*.»»jtj»>>jtjt.jiotjt tj»jtjijt fe BY W. D.JOHNSON. Illustrated with Fifty Portraits. • Lexixcjtos, Kkxtickv. e 1 II i MIX** THE 8TANDABD PRINT, LEXINOTON, KY. 1897. r }-.i: U '«l'jJ<l' < ri A W 3 IcW ; (ONTGNTS. Preface 1 Introduction, By K. C. 0. Beujuiuiu 6 CHAITER I. Hon. W. O. BRADLEY, Governor of Kentucky 11 CHAPTER II. W. H. Ross 16 CHAITER III. Mary E. Britton 18 CHAPTER IV. Prof. G. P. Russkll 20 CHAITER V. W. A. Taylor ' 21 CHAITER VI. C. H. Parrish, A. M.,D. D 22 CHAITER VII. Rev. Joseph Couktkey, D. D 24 CHAITER VIII. Prof. J. M. Maxwell, A. M 25 CHAPTER IX. ; Rev. \V. H. Bowkn 26 CHAITER X. J J. J. C. M( Kini.ky 27 CHAITER XI. o J. A. Ciiii.ks, LL. B 28 J CHAITER XII. ? _Rev. W. H. Dickkrsox 20 £ £ CHAFTER XIII. »»EjJ. F. Gray 30 CHAPTER XIV. A. D. Kellky, M. D 30 CHAPTER XV. Rev. C. C. Vauohan 31 CHAPTER XVI. W. T. piSNWiDUiE, I). D. S 32 CHAPTER XVII. J. W. jEwtrrr 33 CHAPTER XVIII. Prof. F. L. Williams, A. B 35 CHAPTER XIX. J. C. Jackson 37 CHAPTER XX. Prok. J. S. Hathaway, A. M 39 CHAFrER XXI. A. L. Paey 41 CHAPTER XXII. Benjamin Eranklin 42 CHAPTER XXIII. Rev. S. E. Smith, D. D 43 CHAPTER XXIV. Rev. S. J. W. Si'URoeon 44 CHAPTER XXV. H. A. Tandy 46 CHAPTER XXVI Peter SiMitsoN 47 • CHAPTER XXVII. Katie V. Harden 48 CHAPTER XXVIII. CHARLES HauoaRIJ 49 CHAPTER XXIX. Prok. W. H. Pkkhy, A. M 5q CHAPTER XXX. A. 8. White, LL. B 53 CHAPTER XXXI. W. H. Bau.ard, Ph. G 55 CHAPTER XXXn. ('. B. Prewttt 56 CHAPTER XXXIII. Rev. M. A. Johnson 68 CHAPTER XXXIV. Ki:v. Robert Mitchell, A. M 5!( CHAFFER XXXV. J. W. Hillman : 60 CHAPTER XXXVI. K. E. Underwood, M. D 61 CHAPTER XXXVII. Prof. J. H. Jackson, A. M 63 CHAPTER XXXVIII. T. K. Robb 64 CHAPTER XXXIX. li W. Chexault 65 CHAPTER XL. I'rof. T. C. Bukori), A. B 66 CHAPTER XLI. K. Belle Jackson 68 CHAPTER XLI I. Carrie V. Robinson 69 CHAFfER XLIII. I'ltlsciLLA R. Lacev 70 CHAPTER XLIV. Mary A. .Smith 70 CHAPTER XLV. L \V. Taylor 71 CHAPTER XLVI. L. (J. P. Todd 72 CHAPTER XLVI I. •IrriTEK Lewis 73 CHAPTER XLVIII. L. (i. Clark 74 CHAPTER XLIX. W. A. Gaines 76 CHAPTER L. Colored A. and M. Association 79 CHAPTER LI. Colored Orphan Industrial Home 86 CHAPTER LII. Woman's Improvement Club 95 CHAITER LIII Opinions Concerning this Book 98 CHAPTER LIV. Some Editorial CoNTiMrvER.su->! 107 CHAPTER LV. Editorials on the Whitpino Post 113 CHAPTER LVI. Queen and Crescent Railway 120 CHAPTER LVII. Loi'ISVILLE AND NASHVILLE RAILROAD 126 ILLUSTRATIONS. Bullanl, W. H., 55. Hillman, J. W., 60. Robineon, C. V., 69. Bowen, W. H., 26. Jacksou, E. B. , 68. Rose, W. H., 15. Bradley, W. O., 11. Jackson, J. C, 37. Russell, G. P., 20. Britton, M, E., 18. Jackson, J. H. t 63. Simpson, Peter, 47. Buford, T. C, 66. Jewett, J. W., 33. Smith, M. A., 70. Chcnault, E. W.,65. Johnson, M. A., 58. Smith, S. E., 43. Chile*., J. A., 28. Kclley, A. D., 30. Spurgeon, S. J. W. , 44. Clnrk, L. G., 74. Lacey, P. R., 70. Tandy, H. A. 46. Courtney, Jon., 24. Lee, Henry, 79. Taylor, L. W., 71. Dickewon, W. H.,29. Lewis, .J ii | lit cr, 73. Taylor, W. A., 21. Dinwiddie, W.T., 32. Maxwell, J.'M. 25. Todd, L. G. P., 72. Knmklin, Beilj., 42. Mitchell, Kol)t., 59. Underwood, E. E., 61. GaiiiCH, W. A., 7(i. McKinley,.I.J.C.,27. Vaughn, 0. C. 31. Gray, .1. V., 30. Pnrrish, C. II., 22. White, A. S., 53. Hnjrjianl, ('has., 49. Perry, W. H., 50 Williams, F. L., 35. Harrlin, K. V., 4«. Prewitt, ('. B., 50. These figures refer to liatlmwuv, J. S. 39. Rolih, T. K., 64. sketch, near portrait. 1 ERRATA. Fellows' Home" Page 51, twentieth line from the top, for "Odd read "Old Folks' Home." "misery" read Page 52, third line of the second paragraph, for "mission." "Sallie Seals." Page 55, fifteenth line, for "Mattie Seals" read "And Ethiopia shall stretch forth her hands unto God." «4&C * \ PREFACE}. WHILE it is true that the principal object of the writer in giving this work to the public is to set forth the achievements of Kentucky's prominent Negro men and to be distributed at the Tennes- see Centennial Exposition, it is equally true that a work of this char- acter should be written so as to be of interest to the Negro race at large, and for the stimulation of generations to come. Therefore, the writer finds it necessary to set forth this Preface, not so much to pre- sent the profes-ional, mechanical and business ingenuity of the Negro men and women of the State of Kentucky— for the biographical sketches herein fully present this—but to 6ay something of this part of the race that has made unparalleled progress since the abolition of slavery, which is only thirty-three years ago, and to compare it with the advancement and opportunities of other members of the Negro family not residing in the United States. It is sometimes thought that comparisons are odious, but it is only so when there is a misap- prehension from the cause or from the reason of the comparison. As the subject of this book is of great importance, and will merit ser- ious consideration, as the matter relates not only to a race no>v exist- ing, but will be far-reaching to coming generations, we necessarily draw a comparison between the results of emancipation in the British Colonies and that in the United States, ami for the reason that we never, to our recollection, read anything to draw attention to the dif- ferences existing, or to the effect which has been produced upon these two sections of the Negro family, and anyone who reads or investigates will come to the conclusion that the time lias arrived for this compar- ison. With these preliminary remarks we will attempt to show that the British Parliament gave twenty million pounds sterling to the British slave-hollers to emancipate their slaves, not one penny of which did any slave receive. That was sixty years ago. Now, what we wish to 2 KENTUCKY'S PROMINENT emphasise is, that this enormous sura oi money was paid, we repeat, to slave-holders who were maddened on account of the emancipation of their slaves, and withdrew to England after abandoning their plantations, and invested their money in England without ever think- ing of their recently emancipated slaves. In short, they turned their Lacks entirely upon the poor creatures, and the legislators of the country hcing ex-slave holders, or their agent*, made no provisions for the education and relief of the people. It was under the auspices of the Church of England, with the support of the "Society for the Propagation of the Gospel" in foreign parts, and the "Chris- tian Knowledge Society," with the "Lady Miko's Trustees Fund,'' that the education was begun and continued until the cx-slavc holders' madness was softened down before any legislative enactment was made for the education of the ex-slave. Thank God, the church took up the matter, assisted by the philanthropic societies of Eugland, and blazed the way for the educational and religious development of the ex slave. The British Negroes have advanced, but look at the dis- tance they had to go; look at the obstacles in their way; look at their state of isolation. Separated from each other without the means of inter-communication, and at the mercy of unprincipled agents and others, they have done well under the circumstances. They owe a great debt of gratitude to the Church of England and the various societies for what they did in initiating the work of education. Now, what we wish to draw particular attention to. is, that the ex- slave holders, as a body, retired without caring a jot or tittle for the religious and moral education of the people, but left them entirely to themselves and to benevolent persons to undertake the work, while they pocketed the amount, as we have before stated, and the people, for theru, might have sunk down into the depths of barbarism and ignor- ance, worse than that of their aucestors in darkest Africa, notwith- standing their excuse for enslaving the Negroes was to civilize and Christianize them. Now, let us turn the other side of the picture and see if we can discover any difference between them. We will speak of the emanci- pation of the Amcrcian Negro thirty-three years ago, brought about not by paying money to the slave holder, but by the shedding of an ocean of blood. We remember reading the speech of an ex-slave bolder at a great muss meeting immediately after emancipation, at NEGRO MEN AND WOMEN. 3 New Orleans, iu which speech he said, "we have emancipated the slaves, let us educate them." These words made an indelible impres- sion upon our mind and gave rise to a series of reflections, and partic- ularly looking at the action of the British slave holders thirty years before the delivery of that speech.