africanamerican missionaries

8/12/2019 Africanamerican Missionaries

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Early African AmericanMissionaries

Treasures of the

Day Missions Library


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George Edward Day was a professorof Hebrew at Yale who had an avidinterest in foreign missions After his

retirement he dedicated himself tobuilding a collection of boo!s relatedto missions The Day Missions Librarywas established in "#$% &y "$'%(there were more than %)())) boo!s inthe Day Missions Library * %+' of theentire Divinity Library collection at thattime

The Day Missions Library


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The original Day Missions Library building downtown wasreplaced by the Day Missions ,oom when the Divinity -choolmoved to .rospect -treet in "$'%


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The original focus of the Day Missions Library was oncollecting/

0the history of missions in various countries

0missionary biography

0history and annual reports of missionary societies

0missionary periodicals

0wor!s prepared by missionaries for the use of natives

1ow an increasing focus on documenting 2orld 3hristianity


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5 ohn Marrant( a free &lac! from1ew Yor!( was one of America6s

earliest missionaries to 1ativeAmericans Marrant was amusician converted by hearingevangelist George 2hitefield,e7ected by his family( Marrant

lived among and preached to the3hero!ee( 3ree!( 3atawar( andHowsaw 8ndians from "99) to"99:

to1AT8;E

AME,83A1-


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George Liele is considered to be thefirst American overseas missionary 8n"9#%( hearing that the &ritish were

declaring peace with the colonies( heindentured himself to a &ritish officerin order not to be re*enslaved by hisformer masterirst African &aptist3hurch of =ingston

to

5 AMA83A


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Much of early African American missionary activity wasrelated to movements to repatriate freed &lac!s ? send

them bac! to Africa 8ndividuals on either end of thepolitical spectrum were interested in pursuing this idea? -outhern land owners who were afraid that the freed&lac!s would cause unrest and 1orthern abolitionists

and clergy who thought that &lac!s would be happierbac! in their original homeland There was tension inthe African American community about whetherrepatriation was a good idea( and if so( where &lac!sshould go.


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8n "9#9( &ritishphilanthropists founded [email protected] of >reedom@

which later became>reetown( a &ritish crowncolony and the principalbase for the suppression ofthe slave trade &y "9$%("%)) freed slaves from1ova -cotia 7oined theoriginal settlers( theMaroons Another group of

slaves rebelled in 5 amaicaand traveled to >reetown in"#)).


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David George left the -ilver &luff(-3 &aptist 3hurch ? the first&lac! &aptist church in America *

to go to 1ova -cotia and ministerto eiled &lac!s there Later( in"9$%( he traveled with "%()))&lac! settlers to -ierra Leone(

2est Africa where Great &ritainhad established a city of refuge forformer slaves

Approimately ")())) &lac! people emigrated to 1ova -cotia( between "9B$ and "#"CDocument shown records leases and passports for George and his family

to-8E,,ALE1E


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The Mendi Mission wasestablished in -ierra Leoneconnection with the Amistad

revolt 2hen the thirty*fivesurviving Africans returned tothe 3olony of -ierra Leone(the Amistad 3ommittee

instructed the Americans tostart a @Mendi Mission@ in-ierra Leone

5 ames 2 3 .ennington( whounofficially attended Yale

Divinity -chool in "#')s and isbelieved to be the >irst &lac!-tudentF at Yale wasinstrumental in forming theMendi Mission


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The American 3oloniation -ociety was formed in "#"9 tosend free African Americans to Africa as an alternative toemancipation in the nited -tates 8n "#%%( the society

established on the west coast of Africa a colony that in"#B9 became the independent nation of Liberia &y "#C9(the society had sent more than "'())) emigrants


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Lott 3arey( born a slave in ;irginia(became pastor of the African&aptist 3hurch in ,ichmond and in

"#": led in the formation of the,ichmond African &aptistMissionary -ociety 3arey sailed forAfrica in 5 anuary "#%" with a groupof &lac! emigrants They initially

7oined the settlers of the American3oloniation -ociety in -ierraLeone( but in "#%% 3arey moved toMonrovia( Liberia where heestablished the first church in

Liberia( .rovidence &aptist 3hurch(and ministered to the congregationas well as to native tribes

toL8&E,8A


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The Lott 3arey >oreignMission 3onvention(

which was named after3arey( continues to be anactive mission agency 8twas founded in "#$9 by

African*American&aptists who werecommitted to asubstantial foreignmission thrust ?

especially on the Africancontinent


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Though not an appointedmissionary( 5 ane 2aring ,oberts6life illustrates the important role of

African*American women in thesettlement of Liberia >ree womenof color( in the 1orth as well as the-outh( played crucial roles inorganiing emigration 5 ane 2aring,oberts( the daughter of a &aptistminister( immigrated to Liberia from;irginia in "#%B Twelve years later(she became the second wife of

5 oseph 5 en!ins ,oberts( Liberia


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&orn in -t Thomas in the- ;irgin 8slands( Edward&lyden traveled to the nited

-tates( where he gained hisfirst eposure to Americanracism After the passage ofthe "#:) >ugitive -lave Act(

he sailed to Liberia inDecember &etween "#:#and "#C"( he was principal ofa high school( was ordainedas a .resbyterian minister(and served as the editor ofthe Liberia Herald.

toL8&E,8A


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Aleander 3rummell unofficially

attended Yale Divinity -chool inthe early "#B)6s and pastored -tLu!e6s Episcopal 3hurch in 1ewHaven He subseJuentlygraduated with a theological

degree from Kueens 3ollege(3ambridge in "#:' and served asa missionary of the Episcopal3hurch in Liberia for twenty years

toL8&E,8A


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&orn into slavery( ,ichard Allenpurchased his freedom while inhis twenties and settled in.hiladelphia Allen founded theAfrican Methodist EpiscopalAME 3hurch( which Juic!lybecame an important pillar in

blac! institutional life 8n "#')(he helped organie theAmerican -ociety of >ree.ersons of 3olor and became

its first president Allen arguedfor Haiti as an alternative toLiberia for emigration of &lac!sin America


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The African Methodist Episcopal 3hurch developed anactive mission program in Africa and the 3aribbean(

which continues into the present era


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Amanda -mith "#'9*"$":(African Methodist Episcopal

3hurch evangelist andmissionary( was born a slave inMaryland in "#'9 -hepreached throughout thecountry( spent one year in

England( two years in 8ndia(and # years in Monrovia(Liberia( 2est Africa -he lateropened an orphanage in 8llinois

which was the only institutionopen to 1egro orphans in thestate to

L8&E,8A


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&orn a slave near Gainesville(Alabama in "#'#( Maria>earing learned to read and

write at age thirty*three andwor!ed her way through the>reedman


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Mary >earing and other African American missionaries in3ongo playing croJuet


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2illiam Henry -heppard "#C:*"$%9 was one of the earliest

African*Americans to become a missionary for the.resbyterian 3hurch He spent %) years in Africa( primarilyin and around the 3ongo >ree -tate( and is best !nown forhis efforts in publiciing the atrocities committed against the=uba and other 3ongolese peoples by the &elgians

to31G


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2illiam -heppardwas !nown as the&lac! LivingstoneF


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&elgians wor!ing in the 3ongo cut off the hands ofvillagers who refused to harvest rubber ,eportsby 2illiam -heppard helped ma!e the world awareof atrocities being committed against the nativetribes


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&orn into slavery in Maryland(Henry Highland Garnett escaped to1ew Yor! with his father at the age

of nine An active abolitionist( hesupported emigration and was amissionary for the nited.resbyterian 3hurch of -cotland in

5 amaica in the "#:)s ,eturning tothe nited -tates( Garnett activelysponsored immigration to Haiti andAfrica and was a founding memberof the African 3iviliation -ociety

to5 AMA83A


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8n the mid*nineteenth century(5 ames Theodore Holly( a fourth*generation 1orthern free man( was

one of the strongest proponents ofimmigration to Haiti As an agent ofthe Haitian &ureau of Emigration( heled a group of emigrants from 1ewHaven and 3anada in "#C" Hiswife( his mother( and two of hischildren died shortly after theirarrival in Haiti Although manysettlers left the country( Holly

remained on the island until hisdeath He became the firstEpiscopal bishop of Haiti in "#9B

toHA8T8


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&etsey -toc!ton was appointed as amissionary to Hawaii in "#%% by the

American &oard of 3ommissioners for>oreign Missions -he is recognied asthe first single woman missionary to gooverseas in the history of modern

missions -he served as a domesticassistant and conducted a school(teaching classes to the makainanacommoners farmers( their wives andchildren in Maui

toHA2A88


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.rior to going to Hawaii( &etsey-toc!ton had lived in the household ofthe president of .rinceton 3ollege(

where she had educated herself byreading in his library and had beentutored by .rinceton Theological-eminary students After establishingschools in Hawaii and 3anada( she

helped to start the first African American.resbyterian 3hurch in .rincetonNnow!nown as the 2itherspoon -treet.resbyterian 3hurch Later( -toc!tonfounded a night school and persuaded

.T- students to teach young AfricanAmericans history( English( algebra(and literature


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-olomon 3oles( aformer slave( was thefirst blac! graduate of

Yale Divinity -chool in

"#9: He served as amissionary of theAmerican MissionaryAssociation in 3orpus

3hristi( Teas

toTEOA-

-ome Yale connections4


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The American Missionary Associationoriginally grew out of a committeeorganied in "#'$ to defend a group ofAfrican slaves who had mutinied againsttheir -panish owners and had broughttheir slave ship the Amistad into -waters to see! protection there The AMAitself was incorporated in "#BC by the

merger of three missionary antislaverysocieties whose goal was to establishmissions for freed slaves overseas2hen the nion armies began freeingslaves during the American 3ivil 2ar( the

AMA opened schools for them The AMAfounded more than :)) schools for freedslaves in the -outh in the decadesfollowing the 3ivil 2ar

YD- graduate HenryHugh .roctor servedas vice president ofthe AMA


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Albert . Millerserved as amissionary of 2est AfricanMendi Mission for three yearsbefore graduating from YaleDivinity -chool in "##" Helater served as pastor of .astor

of Temple -treet+ Diwell3ongregational 3hurch in 1ewHaven from "##: to"#$C

to-8E,,A LE1E


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rishatu!eh >aduma was a 2estAfrican from -ierra Leone whograduated from Yale Divinity -chool in

"#$: and won a scholarship to do furthergraduate wor! in religion at Yale Aftercompletion of his studies at Yale( hesought appointment to the American&oard of 3ommissioners for >oreign

Missions but was refused a postostensibly for financial reasons-ubseJuently( he accepted an AmericanMisssionary Association appointment tohead the mission church and school at

Troy( 1orth 3arolina He served foralmost fifty years as a missionaryeducator in the American -outh and2est Africa


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5 osephus , 3oan( who

graduated from Yale Divinity-chool in "$'' and died in %))Bat the age of ")"( was amissionary in -outh Africa from"#$C to "$)# before going on tobecome a renowned 3hristianeducator at the8nterdenominational Theological3enter in Atlanta

to-TH A>,83A


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How are the stories documentedP

0 &oo!s

05 ournals

0 Annual reports0 .amphlets

0 Manuscripts

0 .hotographs0 Artifacts


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africanamerican missionaries

Documents