People, Locations, Episodes

William Bonga, Fur Trader and Interpreter born

*The birth of William Bonga is celebrated on this date in 1850. He was a Black Ojibwe trader and interpreter. William Bonga grew up near the government establishment at Leech Lake Reservation in Minnesota. His father, George Bonga, was superintendent of the government farm. He attended school there with his younger sister, Susie, while his older brother, James, […]

Cornelius Ford, Agribusiness Buyer born

*Cornelius Ford was born on this date in 1870. He was a Black Agribusiness buyer and community advocate.  Cornelius Evarts Ford was born in Jonesboro, Tennessee; his parents were Mark and Angeline Ford. He attended Warner Institute, an American Missionary School in Jonesboro. He paid for his schooling at Warner by caring for the buildings […]

Amanda Lyles, Businesswoman, and Socialite born

*The birth of Amanda Lyles is celebrated on this date in 1850.  She was a Black socialite and businesswoman.   From Illinois, Amanda Lyles was one of the first women entrepreneurs in Minnesota.  Lyles met and married her husband, Thomas H. Lyles, around 1870.  They were involved in real estate, construction companies, loan agencies, and […]

Sarah Goode, Inventor born

*Sarah Goode in 1850 is celebrated on this date.   She was a Black entrepreneur and inventor. She was born Sarah Elisabeth Jacobs in Toledo, Ohio, the same year as the Fugitive Slave Act was enacted.  She was the second of seven children of Oliver and Harriet Jacobs, both described in public records as Mulattos. Oliver Jacobs, a native of Indiana, was a […]

Edward P. McCabe, Land Agent born

*Edward McCabe was born on this date in 1850. He was a Black settler, attorney, and land agent. Edward P. McCabe was born in Troy, New York. As a child, he and his family moved from Troy to Fall River, Massachusetts, Newport, Rhode Island, and Bangor, Maine. When his father died, he left school and […]

Hobart Armstrong, Businessman born

*Hobart Armstrong was born on this date in 1851. He was a Black Miner, businessman, and small-town administrator. Born in Tennessee as a young man, Hobart A. Armstrong migrated to Iowa in the mid-1870s. After developing close business ties with the Iowa Central Coal Company, he set up his own business, purchasing mules for the […]

The ‘Voice of the Fugitive’ Newspaper is Published

The founding of the “Voice of the Fugitive” newspaper in 1851 is celebrated on this date.

It was the first Black Newspaper in Canada. Published every other Thursday just across the Canadian border from Detroit, this short-lived paper was the work of Henry C. Bibb. The paper was issued from 1851 to end of 1853. Published in the community of Sandwich (now Windsor, Ont.), The abolitionist newspaper promoted Canada as a destination for runaway slaves and as a vehicle to find other family members.

Ferdinand Barnett, Journalist, and Lawyer born

*Ferdinand Barnett was born on this date in 1852.  He was a Black journalist, lawyer, and civil rights activist.  Ferdinand Lee Barnett was born in Nashville, Tennessee.  His mother was a freewoman, Martha Brooks. Ferdinand Lee Barnett’s father was born in Nashville and worked as a blacksmith. He purchased his family’s freedom the year Ferdinand […]

Jan Matzeliger, Inventor born

*This date marks the birth of Jan Matzeliger in 1852. He was an African American inventor best known for his shoe-lasting machine that mechanically shaped the upper portions of shoes.

Prince Honeycutt, Barber born

*Prince Honeycutt was born on this date in 1852.  He was a Black barber and semi-pro baseball player. Prince Albert Honeycutt was born a slave in Tennessee.  He ran away during the American Civil War when he was ten.   He joined a unit from the Union Army wanting to serve as a drummer boy, but […]

The Black YMCA in America, a story

*On this date in 1853, the first Black Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) was organized. The YMCA has long been a source for building community spirit and a sense of social responsibility among Black Christian men.

The Provincial Freeman News is Published

*On this date in 1853, the Provincial Freeman published its first edition.  This was a Black Canadian progressive newspaper.   Active for four and a half years, it was published weekly.   The Provincial Freeman advocated equality, integration, and self-education for Black people in Canada and the United States. The paper’s tone toward any stereotype of  Uncle Tom’s Cabin and white […]

Cecil Rhodes, Apartheid Architect born

*Cecil Rhodes was born on this date in 1853.  He was a white-British mining magnate and a South African politician.   The son of a priest, Cecil John Rhodes, was born at Netteswell House, Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire. He was a sickly child. He was sent to South Africa by his family when he was 17 […]

James Shober, North Carolina Doctor born

James Francis Shober was born on this date in 1853. He was an African American doctor and the first Black physician in North Carolina.

The Steven Spencer Hill Ranch, a story

The Steven Spencer Hill Ranch was built on this date in 1853. Located in Tuolumne County (central CA.,) it is northeast of the town of Gold Springs on the slopes next to the Stanislaus River Canyon. Steven Spencer Hill, a Black man, filed a claim for 160 acres of land on this date. Hill came […]