Enslavement to Freedom

Enslavement to Freedom. Sappington African American Cemetery State Historic Site. The 1860 census shows 15,000 people living in Saline county, 5,000 of whom were enslaved African Americans. The collapse of the hemp market and emancipation in 1865 resulted in many African Americans leaving farms and plantations. Many "freedmen" formed all-black settlements. Two nearby examples are Pennytown, located 12 miles southwest of Arrow Rock, and Cow Creek to the northwest. , Separating themselves did not free them from harsh, discriminatory and sometimes violent treatment. The African Americans of Saline County would endure adversity and yet make significant contributions to their communities and the nation. , Some Significant African Americans in Saline County, William Henry Joseph Cutter Brown (1835? To 1905) , William Henry Joseph Cutter Brown, also known as "Doc Brown," was a national champion cakewalker. He was born around 1835 on the Arrow Rock plantation of Meredith Miles Marmaduke. In 1868, he moved to Kansas City, Missouri, became a celebrity and led city parades. Brown elevated cakewalking to a national art form that transcended racial barriers. Cakewalking, a form of dance, gave rise to ragtime music, which was the precursor to jazz. Charles L. Johnson wrote "Doc Brown Cake Walk: The Original Kansas City Rag" in 1899, celebrating Brown's fame. , Josephine Jackson Lawrence (1929 to 1992) , Josephine Lawrence, born and raised in Pennytown, collected and recorded the town's history. Her efforts led to the preservation of the Pennytown Church and its listing in the National Register of Historic Places. Lawrence's research is the source of much of what we know about the Black residents of Pennytown and Arrow Rock. , James Milton Turner (1839 to 1915) , James Milton Turner was born into slavery in St. Louis County in 1839 and freed in 1843. In 1869, while teaching in Boonville, Turner was hired by the Freedmen's Bureau to investigate the condition of Black education in Missouri. Turner arrived in Arrow Rock on Nov. 7, 1869, to look into the disappearance of funds dedicated to building a school for Blacks. School Board President Henry Wilhelm said the board never received the funds. Wilhelm offered to "open a school in [a] colored church building now in course of erection." Turner saw that the school opened in Brown's Chapel Free Will Baptist Church. , Beyond his work in Arrow Rock, Turner became the first African American to serve as a United States diplomat as the Ambassador to Liberia. Turner also was appointed by Missouri Governor Thomas Fletcher as assistant state superintendent of Missouri schools in order to set up schools in Missouri for African Americans. In addition, he helped establish Lincoln Institute, the forerunner to Lincoln University. , Jacob Montgomery , Jacob Montgomery, enslaved by James Montgomery of Brownsville - now Sweet Springs - was a powerful minister. During the 1830s, he preached to Black and white audiences across Saline County. Although described by scoffers as a "poor illiterate black man," he successfully converted many of his critics, impressing them with the "force and effect" with which he preached. , (aside:), Missouri called a constitutional convention on Jan. 6, 1865, while the Civil War still raged. Delegates debated and passed an ordinance abolishing slavery in the state just five days later. The ordinance passed three weeks before the United States Congress proposed the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.