Born a slave in Virginia in 1802, Wilkes B. Flagg learned the blacksmith trade in Georgia. His owners also allowed him to learn to read and write. With extra money earned from blacksmithing, Flagg purchased his freedom and that of his family. By 1850, Flagg had become a Baptist minister while he continued his blacksmithing.…
In Worcester, Massachusetts, a Baptist legacy enables the saving of lives … on earth. The year 1845 witnessed the establishment of the first sectarian medical school in New England. The New England Botanico-Medical College, also known as the Eclectic Medical College, began in temporary quarters until in 1852 a permanent building was erected on Union…
Born a slave on June 29, 1849 in Charleston, South Carolina, as a child William J. Simmons was given freedom when one of “conflicting parties over a will” sent him, two siblings and his mother to the North. In Bordertown, New Jersey, young Simmons apprenticed as a dentist. Then came the war. When blacks were…