David George (Baptist)
Encyclopedia
David George was an African-American Baptist
preacher
and a Black Loyalist
from the American South who escaped to British lines, accepted transport to Nova Scotia
and eventually resettled in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
George founded the Silver Bluff Baptist Church
in South Carolina
in 1775. He was later affiliated with the First African Baptist Church
of Savannah, Georgia
. After migration, he founded Baptist congregations in Nova Scotia
and Freetown, Sierra Leone. George wrote an account of his life that is one the most important early slave narrative
s.
in either 1740 or 1742 to African parents John and Judith, as the slave
of a man called 'Chapel'. George ran away with the help of some white travelers and worked for these men for some time. It was not until his master offered a reward for George that he ran away and worked for another white man whom he encountered (this time for many years). Because his master continued to pursue him, George migrated to South Carolina.
He was captured by a Creek Indian chief
named Blue Salt. He considered George his prize and made him work. When George's owner found out that he was working for Blue Salt, he brought rum, linen and a gun to exchange for the slave but Blue Salt refused to give him up. For several years, George ended up working for both the Creek and Natchez
Indians.
George escaped and ran away again, this time encountering a Scottish
trader
named George Gaulfin (appears in some records as Galphin), for whom he worked four years. Because of his close association with the Native Americans
, Gaulfin had many slaves who had intermarried with the Creek.
, and four more children born in Sierra Leone
.
faith. During the Great Awakening
, Baptist preachers had traveled throughout the South
, converting both whites and blacks, free and slave. Impressed with Liele's conversion, George, his wife and eight others were baptized at Silver Bluff. In 1775 George and eight other slaves formed one of the first African-American Baptist
congregations in the United States
. Three years later, the slaves escaped to Savannah, where they gained freedom behind British lines. George continued to minister to a Baptist congregation.
for freedom after the defeat of the British
during the American War of Independence. This was part of an evacuation of nearly 3500 former slaves from the United States to Nova Scotia. George and his wife became one of the influential African-American families at Birchtown, the center of black settlement. George was the leader of the Baptist contingent of the African-American Loyalists, and he also attracted whites to his congregation, which gave rise to resentment in the white community.
Several years later, the George family chose to migrate with other Black Loyalists to Freetown, Sierra Leone, where the British provided some assistance in setting up a new colony and settlement. George founded the first Baptist church there. George was very influential; he was elected a tythingman, a position of power in the colony at that time. George wrote a memoir that is considered one of the important slave narratives. He died in Freetown in 1810.
His descendants are part of the Sierra Leone Creole people
of the Western Area of Freetown. Many of George's descendants belong to the Masonic Lodges of Sierra Leone. One of his descendants, also named David George, is a member of the organization Amistad
Sankofa, working to educate students about international issues and bridge the racial divide.
In August 2007, the African United Baptist Association of Nova Scotia and the Atlantic Baptist Convention had a joint convention and liturgy, to acknowledge earlier racism by the white convention, and seek reconciliation. They had had separate associations since the 19th century.
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
preacher
Preacher
Preacher is a term for someone who preaches sermons or gives homilies. A preacher is distinct from a theologian by focusing on the communication rather than the development of doctrine. Others see preaching and theology as being intertwined...
and a Black Loyalist
Black Loyalist
A Black Loyalist was an inhabitant of British America of African descent who joined British colonial forces during the American Revolutionary War...
from the American South who escaped to British lines, accepted transport to Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
and eventually resettled in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
George founded the Silver Bluff Baptist Church
Silver Bluff Baptist Church
The Silver Bluff Baptist Church in Aiken County, South Carolina, was founded by several enslaved African Americans who organized under elder David George in 1773-1775....
in South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
in 1775. He was later affiliated with the First African Baptist Church
First African Baptist Church (Savannah)
First African Baptist Church, located in Savannah, Georgia claims evolution from the first black Baptist congregation in North America. While it was not officially organized until 1788, it grew from members who founded a church in 1773...
of Savannah, Georgia
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
. After migration, he founded Baptist congregations in Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
and Freetown, Sierra Leone. George wrote an account of his life that is one the most important early slave narrative
Slave narrative
The slave narrative is a literary form which grew out of the written accounts of enslaved Africans in Britain and its colonies, including the later United States, Canada and Caribbean nations...
s.
Early life and escapes
David George was born in Essex County, VirginiaEssex County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 9,989 people, 3,995 households, and 2,740 families residing in the county. The population density was 39 people per square mile . There were 4,926 housing units at an average density of 19 per square mile...
in either 1740 or 1742 to African parents John and Judith, as the slave
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
of a man called 'Chapel'. George ran away with the help of some white travelers and worked for these men for some time. It was not until his master offered a reward for George that he ran away and worked for another white man whom he encountered (this time for many years). Because his master continued to pursue him, George migrated to South Carolina.
He was captured by a Creek Indian chief
Tribal chief
A tribal chief is the leader of a tribal society or chiefdom. Tribal societies with social stratification under a single leader emerged in the Neolithic period out of earlier tribal structures with little stratification, and they remained prevalent throughout the Iron Age.In the case of ...
named Blue Salt. He considered George his prize and made him work. When George's owner found out that he was working for Blue Salt, he brought rum, linen and a gun to exchange for the slave but Blue Salt refused to give him up. For several years, George ended up working for both the Creek and Natchez
Natchez people
The Natchez are a Native American people who originally lived in the Natchez Bluffs area, near the present-day city of Natchez, Mississippi. They spoke a language isolate that has no known close relatives, although it may be very distantly related to the Muskogean languages of the Creek...
Indians.
George escaped and ran away again, this time encountering a Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
trader
Merchant
A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...
named George Gaulfin (appears in some records as Galphin), for whom he worked four years. Because of his close association with the Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
, Gaulfin had many slaves who had intermarried with the Creek.
Marriage and family
During this time, George met and married Phyllis, who was part Creek. Together they had four children born in what is now the United States. They had two more children born while in Nova ScotiaNova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
, and four more children born in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
.
Baptism
In 1773 George met an old childhood friend and former slave, George Liele, who had been converted to the BaptistBaptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
faith. During the Great Awakening
Great Awakening
The term Great Awakening is used to refer to a period of religious revival in American religious history. Historians and theologians identify three or four waves of increased religious enthusiasm occurring between the early 18th century and the late 19th century...
, Baptist preachers had traveled throughout the South
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
, converting both whites and blacks, free and slave. Impressed with Liele's conversion, George, his wife and eight others were baptized at Silver Bluff. In 1775 George and eight other slaves formed one of the first African-American Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
congregations in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Three years later, the slaves escaped to Savannah, where they gained freedom behind British lines. George continued to minister to a Baptist congregation.
Nova Scotia and Sierra Leone
As they had promised, in 1782 the British began transportation of black Loyalist former slaves to Nova Scotia and other colonies. They transported George, his wife and three children (Jesse, David and Ginny) to Nova ScotiaNova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
for freedom after the defeat of the British
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
during the American War of Independence. This was part of an evacuation of nearly 3500 former slaves from the United States to Nova Scotia. George and his wife became one of the influential African-American families at Birchtown, the center of black settlement. George was the leader of the Baptist contingent of the African-American Loyalists, and he also attracted whites to his congregation, which gave rise to resentment in the white community.
Several years later, the George family chose to migrate with other Black Loyalists to Freetown, Sierra Leone, where the British provided some assistance in setting up a new colony and settlement. George founded the first Baptist church there. George was very influential; he was elected a tythingman, a position of power in the colony at that time. George wrote a memoir that is considered one of the important slave narratives. He died in Freetown in 1810.
His descendants are part of the Sierra Leone Creole people
Sierra Leone Creole people
The Sierra Leone Creoles, or Krios, are an ethnic group in Sierra Leone, descendants of West Indian slaves from the Caribbean, primarily from Jamaica; freed African American slaves from the Thirteen Colonies resettled from Nova Scotia; and Liberated Africans from various parts of Africa...
of the Western Area of Freetown. Many of George's descendants belong to the Masonic Lodges of Sierra Leone. One of his descendants, also named David George, is a member of the organization Amistad
Amistad
"Amistad" is a Spanish noun meaning "friendship". It may refer to:Ships* Amistad/Amitie, an 18th century schooner that transported Acadians from France to Louisiana....
Sankofa, working to educate students about international issues and bridge the racial divide.
In August 2007, the African United Baptist Association of Nova Scotia and the Atlantic Baptist Convention had a joint convention and liturgy, to acknowledge earlier racism by the white convention, and seek reconciliation. They had had separate associations since the 19th century.
George in film
- George was portrayed by Joseph MarcellJoseph MarcellJoseph Marcell is a St. Lucian-born British actor, best known for his work as Geoffrey the English butler on the NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.-Early life and career:...
in the BBC television production of Rough CrossingsRough CrossingsRough Crossings: Britain, the Slaves and the American Revolution is a history book and television series by Simon Schama.This gives an account of the history of thousands of enslaved African Americans who escaped to the British cause during the American War of Independence...
(2007), based on the history of Black Loyalists and the formation of Freetown by Simon SchamaSimon SchamaSimon Michael Schama, CBE is a British historian and art historian. He is a University Professor of History and Art History at Columbia University. He is best known for writing and hosting the 15-part BBC documentary series A History of Britain...
.
Further reading
- Walter H. Brooks, The Silver Bluff Church: A History of Negro Baptist Churches in America (Washington, D.C.: Press of R. L. Pendleton, 1910)
- James St G. Walker, The Black Loyalists: The Search for a Promised Land in Nova Scotia and Sierra Leone, 1783-1870 (New York: Africana Publishing Co., 1976)
- Robin W. Winks, The Blacks in Canada: A History, 2nd ed. (Montreal: McGill-Queens University Press, 1997)
- Pearleen Oliver, A Brief History of the Coloured Baptists of Nova Scotia (Halifax, N.S.: s.n., 1953).