David George (Baptist)

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David George (c. 1742–1810) was an African American Baptist preacher and a Black Loyalist.[1] George founded the Silver Bluff Baptist Church in South Carolina and was also affiliated with the First African Baptist Church of Savannah, Georgia. He was also a founding father of Freetown, Sierra Leone, and his descendants are part of Sierra Leone Creole people of the Western Area of Freetown. [2] Many of George's descendants are involved with the Masonic Lodges of Sierra Leone. George wrote an account of his life that is one the most important slave narratives.

Contents

[edit] Early Life and escape

David George was born in Essex County, Virginia 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 he encountered (this time for many years). Because his master continued to pursue him George ran away, but was captured by a Creek Indian named Blue Salt, who saw George as his prize and made him work for him. George's owner found out that George was staying with Blue Salt and brought rum, linen and a gun in return for his slave. Eventually George ended up working for both the Creek and Natchez Indians. Because of this, George escaped and ran away again, this time encountering a Scottish trader named George Gaulfin, for whom he worked four years. Because of his close association with the Native Americans, Gaulfin had many slaves who had intermarried with the Creeks. During this time George met and married Phyllis, who was part Creek Indian,[3] and together they had four children; they eventually ended up having two more children in Nova Scotia and four more children in Sierra Leone.

[edit] Baptism

In 1773 George met an old childhood friend and former slave, George Liele, who had been converted to the Baptist faith. George became impressed with the conversion of George Liele and became baptized with his wife and eight others at Silver Bluff. George and eight other slaves founded the first African American Baptist church in the United States.[4]

[edit] Nova Scotia and Sierra Leone

George journeyed with his wife and three children (Jesse, David and Ginny) to Nova Scotia after the defeat of the British during the Revolutionary War. George and his wife were one of the influential African American families at Birchtown. George was the leader of the Baptist contingent of the African American Loyalists, and when they migrated to Freetown, Sierra Leone George founded the first Baptist church there. In Sierra Leone George was very influential; he was voted tythingman, a position of power in the colony at that time.

[edit] References and notes

  1. ^ There are historians who criticize the term "Black Loyalist" because they believe there is not sufficient evidence to prove enslaved African Americans were loyal to the British. http://atlanticportal.hil.unb.ca/dev/acva/blackloyalists/en/context/articles/cahill.pdf
  2. ^ Amistad
  3. ^ Rough Crossings
  4. ^ Gleile