James Solomon Russell
Former Slave, Pioneering Educator and Episcopal Evangelist
$25.00
In stock
About the Book
Born into slavery on a Virginia plantation in 1857, James Solomon Russell (1857–1935) rose to become one of the most prominent African American pastors in the post–Civil War South. As a minister, educator, and founder of Saint Paul’s College in Lawrenceville, Virginia, he played a major role in the development of educational access for former slaves in the South and within the Episcopal Church from the end of Radical Reconstruction to the early 20th century. Indeed, Russell stood as a linchpin binding not only the poles of ecclesiastical racial obstacles, but the social maturity of blacks and whites within his church and in the greater society. This comprehensive biography explores Solomon’s life within the broader context of colonial and Virginia history and chronicles his struggles against the social, political and religious structures of his day to secure a better future for all people.
About the Author(s)
Bibliographic Details
Worth Earlwood Norman, Jr.
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 250
Bibliographic Info: 17 photos, appendices, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2012
pISBN: 978-0-7864-6789-1
eISBN: 978-0-7864-9291-6
Imprint: McFarland
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments vi
Preface 1
Introduction 6
1. Beginnings 11
2. The Colony and the Commonwealth of Virginia 31
3. Influences 55
4. 1877–1885 Annual Councils of the Diocese of Virginia 71
5. 1886–1892 Annual Councils of the Diocese of Virginia 99
6. The Trials and Joys of Black Entrepreneurial Education 121
7. Addressing Challenges 135
8. International Forums and Ideological Differences 157
9. Reconciliation and Russell’s Legacy 171
Appendices
A. Colonial Statutory Recognition of Slavery 183
B. Colored Churches’ Membership, 1900 184
C. Methodist Churches in the United States, 1900 184
D. Virginia Legislative Assembly African-American Membership, 1872–1892 185
E. Social Uplift Address, 1919 186
F. Summary of the Official Acts of the Archdeacon for Colored Work 191
G. Churches and Missions in the Colored Convocation, Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia, 1910 191
H. General Convention [of the Episcopal Church] Opening Session, Portland, Oregon, 1922 192
I. Southern Virginia Resolution, 2009 192
J. Secular Education Funds for Negro Schools in the South, 1860s–1920s 195
K. Conclusion of the Report of the Committee on the State of the Church, 1907 196
L. Statistics of the Two Episcopal Dioceses in Virginia, 1892 197
M. “A Tribute to Lewis Morris,” a Poem by Goronwy Owens 198
N. Brief Biographies 199
O. Timeline of Significant Events Affecting the Life of Russell 209
Chapter Notes 217
Bibliography 228
Index 235
