Henry Adams (pastor)
| Henry Adams | |
|---|---|
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| Born |
December 17, 1802 Franklin County, Georgia |
| Died |
November 3, 1872 (aged 69) Louisville, Kentucky |
| Occupation | Minister |
| Religion | Baptist |
Henry Adams (December 17, 1802 – November 3, 1872) was a Baptist pastor and leader in the black community in 19th-century Kentucky. He was born to free parents in Franklin County, Georgia, and became ordained at age 23.[1] He preached throughout the Deep South before moving to Louisville, Kentucky, in 1829, where he became minister to black members of First Baptist Church.[1]
In 1842, his 45-member congregation eventually withdrew to form First African Baptist Church, which was later renamed Fifth Street Baptist Church.[1] It was the second black Baptist church in the state. He remained pastor of the congregation until his retirement in 1871.[1] He ordained a number of prominent pastors during his term, including, Daniel Abraham Gaddie and Andrew Heath. Heath was also his assistant and successor at Fifth Street Baptist Church
Adams was self-educated and became a respected biblical scholar, and led the black Baptist community in Louisville for decades.[1] Adams stressed that church-related education and self-help were the keys to improvement of the situation of blacks in America.[1] He organized black congregations during the Civil War and served as moderator of the General Association of Colored Baptists.[1] He also taught night school attended by many slaves and free blacks before and after emancipation, including William Henry Steward and Bartlett Taylor.[2]
Later in life, he led a movement that culminated in the founding of Kentucky Normal and Theological Institute (later Simmons College of Kentucky) in 1879.[1]
He married Margaret Corbin in 1842 and they had five children.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
- Lucas, Marion B. (1992). "Adams, Henry". In John E. Kleber. The Kentucky Encyclopedia. Associate editors: Thomas D. Clark, Lowell H. Harrison, and James C. Klotter. Lexington, Kentucky: The University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 0-8131-1772-0. Retrieved 2011-11-02. p. 2–3
- ↑ Simmons, William J., and Henry McNeal Turner. Men of Mark: Eminent, Progressive and Rising. GM Rewell & Company, 1887. p603-607, 626-630
Further reading
- Lucas, Marion B. (1992). A History of Blacks in Kentucky Volume 1: From Slavery to Segregation.
- Wright, George C. (1985). Life Behind a Veil: Blacks in Louisville, Kentucky 1865-1930.