ONLY -- Drummer of the Houston Light Guard, College Park Cemetery, Houston TX
N 29° 45.358 W 095° 24.353
15R E 267357 N 3294170
The grave of Captain John Sessums, the only drummer the Houston Light Guard ever had
Waymark Code: WMY3EC
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 04/12/2018
Views: 1
Captain John "Jack" Sessums, was born into slavery but later became the first (and only) African American member of the Houston Light Guard, and the Guard's only drummer.
Sessums was a valued and respected member of the African American community, who, as a member of the Houston Light Guard, mixed with the most prominent and prestigious members of Houston's white society. During his over 50 years with the Guard, Sessums also became a valued and respected person by Houston's white community, both through his service in the Light Guard and by his service as the local baseball team;s cheerleader and mascot, in a time of strict racial separation and racial discrimination that usually prevented those kinds of cross-racial relationships from forming.
Sessums also spread the benefits of his membership in the Houston Light Guard to other African Americans by creating all-black drill companies that marched in parades with the Houston Light Guard, though not formally part of the Guard.
The Houston Light Guard Veteran's Association provided a handsome tombstone to Sessums that reads as follows:
"Capt. Jno. SESSUMS
Died July 7, 1928
ONLY DRUMMER OF
HOUSTON LIGHT GUARD
"Faithful Unto Death""
And a modern state historical marker at his grave reads as follows:
"JOHN SESSUMS JR.
(ca 1849-July 7, 1928)
John Sessums, Jr., was the first - and during his lifetime, the only - African American member of the Houston Light Guard. Organized in 1873 as the first uniformed militia company in post-reconstruction Houston, the Houston Light Guard was an all-white, prestigious militia mobilized as needed to restore or maintain peace during crisis periods such as quarantines, labor strikes and political feuds. The guard, known for its dominance in military drill competitions from 1875 through 1889, later became one of the oldest National Guard companies in the state.
Sessums joined the guard during the late 1870s and served for over 50 years as its only drummer. By 1880 he also organized and commanded a drill company called the Davis Rifles. He later led several additional African American drill companies, including the Sheridan Guards, Scurry Rifles, Packard Zouaves and Lawlor Zouaves. Sessums also found time to serve as a mascot for the Houston Heralds baseball team in 1887 and to participate in "Afro-American" fairs and Juneteenth celebrations. Black residents of Houston could always depend on his drill companies to entertain them with their "attractive" maneuvers.
In 1910 former members of the company organized the "Houston Light Guard Veterans Association" and bestowed the title of "Perpetual Drummer" on "Captain" Sessums, who continued to lead drill teams in competition. In 1918, the veterans association voted to provide for his living expenses while he lived with a family in the Fifth Ward. Sessums died in Hermann Hospital - an all-white facility - surrounded by his fellow guardsmen. Almost 2,000 black and white citizens attended his funeral."
Type of documentation of superlative status: tombstone
Location of coordinates: at the tombstone
Web Site: [Web Link]
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