John Gloucester - Tusculum, TN
Posted by: 
Don.Morfe
N 36° 10.499 W 082° 45.640
17S E 341658 N 4004793
John Gloucester was the first African-American student at Greeneville College and first African-American Presbyterian clergyman ordained in the United States.
Waymark Code: WM171KJ
Location: Tennessee, United States
Date Posted: 11/20/2022
Views: 0
LOCATION: Erwin Highway, Tusculum TN
TEXT ON THE HISTORICAL MARKER:
John Gloucester - 1776-1822 (marker number 1C-84)
Gideon Blackburn, a Presbyterian minister, purchased and sought to free a slave named Jack. Through Blackburn's tenacity and by action of the Blount County Court, he received his freedom and the name John Gloucester in 1807. Educated at Greeneville (Tusculum) College, Gloucester became a Presbyterian missionary in 1809. Dr. Benjamin Rush, a Philadephia physician and Gloucester's friend, assisted in freeing his wife and children. The first African-American ordained as a Presbyterian minister, Gloucester became a respected pastor and teacher in Philadephia. His four sons became Presbyterian ministers.
Civil Right Type: Race (includes U.S. Civil Rights movement)
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