CHAPTER XXXV.
HERE AND THERE.
In this chapter it is my purpose to mention some men and women engaged in different lines of business throughout the country.
MR. E. H. DIBBLE.
Mr. Dibble is a native of South Carolina, and is at present operating a large store in Camden, S. C., where he keeps a stock of dry goods, boots, shoes, fancy and family groceries. Aside from the store he owns he also has an interest in another one in the same town, which is operated by his brother. The patrons at either one of the stores are not all colored by any means, but a large percentage of their trade comes from a splendid class of white people. My object in making mention of so many men engaged in business in the South is to stimulate among my readers, and especially in the North, a determination to at least make some effort along that line.
ROBERT G. WALKER.
Robert G. Walker, of Springfield, Ohio, is a carpenter and contractor the race may be proud of. He was born in Ohio. At one time he was the leading contractor of Hill City, Kansas, and gave employment to fourteen men as carpenters. He built the courthouse, jail, and many of the store buildings. He also served there as city clerk. He returned to Springfield because of hard times in the West, and began contracting for himself after working a while as foreman for a white contractor. Mr. Walker has built some of the finest houses in Springfield owned by white people. He is very much thought of by his race and the better class of the whites.
JAMES NELSON,
manufacturer of "IXL" and Whiteley plows, two and four-horse wagons, carts, etc., in Springfield, Ohio. Mr. Nelson was born a slave in the State of Kentucky, and learned his trade as blacksmith while a slave. He has carried on a business in Springfield for himself, with a great deal of success, for quite a number of years. He bought out the entire right to manufacture the "IXL" and Whiteley plows, and has very much improved the plow and worked up a splendid sale for it, principally throughout the various Middle, Western, and Southern States.
He also makes a specialty of manufacturing an iron tank-wagon, used by men who are in the oil business and deliver oil from house to house. He has shipped these tank-wagons to several of the different States.
JOHN H. ANDERSON.
John H. Anderson, of Urbana, Ohio, is the leading contractor and builder of that city. He has had and finished some very large contracts. He built the Y. M. C. A. building in Piqua, Ohio, also a beautiful passenger station at same place. Mr. Anderson had a contract to build a factory in Urbana that cost one hundred thousand dollars. His finest work, he says, was done on a residence in Urbana that cost forty thousand dollars. Most of the men employed by Mr. Anderson are white; but whenever he can secure a good workman among colored men, he is only too glad to give him work. I regard him as one of the leading colored contractors in the country.
CAPTAIN HENRY.
Mr. Henry, of Pocomoke City, Md., better known as "Captain Henry," owns several sailing vessels that are manned by colored men, which he operates between Pocomoke City, Md., and Philadelphia, Pa. He ships large cargoes of wood, used in Philadelphia for fuel. Mr. Henry also has a large dry goods and grocery store in Pocomoke City.
MR. GEORGE H. WHITE.
Mr. George H. White, of Staunton, Va., has a large and well-stocked grocery store, and very nearly all of his patrons are white. He was born a slave in Virginia, and spent the early part of his life at the blacksmith trade. He has been in the grocery business since 1892, and his trade has been growing larger ever since. He owns a beautiful home and has the confidence and respect of the best citizens, both white and colored.
FRANK T. WARE.
Frank T. Ware was born a slave at Staunton, Va., May 15, 1843. His master "hired him out" until 1860, when he was sold to Negro traders, who took him to Vicksburgh, Miss. There he served as dining-room waiter until the beginning of the war. He was then taken as a body servant into the Confederate Army, but was soon captured by the Federal troops. He then became a soldier in the Union Army, and rose to the position of orderly sergeant and continued as such until the war closed. He then came back to Staunton and went into the express business, which he followed for twelve years. Next he embarked into the hardware and furniture business, and is now said to be the leading colored man in that line of business in the United States. His store is three stories high and is packed from bottom to top. It is in the business center of Staunton. His race identity is no barrier to his success. He buys from the best firms in Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Richmond, and a large number of his customers are of his own race, but the bulk of his patrons are the white people of this city and adjoining counties. Scrupulously honest in his dealings, he has won an enviable business reputation and enjoys the implicit confidence of all. He is a man of means and influence, and every good cause receives his aid.
MR. A. R. COOPER.
Mr. A. R. Cooper, of Findley, Ohio, has invented a strictly water-proof shoe. Manufacturers of shoes have always claimed to make them water-proof, but who ever wore them? Mr. Cooper is a practical shoemaker, and for a long time has been giving this matter serious thought and consideration, until now his efforts have been rewarded by the invention of this shoe. It is not only guaranteed by the maker to be water-proof, but also protects the foot from any dampness whatever. The shoe will be easier, warmer, and cheaper than the ordinary make.
ROBERT ORRICK.
Robert Orrick owns the largest livery, sale, and feed stable in the city of Winchester, Va. Mr. Orrick was born a slave. He began business for himself in 1859, which was before freedom was granted. This he did by paying to his master a certain amount of money for his time. He married a freeborn woman, and as a slave could not transact any business, all business matters had to be done in his wife's name. The amount named for his time by his owner was $65 per year. His first business venture was hauling baggage and freight, and by degrees his work developed into a regular livery business. He now owns forty horses and some forty-five different kinds of vehicles. His residence and stable join, and are valued at about ten thousand dollars. In the country he has two farms of three hundred acres, valued at one hundred dollars per acre.
MR. N. T. GANT.
Mr. N. T. Gant, of Zanesville, Ohio, is a very interesting man; looks enough like the late Frederick Douglass to pass for his brother. Mr. Gant was born a slave in Virginia. He bought his own and wife's freedom. For his wife he paid fifteen hundred dollars. He moved to Zanesville before the war, and began life as a truck farmer. He made money like magic, and owns several farms now, after giving all of his children good homes. The property now used as "Gant Park" was sold by him for twenty thousand dollars, with the understanding that no intoxicating drinks were to be sold on the ground. His residence in Zanesville was a part of the park. He has one of the best-furnished homes in the State of Ohio. Among the leading business and moneyed men of Zanesville, Mr. Gant is considered one of them.
CASPER TITUS.
Norfolk, Va., can boast of a progressive man in the person of Casper Titus, a thriving florist, in Huntersville, Norfolk, Va.; carries about 3,000 feet of glass; grows plants, flowers, and vegetables; has a good patronage from white as well as colored; is the leading colored florist south of Baltimore; began business with ten lilies and eight geraniums, the few brought to him by his wife. The total number of lilies to-day is 500, with a spring sale of about 5,000 plants of different varieties.
MR. J. STEPHENSON.
Mr. J. Stephenson, watchmaker and jeweler, does a good business in Norfolk, Va., and has a splendid stock of goods. He began first by repairing watches and clocks, until he had built up a trade, and at the same time saved enough money to put in a small stock of goods. His trade is by no means confined to colored people. His success simply shows what can be done when the proper effort is put forth.
MR. W. J. OVERTON.
Mr. Overton, of Clarksville, Tenn., was for years before his death foreman and manager of the Clarksville ice factory. He began work there as a fireman. Mr. Overton had the confidence and respect of the best people in the city. He, by hard work and good management, saved enough money to purchase splendid property.
J. W. PAGE.
Mr. J. W. Page is also of Clarksville, Tenn., and is regarded by all as a very prominent man. For years he was one of the city councilmen, and much of the public improvement in his ward has been done through his effort. He owns a great deal of property, which is rented. At his home he operates a grocery business that is well patronized in that portion of the city. Mr. Page takes an active part in church and Sunday-school work; in fact, in all things that will in any way lift up his people.
BOTTS & HENSLEY.
Messrs. Botts & Hensley, at Mt. Sterling, Ky., own and operate one of the leading grocery stores of that city. Both of these men stand high and own good homes. Their patrons are mostly white.
J. R. HAWKINS.
Mr. J. R. Hawkins, of Hopkinsville, Ky., has a very large and well-furnished grocery store. His trade is about equally divided between the white and colored people. As for his white patrons, he has some of the leading families in the city who deal there. He owns a splendid home, and is very highly respected by all.
A. C. BRENT.
Mr. A. C. Brent, also of Hopkinsville, Ky., is engaged in the grocery business. He has a large trade and many white patrons. Hopkinsville has many things of interest among colored people. In addition to Mr. Hawkins' and Mr. Brent's grocery business, Mr. Peter Postell has a large store, which is mentioned in another part of this publication.
MR. E. W. GLASS.
Mr. E. W. Glass, of Hopkinsville, Ky., is a successful undertaker. He is a native of Hopkinsville, and has always taken an active part in all movements that would advance his people. Mr. Glass has been one of the city teachers, and for some four years was engaged in the revenue service as United States storekeeper. He was at one time an alderman in his ward. As an undertaker he is a success, and is regarded as one of the leading men in that line in the State.
MRS. C. HODGES.
Mrs. C. Hodges, a colored woman, is holding the position of Deputy Meat Inspector in one of Mr. Armour's large packing houses at Kansas City, Kan.
MRS. M. M. BROWN.
Mrs. M. M. Brown, of Staunton, Va., has a good dressmaking business. She keeps on hand a large stock of ladies' ready-made clothing of all kinds. She owns a splendid building on Main Street. The most of her customers are white.
MISS ELIZABETH B. SLAUGHTER.
MISS E. B. SLAUGHTER.
Miss E. B. Slaughter, of Louisville, Ky., is a young lady who deserves more than passing mention. She is engaged in the millinery business, and has built up a splendid trade among both white and colored patrons. Miss Slaughter learned her trade in the "Armour Institute" at Chicago, Ill., where she, in part, worked her way through that institution. Her store is well and neatly furnished, and she keeps on hand a line of goods that will please the best class of patrons among both races. I regard her work of great interest from the fact that she is one of the first among colored ladies who have made an effort along this line. We publish a splendid picture of Miss Slaughter in this edition in the hope that it, along with this short sketch of her work and success, may inspire some other young lady to start in business of some sort. When colored people, and especially ladies, are engaged in different business enterprises, such as women take up as a means of support, white people will then be compelled to see them not only as cooks and washerwomen, but as business women and competitors. Then, too, when colored ladies can operate successful millinery stores, that in itself will at least have a tendency to make white women engaged in such business treat their colored customers with more consideration. Miss Slaughter is a graduate from the schools of this city. She is very highly respected, and I am sure that the better class of colored ladies are proud of the fact that Louisville has a colored milliner. At Lexington, Ky., Mrs. J. C. Jackson and Mrs. Hathaway have opened a millinery and notion store, and they are meeting with success.
MR. ANDREW HAYDEN.
Andrew Hayden, of Cynthiana, Ky., a blacksmith by trade and an ex-slave, has, by very hard work and good business judgment, built up quite a start in life in the way of good property. He owns, in addition to his residence, which is a beautiful brick structure, several houses, which are rented—one as a business house, and some ten others as dwellings. Mr. Hayden has his own home in the most aristocratic part of the town, and his family are the only colored people on that street. His house is well furnished, and his wife takes great pride in her home. She has a very large and fine collection of house plants, and Mr. Hayden built her a very fine pit to keep them in during the cold weather. He has but little education, but a large stock of good common sense. I regard him as a credit to the town.
PEOPLE'S DRUG STORE.
MR. R. F. WHITE.
The People's Drug Store, located at Louisville, Ky., is another evidence of colored people's ability to manage business enterprises of their own. The store is well equipped with a good stock of goods, and is patronized by both races. It is kept neat and clean. Mr. R. F. White, who has charge of the store, is a graduate in pharmacy from Howard University, at Washington, D. C., and stands high in his profession. In speaking of the class of people who give the most support to race enterprises, Mr. White thinks "that the middle-class seem to have more interest and pride in the places of business started by colored men than those who have had better advantages, and ought, because of their ability, feel a deeper interest in all things that would help in any way the business development of the race." Of all stores that would be helpful to the colored people a drug store would be one of them, from the fact that the business could only be carried on by educated people, and the more of that class who can be brought into prominent places the better for the entire race. Mr. White is a native of Florida and is much thought of by his people. He is progressive, and believes in perfect system and order, and conducts the drug store on that principle.
GREENE BROTHERS.
Greene Brothers, of Holly Springs, Miss., are merchants on a very large scale. They handle a general line of all sorts of goods that can be found in what is known in the South as a general store. They furnish quite a number of planters from year to year, and of course take their chances on the results of the crops for their pay. They are young men and owe their success to the very close attention they give to the business. Their store is not only one of the leading places of business in Holly Springs, but is one of the best in the State. I live in hope that the time is not far distant when just such places of business can be found in every town in the South owned by colored men.
REV. I. H. ANDERSON.
Rev. I. H. Anderson, of Jackson, Tenn., is another evidence of Negro success. Mr. Anderson has been for years a minister in what is known as the C. M. E. Church, and for some years managed the publishing house of that connection at Jackson, Tenn. He has retired from active work in the ministry and gone into business. Mr. Anderson has built a very fine brick block in Jackson, where he keeps a line of groceries, dry goods, boots and shoes; in fact, a general store. He has a large white trade. I am informed that in addition to his store he owns a large amount of property.
FITE'S STUDIO.
Mr. S. Fite, owner of Fite's Studio, at Owensboro, Ky., is in a position to render the race a great service. It is acknowledged that he is by far the best photographer in that city, and his patrons are not only the leading white people there, but they come from other towns to have work done. Mr. Fite had a hard struggle when he first located at Owensboro, because of the unfair means used by the white men engaged in the same line of work to defeat him. But he has more than won the fight, and stands at the head as an example of what push and pluck will do.
J. G. HIGGINS.
Mr. and Mrs. Higgins, at Chattanooga, Tenn., are engaged in business in a way that will be helpful to the race. Mrs. Higgins is a manufacturer of human hair goods, in such things as switches, wigs, waves, bangs, and vest-chains. Her patrons are about all white, and their store is in the heart of the business part of the city, and is one of the neatest stores in that line I ever saw. Mr. Higgins is a practical watchmaker, and has a splendid trade repairing and cleaning watches.
J. W. MOORE.
J. W. Moore, at Paducah, Ky., is another successful business man. Mr. Moore is a native of Louisville, Ky. He was at one time a clerk in the Mileage Department of the C. & O. & S. W. R. R. office, and was also a letter-carrier for three years at Paducah. He operates now a very large grocery store; in fact, one of the best in the city. He has something to show for his labor, in the way of some eight houses, seven of which are rented. I found him interested in all that will help and advance the race.
JORDAN C. JACKSON.
Jordan C. Jackson, the subject of this sketch, was born in Fayette County, Kentucky, February 25, 1848. He is a remarkable example of what pluck and energy can do for a man without scholastic training. Mr. Jackson has been a prominent figure in the State for twenty years, and has attended every Republican convention held in the State within that time.
JORDAN C. JACKSON.
He was alternate delegate to the late Hon. W. C. Goodloe to the National Republican Convention, which met in Cincinnati in 1876, and delegate-at-large to the National Republican Convention which met at Minneapolis to nominate Benjamin Harrison the second time as President of the United States—an honor which only one other man of the race has had conferred upon him from Kentucky. Mr. Jackson was twice elected lay trustee of Wilberforce University, and is now, and has been for the past twelve years, trustee of Berea College, the most unique institution on the American continent. He stands ready with might and means to do his part in any and all movements for the advancement of his race. Mr. Jackson has been United States storekeeper and gauger for a number of years, and has always taken rank as a first-class officer. He is now a member of the undertaking firm of Porter & Jackson, and has won for the firm and himself a place in the confidence of the people that can be had only by fair business transactions and personal integrity. He was a most valued contributor to the Standard for a year, and was known to the many readers as "Observer," a title that befits him well, as all who have read his able articles will readily attest. Owing to his many business cares, he has for a time retired from the literary field, and in losing him the Standard has lost one of its most highly prized writers. Writing under the nom de plume of Uncle Eph, he also furnished a number of most valuable articles for the American Citizen. He combines qualities that every man is not possessed of—literary talent and business qualification. Mr. Jackson is one of the most enthusiastic workers against the enactment of the separate-coach law of Kentucky, and was one of the first men appointed to wait on Governor Brown for the purpose of preventing the passage of the now obnoxious law. He is a member of the State Central Committee, and there is no man on the entire committee who is more in the struggle that we are now undergoing. He believes that if sufficient money is collected to test the constitutionality of the law, that it will be wiped from the statute-book of the Commonwealth. Mr. Jackson was elected temporary chairman of the separate-coach convention held in Lexington, Ky., June 22, 1892.
REV. A. H. MILLER.
REV. A. H. MILLER.
Rev. A. H. Miller, the subject of this brief sketch, was born a slave in St. Francis county, Arkansas, March 12, 1849. He has lived in Arkansas all his life, with the exception of a brief period just after the war, which was spent in St. Louis, Mo. After remaining in St. Louis about one year he returned to Arkansas, worked by the day, and saved enough money to give himself one session in Southland College, near Helena, which constitutes the major portion of his school advantage. He was chosen by the people of his county to represent them in the Arkansas General Assembly, in 1874, and served his whole term honorably. It was with the small amount of money he saved while a member of the State Legislature that he began his remarkable career as a financier. He is a man of economical habits, and gives close attention to his personal business. He has amassed a handsome little fortune, being regarded as one of the wealthiest negroes in East Arkansas. Rev. Miller has travelled extensively, and is well known in the Baptist denomination. He is somewhat a philanthropist, and has the credit of being one of the first to make a personal gift to the National Baptist Publishing House. He has filled many important places in the work of his denomination. He is prominent as a local leader, and is at present a member of the Helena School Board. Mr. Miller owns and rents some fifty houses in Helena, and is building more for that purpose.
MR. S. BOYCE.
MR. S. BOYCE.
Mr. Stansbury Boyce, of Jacksonville, Florida, has made a start in the right direction, and I hope that many colored men will follow in the lead he has taken. I have mentioned many men who have stores and are doing a successful business, but Mr. Boyce is the first one I have found who operates a regular department store on the plan of a city store of the same kind. Each department is in the hands of a colored girl, who has been trained by Mr. Boyce as a saleslady, and I am very confident that the girls in his store understand their work and know the quality of goods quite as well as white girls doing the same work. The store is patronized as much by white people as it is by colored, and Mr. Boyce said that in the "millinery department most of his trade came from the best class of white ladies." I hope those who read this short sketch will see what a great blessing stores like this would prove to the colored people if we had them all over the country, not only to make money for the owner, but for the purpose of giving employment to a large number of well-educated girls who can't find anything to do outside of teaching and domestic work. I found Mr. Boyce not only a successful merchant, but a very intelligent and polished gentleman. His wife has charge of the millinery department, and she thoroughly understands her work.
ISAAC JOHNSON.
Isaac Johnson, Manufacturer and Dealer in Florida Curiosities, Jewelry, Novelties, Live and Stuffed Alligators, Chameleons, Shells, Palmetto Fans, Fly Brushes and all kinds of Alligator Tooth Jewelry—such is the wording of the billhead handed me by Mr. Johnson, the only colored man in the country who owns a store where all kinds of curiosities are made and sold. His store is in Jacksonville, Florida, and when walking down Hogan street your attention is frequently attracted to large crowds gathered on the left-hand side of the street. This is the great curio establishment sometimes known as the "Alligator Store," and is owned and operated by Mr. Isaac Johnson.
Mr. Johnson, when a boy, was employed on the very spot where he is now proprietor to assist around the store. He showed great ability, and as time went on this boy began to take hold of the work and manifested a deep interest in all curiosities. And from stuffing alligators he began to make very many pretty designs from different parts of this animal, thus showing his ability in various directions, which was soon recognized by those who employed him.
ISAAC JOHNSON.
He not only displayed his ability, but he took special training, thus fitting himself for the work, which is one of an expert nature. Before very many years went by Mr. Johnson, by his honesty, thrift and diligence, not only acquired and mastered the trade, but was able when the opportunity presented itself to buy out the business, and to-day he is doing a large trade and is able to help others of his race.
HOWARD BROTHERS.
E. E. HOWARD.
P. W. & E. E. Howard, of Jackson, Miss., are engaged in the mercantile business on quite a large scale. They handle a general line of dry goods and groceries. I have mentioned several men who are engaged in the same line of business, in different parts of the country, and some who own larger stores, but when we take into consideration the age of these young men their effort becomes a thing of great interest to the public at large. Mr. E. E. Howard, whose cut appears in connection with this sketch, is only about 21 years of age, while his brother, P. W. Howard, is only 24. These young men both attended Rust University, at Holly Springs, Miss., and there and at the public schools prepared themselves for their life's work. The money they have invested in their business is entirely their own earnings—from boyhood they have been saving what they could earn with a view of some time going into some line of business. I have no doubt but what a large number of young men who have lived only to enjoy life will read this sketch with a degree of sadness when they look over their past life and think how different things might have gone for them had they followed in the footsteps of such energetic and progressive young men as the Howard Brothers.
MR. E. E. FLUKER.
MR. E. E. FLUKER.
E. E. Fluker, of Pine Bluff, Ark., is another of the successful merchants of the South. Mr. Fluker, like most men, began business on a small amount of money, and has had some heavy losses that were hard to stand and remain in business. He has a large store, and does both a wholesale and retail trade in dry goods, hats, caps, boots and shoes and groceries. Mr. Fluker handles cotton on a large scale, and thinks nothing of buying and selling twelve thousand bales per year. He furnishes dry goods and provisions to a large number of poor planters who can only pay their bills once a year, and that is when they sell their cotton. Mr. Fluker has also been active in society work and has been instrumental in getting large numbers of colored people into benevolent societies, where they could get help when sick and in need. He owns a fine brick block in Pine Bluff, where his business is conducted, and in part of his building one of the city banks is operated. The room where the bank is is rented to white people, who carry on that business.
MR. R. J. PALMER.
MR. R. J. PALMER.
R. J. Palmer, of Columbia, S. C., the subject of this short sketch, is one of the successful and leading business men of that city. Mr. Palmer is a merchant tailor by occupation. His patrons are numbered among the leading white citizens of Columbia, who give him their work because of the confidence they have in him as an honest business man and an excellent workman in his line. Mr. Palmer keeps on hand a full and complete stock of foreign and domestic woolens and a good line of gents' furnishing goods. He employs only the best of workmen, and he does all the cutting and fitting, and his business is carried on in a good brick building, which is owned by himself. He also owns a good home. He is an active and prominent member of the M. E. Church. Mr. Palmer is a native of South Carolina, and has all his life enjoyed the respect and confidence of the best people of both races.
MR. LOUIS KASTOR.
MR. LOUIS KASTOR.
Louis Kastor, of Natchez, Miss., is the only colored man I have found in my travels engaged in the line of work he represents, at least on so large a scale as he carries on his business. He is a first-class harness-maker by trade and owns one of the largest and best-equipped stores in his line in the country. In addition to the harness he makes he keeps on hand a large stock of ready-made harness, bridles, saddles, whips, rugs, in fact, a large and complete stock of all goods sold by men in his business. Mr. Kastor began first with $65.00, and is now doing a business of some $22,000 a year. He owns a fine property for a residence, and has the respect and confidence of the best people in Natchez. In addition to his own residence Mr. Kastor owns three other houses, which he has rented. I found him a very intelligent man, and one who is very anxious to see the colored people advance in every department of life. He feels that they must be engaged in all lines of work and business in order that they may succeed.
MISSISSIPPI COTTON MANUFACTURING COMPANY.
This company is located at Jackson, Miss., for the purpose of building a large cotton mill where colored labor only will be employed.
On nearly every sidewalk, at every railway station from the country store to the great city, the highways are crowded with idle colored boys. It is very difficult for them to find employment in the commercial pursuits of any kind. They would gladly seize an opportunity to earn a livelihood along the industrial lines if they were permitted. Hence the necessity of the erection of the cotton factory. The Mississippi Cotton Manufacturing Company is incorporated under the laws of the State of Mississippi for the purpose of manufacturing cotton and woolen goods and such other articles as the directors from time to time may see fit. Such an enterprise was proposed by the lamented Frederick Douglass in 1893, who was president of the Freedom Manufacturing Company, of which Hon. James Hill was vice-president. Owing to the money panic of '93, Mr. Douglass decided to wait until after the panic had subsided and business confidence was restored. On the eve of this restoration of business confidence Mr. Douglass died. The idea has heretofore prevailed that the negro is not competent to manage or operate any manufacturing concern or any great business enterprise. We cannot yield assent to that idea. The young people who are being educated in the various colleges of this country should not all seek to go into the professions, and the main object of this company is to build this factory and give the deserving boys and girls in that State an opportunity to follow the industrial as well as the professional walks of life.
The capital stock of the company is $250,000. The shares of stock are placed at $10 each. Any person, however, can purchase as many shares of stock as he may desire.
Mississippi is one of the greatest cotton-producing States in the Union, and the negro produces the major part of said product, and he should feel a deep interest in the manufacture of this raw material, thereby doing something to advance civilization and adding something substantial to the commonwealth and the welfare of its people.
HON. JAMES HILL.
President of Cotton Mill Company.
Hon. James Hill is president of the above company. Mr. Hill is a man of high standing and well known in all parts of this country. He has been a political leader for years, and has held some very important positions. He was at one time Postmaster of Vicksburg, Miss., the largest town in the State. Mr. Hill is now, in 1900, in the United States Land Office at Jackson, Miss. He was appointed to this position by President McKinley.
Rev. E. W. Lampton, first vice-president of the company, is also a well-known man. He has been a very active man in the A. M. E. Church. His home is at Greenville, Miss., where he owns valuable property. Mr. Lampton has been at the head of the Masonic order for the State of Mississippi, and thousands of dollars have been disbursed by him for the benefit of widows and orphans annually.
MR. EUGENE BURKINS.
EUGENE BURKINS,
Inventor of the Burkins Automatic Machine-Gun.
Eugene Burkins, inventor of the "Burkins Automatic Machine-Gun," was at one time a bootblack in the city of Chicago. He never had any education outside of learning how to read and write. Nor had he ever been a soldier, or had any experience with guns of any description; and for that reason his invention is all the more wonderful. He began first to make a careful study of the picture that appeared in the papers, showing the guns on the "Battleship Maine." Mr. Burkins saw in what way he could improve the machine-gun by increasing its rapid-firing capacity, and along that line he began to work. His first model was mostly made with a pocket-knife. Some of the leading colored people helped him secure his patent. Mr. Madden, a wealthy man in Chicago, furnished over $3,000 to make a perfect model. Admiral Dewey said it was "by far the best machine-gun ever made." It shoots seven times more a minute than the Gatling gun, and will doubtless take the place of other machine-guns. Several foreign countries have offered large sums for the right to manufacture it for their navies; but Mr. Burkins and Mr. Madden, his partner, proposed to control the manufacturing interest in this country.
MR. GEO. E. JONES.
MR. GEO. E. JONES.
Mr. Geo. E. Jones, of Little Rock, Ark., is beyond doubt one of the most successful business men among the colored people. He began life a very poor boy, without friends or capital, and has by hard work and close economy placed himself among the most prominent business men of his city. Mr. Jones is engaged in the undertaking business, and can say what no other colored man engaged in that line of work in the South can say, and that is—he has about as much patronage among the white people as he has with his own race. Mr. Jones first started in business as a merchant on a small amount of money, and finally worked into the undertaking business. He owns now in Little Rock quite a large amount of property, and among the different buildings there he has two large brick blocks, one on Main street, where he has his undertaking establishment, and one on West Ninth street, which is rented. In the Ninth street block Mr. Jones has in one room a fine drug store, which he employs a young druggist to attend to. He owns a fine lot of horses and carriages used in his business as an undertaker. His residence is by far the best furnished home I ever saw owned by a colored man. Mrs. Jones, his wife, is a very refined and cultured lady.
MR. G. W. HIGGINS.
MR. G. W. HIGGINS.
G. W. Higgins was born in South Carolina, and lived for some time at Newberry, S. C. He began at an early age to acquire an education in order that he might be of some help to himself and race. Mr. Higgins attended Biddle University at Charlotte, N. C., where he took a course in theology. He was at one time principal of the public school at Old Fort, N. C., and while teaching there he established a Presbyterian Church, which is still in existence. After leaving the Presbyterian work he joined the A. M. E. Zion Connection, and was appointed pastor at Abington, Va., and afterwards at Johnson City, Tenn. There he became interested in the industrial advancement of the colored people, and set about to learn some trade, and secured work in a first-class steam laundry, and learned the business thoroughly, and afterwards operated a laundry of his own. Mr. Higgins came to Cincinnati, O., in 1893 and secured employment with the Oil and Grease Company of Chas. H. Moore & Co. After five years of faithful work for that firm he became an expert in the compounding of the oils and greases made by the firm, and was offered a larger salary by Burchard & Co., of Cincinnati, who are refiners of lard oil. For this firm, Mr. Higgins has charge as foreman of the oil and grease department. He is much thought of by his employers.
MR. A. MEANS.
A. Means, of Memphis, Tenn., is a practical hatter, and is the only colored man I know of engaged in that line of work. He has a large trade and keeps on hand a select assortment of the latest styles in hats and caps. Mr. Means does a large business in cleaning and repairing hats.
MR. J. E. HENDERSON.
J. E. Henderson, of Little Rock, Ark., is engaged in the jewelry business. Mr. Henderson is regarded as a good workman in his line, and for some years before he began business for himself he did the repair work for one of the leading jewelry houses of Little Rock. He gets a great deal of his work now from the white people. I hope before many years to see a larger number of colored men engaged in the jewelry trade.
SOUTHERN MERCANTILE COMPANY.
The Southern Mercantile Company, Pine Bluff, Ark., is a company of excellent business men, who are demonstrating that colored men can manage a successful business enterprise. They handle a large stock of dry goods, groceries, boots and shoes and plantation supplies. They do both a wholesale and retail business. The firm has in it such men as Wiley Jones, Fred. Havis, who is president of the company, and Mr. M. R. Perry, as secretary and treasurer. Mr. Perry is a graduate from one of the best schools in the country and regarded as a splendid business man.
MR. L. CARTER.
L. Carter, of Greenville, Miss., was born of slave parents at Carthage, Tenn. He has been in Mississippi since 1866. Mr. Carter owns and operates the only large book store in the country owned by a colored man. He keeps a splendid stock of school books, blank books, stationery, periodicals and a good assortment of story books and toys. In speaking of where he got the greater part of his support, he said that at least two-thirds of his patronage came from the white people, and among the best class of them. Mr. Carter owns good property in Greenville as a residence, and is regarded as one of the prominent citizens.
DAVIS & ROBINSON.
Davis & Robinson, of Jacksonville, Fla., are the leading commission merchants of that city. They do both a wholesale and retail business in oranges, fruits, strawberries, northern produce, turkeys, chickens, eggs, early vegetables. They handle melons in car-load lots and keep all kinds of game in season. They also supply the large hotels there with all they need in their line. Both of these men are respected and regarded as excellent business men by the leading people.
MRS. ELLA HENDERSON.
Mrs. Ella Henderson, who is located at Natchez, Miss., has opened a very excellent millinery store, where she keeps a splendid stock of goods in that line of trade. As I have stated in other parts of this book, there are very few colored ladies engaged in the millinery business. This is to be regretted, for there is an opening for some one to do well in all towns where the colored population is large. Mrs. Henderson has taken special training to thoroughly prepare herself for the successful management of her business. She started in a small way, and has twice since she opened her store had to enlarge the room in order to meet the demands of her trade. She buys her stock from the best houses in the country. The travelling salesmen who visit the town with millinery goods call on her and give her the same attention to secure her patronage as they do the white ladies in the same business. I hope that many colored ladies who may read this short sketch will be inspired to at least try and start some kind of business.
RISHER BAKERY COMPANY.
Mr. H. T. Risher, of Jackson, Miss., who owns and operates a very large and successful bakery business, has taken a new departure in the line of business for colored people. I have only found two men engaged in that line of work. One was Mr. Jones, at Danville, Va., and Mr. Risher, of Jackson. His place of business is equipped with all the modern appliances for a first-class bake shop. Mr. Risher's trade extends to many of the towns in the State, where he supplies merchants who sell his bread. He has several delivery wagons that are used to supply his city patrons. Mr. Risher is regarded as a very excellent man, who is much interested in all that will advance the cause of his race in a business and educational way. He has been one of the leading spirits in building up Campbell College at Jackson, one of the A. M. E. schools. Mr. Risher owns splendid property and enjoys the respect of both white and colored people.
MR. F. B. COFFIN.
F. B. Coffin, of Little Rock, Ark., is a druggist by profession. He operates a very fine drug store at Little Rock for Mr. Geo. E. Jones. Mr. Coffin is a graduate from Meharry Medical College, at Nashville, Tenn. In addition to his work as a druggist he has written a book of poems, entitled "Coffin's Poems." The book has 248 pages, and contains some very interesting matter, which shows his ability as a writer. Part of his book is devoted to the question of Lynch law, and he speaks out like a true and brave man against that awful curse to this country.
MR. J. E. BUSH.
J. E. Bush was born in Moscow, Tenn., in 1856. His parents moved to Arkansas during the rebellious unpleasantness of 1862. At an early age he manifested the energy and self-reliance that has developed him into the useful prominence of a worthy and highly respected citizen. He earned his tuition at school by moulding brick. He may have made "bricks without straw," but his manliness has never allowed him to complain of the many hardships he has endured to overcome the difficulties in his experience or surmount the obstacles with which he has so often been brought into contact. Mr. Bush was educated in the schools of Little Rock, Ark. He has been successful in life and owns valuable property there. He has also held some important political positions, and was appointed in 1898 by President McKinley as Receiver of the United States Land Office at Little Rock.
DR. G. W. BELL.
Dr. G. W. Bell, of Pine Bluff, Ark., is a graduate of Lincoln University, and he took his medical training at "The University of Michigan." He has a very large practice. Dr. Bell has established, in connection with his profession, a private sanitarium for the benefit of those who come to him from a distance for treatment. He has built a comfortable building for that purpose, and I think it is the only institution of the kind carried on by a colored doctor in the State.
MISS MATTIE JENNETE JOHNSON.
Miss Mattie J. Johnson is employed as a saleslady in Siegel, Cooper & Company's large store in the city of Chicago. She began work for them in 1893, and has been there ever since. Miss Johnson is in the grocery department, and is looked upon by her employers as one of the most competent women in their store. She has many warm friends among the patrons of the establishment. While Miss Johnson is the first colored lady thus employed, knowing that she was colored when they engaged her, I am sure she will not be the last, and I hope many young women will prepare themselves for some useful place.
DR. T. M. DORAM, M. D. V.
DR. T. M. DORAM, M. D. V.
Dr. Doram will doubtless be quite a bit of interest to the readers of this book, from the fact that he is the first and only negro graduate to receive a diploma from a veterinary college in the United States. He was born in Danville, Ky., where his parents own valuable farm land. His father was a carpenter, and when Dr. Doram was young he worked with him at the trade. After he had finished at the public school, in 1892, he entered Eckstein Norton University at Cane Spring, Ky. While there the building was destroyed by fire. Dr. Doram then found his knowledge of the carpenter's trade of great value to him and the school, in helping to rebuild the college building. In 1896 he entered the McKillip Veterinary College at Chicago, Ill. At the close of the first year he was at the head of his class in materia medica, and the second year he led his class in pharmacy, and during his last year he was made senior instructor of his class, an honor of which he may be justly proud. In 1899, when he graduated, he came to Evanston, Ill., where he enjoys a good practice, and he is called in his profession by the best people in that very wealthy and aristocratic community. I very much hope that a few at least of the young colored men who may read this sketch may be inspired to take up the profession of veterinary medicine and surgery, for I am confident that many could succeed in different parts of the country.
MR. J. W. ADAMS.
MR. J. W. ADAMS.
In presenting a few words about Mr. J. W. Adams and his business I feel that I am doing the people at large a great favor to give them an opportunity to know something about this eminently successful colored business man. My attention was first called to Mr. Adams by Prof. Booker T. Washington while I was lecturing at Tuskegee. I changed my plans somewhat in order that I might visit Montgomery, Ala., and see both the man and his place of business. Mr. Adams was born in 1867. He began business for himself about 1899. But before that he picked up some knowledge of business by working for a large clothing house in Montgomery. He first went there as a porter, but in time they allowed him to sell goods. Mr. Adams always saved his money, and when he had about three hundred and fifty dollars he decided to make an effort for himself. He now operates a large store, where he sells dry goods, clothing, millinery, boots and shoes, hats, caps, trunks, notions, etc. Mr. Adams carries a stock of over twenty thousand dollars, and his store covers over four thousand square feet; but he first started in a room only 18 by 19 feet. His patrons are about evenly divided between white and colored people. He gives employment to a large number of clerks, all colored. In the millinery department I found two young ladies who had learned their trade at Tuskegee. Many of the white ladies in Montgomery buy their hats at Mr. Adams' store. I need not tell you that he is of great importance and help to the race, for we all know what a great inspiration such a man must be in stimulating a feeling among young men to at least try to build up some business interest.
MR. H. A. LOVELESS.
MR. H. A. LOVELESS.
Mr. H. A. Loveless is also a resident of Montgomery, Ala., and must be classed among the successful business men of the race. He, like Mr. Adams, began business on a small scale, and by hard work and an untiring effort he has made a showing no man need to be ashamed of. Mr. Loveless operates a coal and wood yard, where he gives employment to a large force of men. He also owns teams and does general hauling, and has nine fine carriages that are kept on the street for the benefit of the general public. Then, in addition to what I have referred, Mr. Loveless has a very large undertaker's establishment, which also gives quite a number of people employment. He owns fine town property, and is regarded by both white and colored people as a very excellent man. He takes an active part in church work, and is especially interested in every movement that will advance the colored people in the development of business interest. He along with other leading men of the race feel that industrial education, and a good business training for the young, will prove a great factor in the solution of what we call a "race problem."
PROF. R. B. HUDSON.
PROF. R. B. HUDSON.
Prof. R. B. Hudson is a resident of Selma, Ala., where he is principal of the city school for colored youths. The school is a very large one, and is regarded by such men as B. T. Washington, W. H. Councill and others as the best public school in the State. Mr. Hudson has been very active in educational and religious work, and for over fifteen years has been superintendent of a large Sunday-school, and president of the largest District Sunday-school Convention in the State. He is also secretary for the Baptist State Convention, and statistician for the Baptist denomination in the State. Prof. Hudson was for six years secretary of the State Teachers' Association, and was then elevated to the presidency. So one can see that in a religious and educational work Mr. Hudson has been a very useful man, and I am glad to inform my readers that he has also done something in a business way, that is of great value to the race in starting a large coal and wood yard in Selma, where he gives employment to quite a force of men. There are six coal and wood yards in the city, and Prof. Hudson has the second in size. His business in that line brings him an income of over ten thousand dollars per year, and his customers are made up of all classes, among them bankers, lawyers and leading merchants among the white people. Prof. Hudson is still young, and I am sure has a great future ahead of him.
DR. L. L. BURWELL.
Dr. Burwell is also a resident of Selma, Ala., and a young man the people seem very fond of. He worked his way through school and graduated with high honors at Selma University, after which he entered Leonard Medical College, at Raleigh, N. C., and by hard work finished the four-year course in three. Dr. Burwell located at Selma, and has built up a very extensive practice. He owns valuable property, and operates one of the largest drug stores in the South, and perhaps the largest owned by a colored man. The country people have great confidence in him, not only as a physician, but as a splendid business man, and from far in the country people come to get his opinion on some business matter. In our late war with Spain the doctor induced over thirty colored men to enlist, on the ground that they ought to show their loyalty to the American government. I regret that I am unable to present a picture of the doctor.
JOHN M. BROWN.
Mr. John M. Brown is to me a very interesting character. My attention was first called to him by a white man who sells the goods manufactured by Mr. Brown. The white man was a Southerner, but seemed quite proud of him. He is located in Macon, Ga., and operates a broom factory on quite a large scale, so much so that most of the time he has fifteen people employed. He makes only a high grade of brooms and sells them to the white merchants. Mr. Brown does not send out a white man to sell his goods, but goes himself and presents his claim for their patronage on the merits of his manufactured article. I am glad to tell my readers that only on one or two occasions has his color been a hindrance to him in the State of Georgia, as far as the sale of his brooms are concerned. Just one other point of interest that will, I am sure, be appreciated, and that is, Mr. Brown has taught colored men the trade of broom making, and employs only members of the race.
MR. CHARLES W. CHESTNUT.
Few people are aware of the fact that Mr. Charles W. Chestnut, whose volumes of character sketches and short stories have made him famous, is a colored man. His home is in Cleveland, and to meet him on the street one would take him for a clerk in a store rather than an author. Until within the past couple of years Mr. Chestnut was a court stenographer in Cleveland and employed several assistants. He has reported dozens of large conventions in this city, and he is known to thousands as a stenographer. Mr. Chestnut is of medium size and of very slight build. His hair is light and he has a small, light mustache. His hair has a slight tendency to kink, but this is hardly noticeable. His complexion is very fair, so much so that many Cleveland people believe him a white man.
PROVIDENT HOSPITAL.
Provident Hospital and Training School, St. Louis, Mo., opened for the care of colored patients in this city on the 4th day of April, 1899, with a staff of nine colored physicians and a consulting staff of nine white.
It has a Board of Managers composed of colored citizens of this city, it is a regular chartered institution, and has a capacity of fifteen beds, modern operating room, and three young colored women in training. Some of the most difficult operations known to surgery have been performed at the hospital during the past year. The hospital has been furnished entirely by the colored people of this city.
This institution meets a long-felt want, as the colored people are not admitted to the white hospitals in St. Louis. Miss J. E. Valentine, a graduate of the Freedmen's Hospital Training School, is head nurse. The course in the training school is two years.
Dr. Samuel P. Stafford, a graduate of the Medical Department of the University of Pennsylvania, and lately one of the internes of Freedmen's Hospital and Douglass Hospital, is the physician in charge. The future of the hospital is full of hope and growing in usefulness. Dr. Curtis is President of the Board of Managers; W. E. Jackson, Secretary; C. H. Dodge, Treasurer.
This data should have appeared in chapter twenty-five on Hospitals and Homes, but came too late. It, however, will be of interest to my readers.
WARREN KING.
Mr. Warren King, of Cincinnati, Ohio, is making a most excellent impression among the better class of white people as to his qualifications as a splendid business man. Mr. King has taken charge of the restaurant in what is known as the Cumberland Flats. Only the very best people live in those Flats, and they must be persons of means to afford it. Mr. King boards all who live in those magnificent buildings. He has a great many friends, and is regarded by those who take meals in his restaurant as a most excellent manager.
J. A. BRABOY & SONS.
I have stated in several places in this book that colored people are here and there engaging in all kinds of business. It is with pleasure that I call attention to Mr. J. A. Braboy & Sons, of Kokomo, Ind. These gentlemen operate what is known as a "Temple of Music." They keep on hand a good assortment of high grade pianos and organs; in fact, they handle only the best that is on the market. In addition to their stock of pianos and organs, they keep a general line of music and musical instruments. Mr. Braboy owns splendid property, and is respected by the leading people in Kokomo.
MR. Z. E. WALKER.
Mr. Z. E. Walker, of Sumter, S. C., is one of the most successful merchants in that city. He operates what is known as a general store, where all kinds of goods are sold. He owns a great deal of very valuable property in town and one or two plantations in the country. He stands high in business, church and society. Mr. Walker began business with a very small amount of money, but is now looked upon as a very well-to-do man.
MR. W. G. JOHNSON.
Mr. W. G. Johnson, of Macon, Ga., has one of the best shoe stores in that city. His stock is not only large, but is in every way up to date. Mr. Johnson feels that if he buys the best goods made his people, and especially the better class of colored people, cannot have that as an excuse for giving their patronage to the white merchants. Aside from his shoe store, he owns some very excellent property; in fact, he owns the whole block in which his store is kept. He is a young man, and I believe has a useful future before him.
JAMES A. JOYCE.
Mr. James A. Joyce, of Cleveland, Ohio, is employed by the King Iron Bridge Co. of that city. Mr. Joyce is the only colored man engaged as a bridge draftsman in the U. S. A. His work for that company is making designs for high grade bridge work. Mr. Joyce has on several occasions been sent out on large contracts to oversee the construction of some very difficult work in their line. I am sorry that I am unable to give a picture of Mr. Joyce in connection with this brief mention of what I regard as a very important character in race history.
R. B. FITZGERALD.
Mr. Fitzgerald is a resident of Durham, N. C., and is one of the largest brick manufacturers in the United States. He makes a specialty of fine and ornamental brick. Mr. Fitzgerald lives in one of the handsomest residences in Durham. He is also interested in what is known as the Durham Real Estate, Mercantile and Manufacturing Company. It is not a "trust" or grasping monopoly; on the contrary, it is a trust for the people, through which, on the most generous plan, they can with absolute safety and ease become stockholders, do business and become factors in the mercantile world.
This corporation is formed under the laws of the State of North Carolina to promote manufacturing and mercantile interests, thus becoming a factor in the development of nature's resources as they exist in North Carolina, thereby opening up an avenue heretofore unknown to colored people.
The shares are low, within the reach of all. For $10.00 one can become a stockholder and will be entitled to an equal share of all profit, which dividends will be declared and paid at such periods as will be designated by their by-laws.
With ample capital, backed by such well known parties as R. B. Fitzgerald, P. H. Smith, D. A. Lane, and others, under its agreements consolidating large interests, it is able to provide homes and investments, large or small, at a great benefit to its patrons, and, with absolute safety and ease, enable one to become the owner of the most precious thing on earth—a home for his family.
HOSPITAL AND TRAINING SCHOOL FOR NURSES.
The hospital and training school located at Charleston, S. C., was organized in 1897, for the purpose of training colored women as nurses. That such an institution was needed in that community is evidenced by the fact that their nurses are always in demand, and graduates find ready employment.
Students have been admitted to the institution, not only from Charleston and vicinity, but from all parts of this State, and from some adjoining States.
The course extends through two years, the first year being devoted to lectures and practical work in the hospital, and the second year to practical work in the hospital and to outside cases.
Thorough training is given in all branches of the nurse's profession, including the nursing of surgical cases. Tuition is free, and nurses are given board and lodging in the hospital building. Candidates for admission to the training school must be of good character, in good health, and have a common school education.
Further information may be procured by addressing the Surgeon-in-Chief, Dr. A. C. McClennan, at the hospital, No. 135 Cannon St., Charleston, S. C.
The general public is asked to give what aid they can for the support and development of this most worthy institution. If those who have means to give would take into consideration that by educating some young colored lady as a trained nurse they have helped one more of the race to leave somebody's cook kitchen, and enter a life where they can not only be self-sustaining, but their position would give both dignity and standing to the race.
Dr. A. C. McClennan, who is in charge of the hospital, I found a very pleasant gentleman, and one who is kept busy with a large practice outside of the hospital work. This information came too late to be mentioned with other such institutions written up in my book.
DR. L. J. HARRIS.
Dr. L. J. Harris is a native of Virginia and a son of Samuel Harris, of Williamsburg, the noted merchant referred to on page 300 of this book. Dr. Harris is a graduate of Harvard, and has taken a special course of study in the treatment of the eye, ear, nose and throat, and has located in Boston, and gives all of his time to this special work. There have been a large number of colored doctors educated, and I think that, as a rule, they are succeeding in their profession as regular practitioners. But Dr. Harris is the first to establish himself as a specialist. We most certainly wish him well in this departure from a regular line of practice, and hope his success may inspire other young men to follow in his footsteps.
MR. EDWARD C. BERRY.
MR. E. C. BERRY.
Mr. E. C. Berry, owner and proprietor of a $60,000 hotel at Athens, Ohio, is a man that I feel the world ought to know. He was born at Oberlin, Ohio, in 1855; his education was received at Albany, a hamlet in Athens county. When fifteen years of age he went to Athens and was employed as a hodcarrier on the Hospital for the Insane, then in course of building. Mr. Berry was married in 1875, and for a time he boarded his wife at his own people's home. His first business venture was a lunch counter, which he started without any means, and was already $40.00 in debt. After he had got fairly started his wife joined him, and in 1878 they opened a restaurant in a small building on the site of the present hotel, and Mr. Berry's peculiar talent for serving palatable viands made him the popular caterer of the town. His restaurant was often patronized by traveling men who would arrive too late to get a meal at the hotel, and because of the most excellent meals served at his restaurant those men would ask, Why do you not open a hotel? and at the same time would say, If you will, you can count on my being one of your patrons. So many of those who took meals at his restaurant said about the same thing to him that he felt encouraged to make the effort. In 1892 Mr. Berry purchased the adjoining building and commenced the erection of a twenty-room hotel. From the very first the business paid; the house was new, neat and clean, and always full of people, so much so that Mr. Berry soon found that his house was inadequate for the business. In 1894 he built two large sample rooms, over which he arranged four more sleeping rooms. But one year later was—because of the increase in his trade—forced to again enlarge his house. Up to that time he had spent very near five thousand dollars in improvements. In 1899 Mr. Berry enlarged his house to its present capacity, which is forty-six sleeping rooms, a dining room with a seating capacity of seventy-five, a light, well-ventilated room used exclusively for writing 20 by 40 feet, one reading room 15 by 30 feet, four good, light sample rooms on ground floor, and the whole house is heated with three large hot-water heaters, with public bath-rooms on each floor, and several rooms with bath. The success that has come to Mr. Berry in the hotel business is due wholly to the fact that he is a natural-born caterer and a splendid manager. I have traveled for years in this and other countries, and I am free to say that the "Hotel Berry" is one of the best furnished houses I ever saw. Mr. Berry gives his personal attention to every detail that will make those who are guests in his house comfortable. His trade comes only from the best people on the road. He employs two clerks, one white and one colored. Colored people who are refined and represent the same class of whites who stop there are never turned away. I was pleased to hear him say that much of his success was due to the constant oversight his wife had of affairs in the inside management of the house. I only wish I could write an article that would paint a word-picture strong enough to make the American people see what a magnificent hotel Mr. Berry really keeps. Aside from his very busy life, he finds time to do a lot of church work, and is looked upon as the leading man in the colored Baptist church of Athens.
E. C. BERRY'S $60,000 HOTEL.
MR. DUMAR WATKINS.
MR. DUMAR WATKINS.
Dumar Watkins is another member of the race who should be known by the American people at large. Mr. Watkins is holding a position and doing a line of work that has never been done by any colored man in connection with a white institution such as the one with which he is associated. My attention was called to him while lecturing at Princeton, N. J., by Rev. J. Q. Johnson. I am sure it will be as much a surprise to my readers, and I hope as much of a pleasure, as it was to me, when I learned that the pathologist of Princeton University was a colored man in the person of Dumar Watkins. When we called upon him we found him at his work, preparing some pathological slides for microscopic use. He is much liked at the university, and is considered very proficient in his work. The picture I present here of Mr. Watkins is a splendid likeness of the man. I need not tell my readers that Princeton University is regarded as one of the greatest schools in the world, and it ought to very much increase the colored people's race pride to know that a member of the race holds such a position there as Mr. Watkins occupies.
MR. LEWIS H. LATIMER.
MR. LEWIS H. LATIMER.
Lewis H. Latimer, of New York city, is the only member of the race engaged in the line of work he represents. In 1880 Mr. Latimer entered the employ of the United States Electric Lighting Company as a draftsman and private secretary to Sir Hiram S. Maxim, of Maxim gun fame. In 1881 Mr. Latimer was sent to England by the above-named company to establish the manufacture of the incandescent electric lamps in the factory of the Maxim, Weston Electric Light Company of London. He returned in the latter part of 1882, and continued only a few months in the employment of the company who sent him abroad. For some time he served as draftsman and electrician in several minor companies. He was employed by the Edison Electric Light Company in 1886, and has remained with them practically ever since, although that company has been absorbed by the General Electric Lighting Company. Mr. Latimer is kept in what is known as the legal expert department, and is regarded as a very competent man in his profession. He stands almost alone in his work as a colored man. I have only known of about three members of the race who have made any effort along that line, but the other two never succeeded in making any headway, at least not enough to become known to any extent. Now, one can easily see that the people who employ Mr. Latimer must hold him in high esteem and place in him the most implicit confidence, or they would never have sent him to another country to represent their business. This mention of Mr. Latimer is another evidence that colored people are gradually but surely getting into all lines of business and professions, and I hope that in time we may call attention to other successful electricians among the race.
MR. J. S. ATWOOD.
MR. J. S. ATWOOD.
Mr. J. S. Atwood, of Ripley, Ohio, is a member of the race who has a great many friends and admirers among both white and colored people. At present Mr. Atwood is engaged in the livery business on a very large scale. His horses and carriages are the best, and his trade comes from the leading people in the city. He not only owns the large building where his business is carried on, but he owns quite a number of others in the place. He was born a slave in Alabama, and is a brother of Mr. W. Q. Atwood, of Saginaw, Mich., who is also mentioned in this book. For years he has been active in the interest of his race, especially in defending their rights. He was one who urged Bishop Arnett to introduce the bill in the Ohio legislature that mixed the schools of the State, and in that way gave several thousand colored children an educational opportunity who had before that been kept out of school, as there were only colored schools in towns where the colored population was large. For sixteen years Mr. Atwood was a member of the board of councilmen of Ripley, Ohio. He has always been a strong and very influential Republican, but his general popularity as a leader and strong man was such that he was chosen by a Democratic governor to take the presidency of the Ohio Institution for the Education of the Blind, located at Columbus, Ohio. He served as president of this institution for five years, and while there brought about many reforms in the interest of the race. Before he went there colored people had never held positions of any kind at the institution; in fact, colored children had been put off by themselves to both eat and sleep. Mr. Atwood soon put a stop to that sort of thing, and he also appointed several colored people to different positions about the institution, such as clerks and teachers. Some of the colored teachers appointed by him gave such general satisfaction that they are still retained, although he has been away for years. At Ripley Mr. Atwood is looked upon as a very important citizen, and his color in no way stands in the way of his popularity and usefulness.
GEORGE W. FRANKLIN, JR.
GEORGE W. FRANKLIN, JR.
George W. Franklin, Jr., was born in Rome, Ga., December 11, 1865. He learned the blacksmith trade with his father, who is still living and engaged at his trade. Mr. Franklin saved his money from childhood, and by the time he was a man he had enough to start business with. His first effort in a business way was a hack line and livery stable; in this he succeeded. Seeing the need of a colored undertaker in Rome, he began by making his own hearse, which was the first ever owned by a colored man in Rome. In time he wanted a larger field for his business, and moved to Chattanooga, Tenn., and opened an undertaker's establishment on a larger scale. In five years' time he built up a business that brought him several thousand dollars per year. He now owns three beautiful funeral cars and landau carriages, dead wagons and a beautiful lot of white horses. Mr. Franklin has over ten thousand dollars invested in his business and is out of debt. He is recognized by white undertakers to the extent that when either he or they have large funerals they will exchange carriages with each other. He buys only the best of everything used in his business, and has bought a large tract of land for burial purposes, which is known as East View Cemetery. I found him a very pleasant man. He is much interested in the race, and when Booker T. Washington called a meeting in 1900 of the colored business men of this country, which met in Boston, Mass., Mr. Franklin took an active part, and, in fact, gave an address there that was regarded as very able by the press of Boston.