David George (Baptist)

David George (c. 1740 or 1742–1810) was an African-American Baptist preacher and a Black Loyalist from the American South who escaped to British lines, accepted transport to Nova Scotia and eventually resettled in Freetown, Sierra Leone.^[1] George founded the Silver Bluff Baptist Church in South Carolina in 1775. He was later affiliated with the First African Baptist Church of Savannah, Georgia. After migration, he founded Baptist congregations in Nova Scotia and Freetown, Sierra Leone. George wrote an account of his life that is one the most important early slave narratives.

Early life and escapes

David George was born in Essex County, Virginia in either 1740 or 1742 to African parents John and Judith, as the slave of a man called 'Chapel'. George ran away with the help of some white travelers and worked for these men for some time. It was not until his master offered a reward for George that he ran away and worked for another white man whom he encountered (this time for many years). Because his master continued to pursue him, George migrated to South Carolina.

He was captured by a Creek Indian chief named Blue Salt. He considered George his prize and made him work. When George's owner found out that he was working for Blue Salt, he brought rum, linen and a gun to exchange for the slave but Blue Salt refused to give him up. For several years, George ended up working for both the Creek and Natchez Indians.

George escaped and ran away again, this time encountering a Scottish trader named George Gaulfin (appears in some records as Galphin), for whom he worked four years. Because of his close association with the Native Americans, Gaulfin had many slaves who had intermarried with the Creek.

Marriage and family

During this time, George met and married Phyllis, who was part Creek.^[2] Together they had four children born in what is now the United States. They had two more children born while in Nova Scotia, and four more children born in Sierra Leone.

Baptism

In 1773 George met an old childhood friend and former slave, George Liele, who had been converted to the Baptist faith. During the Great Awakening, Baptist preachers had traveled throughout the South, converting both whites and blacks, free and slave. Impressed with Liele's conversion, George, his wife and eight others were baptized at Silver Bluff. In 1775 George and eight other slaves formed one of the first African-American Baptist congregations in the United States.^[3] Three years later, the slaves escaped to Savannah, where they gained freedom behind British lines. George continued to minister to a Baptist congregation.

Nova Scotia and Sierra Leone

As they had promised, in 1782 the British began transportation of black Loyalist former slaves to Nova Scotia and other colonies. They transported George, his wife and three children (Jesse, David and Ginny) to Nova Scotia for freedom after the defeat of the British during the American War of Independence. This was part of an evacuation of nearly 3500 former slaves from the United States to Nova Scotia. George and his wife became one of the influential African-American families at Birchtown, the center of black settlement. George was the leader of the Baptist contingent of the African-American Loyalists, and he also attracted whites to his congregation, which gave rise to resentment in the white community.

Several years later, the George family chose to migrate with other Black Loyalists to Freetown, Sierra Leone, where the British provided some assistance in setting up a new colony and settlement. George founded the first Baptist church there. George was very influential; he was elected a tythingman, a position of power in the colony at that time. George wrote a memoir that is considered one of the important slave narratives. He died in Freetown in 1810.

His descendants are part of the Sierra Leone Creole people of the Western Area of Freetown. ^[4] Many of George's descendants belong to the Masonic Lodges of Sierra Leone. One of his descendants, also named David George, is a member of the organization Amistad Sankofa, working to educate students about international issues and bridge the racial divide.^[5]

In August 2007, the African United Baptist Association of Nova Scotia and the Atlantic Baptist Convention had a joint convention and liturgy, to acknowledge earlier racism by the white convention, and seek reconciliation. They had had separate associations since the 19th century.^[6]

George in film

• George was portrayed by Joseph Marcell in the BBC television production of Rough Crossings (2007), based on the history of Black Loyalists and the formation of Freetown by Simon Schama.

References and notes

1. ^ http://atlanticportal.hil.unb.ca/dev/acva/blackloyalists/en/context/articles/cahill.pdf "Black Loyalists"], Atlantic Portal, University of New Brunswick, accessed 4 May 2010. Some historians criticize the term "Black Loyalist" because they believe there is not sufficient evidence to prove enslaved African Americans were loyal to the British.
2. ^ Simon Schama, Rough Crossings, Toronto: Penguin Group, 2005)
3. ^ Gleile
4. ^ Wayne Adams, "Black, white Baptists bridge centuries-old racial divide", The Daily News, Halifax, Canada, 22 Aug 2007, reprinted on Amistad America, accessed 4 May 2010]
5. ^ Wayne Adams, "Black, white Baptists bridge centuries-old racial divide", The Daily News, Halifax, Canada, 22 Aug 2007, reprinted on Amistad America, accessed 4 May 2010]
6. ^ Wayne Adams, "Black, white Baptists bridge centuries-old racial divide", The Daily News, Halifax, Canada, 22 Aug 2007, reprinted on Amistad America, accessed 4 May 2010]

Further reading

• Walter H. Brooks, The Silver Bluff Church: A History of Negro Baptist Churches in America (Washington, D.C.: Press of R. L. Pendleton, 1910)
• James St G. Walker, The Black Loyalists: The Search for a Promised Land in Nova Scotia and Sierra Leone, 1783-1870 (New York: Africana Publishing Co., 1976)
• Robin W. Winks, The Blacks in Canada: A History, 2nd ed. (Montreal: McGill-Queens University Press, 1997)
• Pearleen Oliver, A Brief History of the Coloured Baptists of Nova Scotia (Halifax, N.S.: s.n., 1953).

Persondata
Name	George, David
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1742
Place of birth
Date of death	1810
Place of death