Notable Kentucky African Americans Database

Gaddie, Daniel Abraham, Sr.
Birth Year : 1836
Death Year : 1911
Reverend D. A. Gaddie was born in Hart County, KY, the son of a slave owner whose last name was Jamison. He changed his last name to Gaddie after he was freed. Gaddie was a blacksmith and became an ordained minister in 1865. A very active member of the Association of the Kentucky Baptist, he was pastor of a number of churches in Louisville, including the Green Street Baptist Church during the 1870s. It is estimated that Rev. Gaddie baptized more than 1,000 people. Rev. Gaddie received an honorary Doctor of Divinity in 1887 from State University [later Simmons University] in Louisville, KY. Some sources say that he was a graduated of the school. Gaddie was also a member of the school's Board of Trustees for seven years, and of the Executive Board for 16 years. Rev. D. A. Gaddie's name can be found on a number of African American marriage certificates, including that of James Cambron and Lucenda Fry Cambron, married in 1895; their certificate is included in the Kentucky African American Vital Records Project. For more see Afro-American Encyclopaedia: Or, the Thoughts, Doings..., by James T. Haley, p. 476 [available online at the UNC Library, Documenting the American South website]; the Daniel Abraham Gaddie entry in v.4 of the Afro-American Encyclopedia; and the Rev. Daniel Abraham Gaddie entry in Men of Mark by W. J. Simmons and H. M. Turner [available full view at Google Book Search].
Subjects: Freedom, Kentucky African American Churches, Religion & Church Work, Blacksmiths
Geographic Region: Hart County, Kentucky / Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky

Gaines, Harris B., Sr.
Birth Year : 1888
Death Year : 1964
Born in Henderson, KY, Gaines was Assistant State's Attorney in Cook County, Illinois (1925-1928) and a member of the Illinois State Legislature (1928-1935). Gaines represented the 1st District of Chicago. He was the husband of Irene Mcoy Gaines (1892-1964), and the father of Illinois State Representative Charles E. Gaines (1924-2000). The Harris B. Gaines and Irene M. Gaines Papers are held at the University of Illinois Archives. [The Social Security Death Index gives his birth date as April 6, 1888.] For more see Who's Who in Colored America, 1933-37.
Subjects: Migration North, Politicians, Politics, Appointments & Elections, Legislators (Outside Kentucky)
Geographic Region: Henderson, Henderson County, Kentucky / Chicago, Cook County, Illinois

Gaither, William "Bill"
Birth Year : 1910
Death Year : 1970
Gaither was born in Belmont, KY. Popular during the 1930s as a guitarist and blues singer, he recorded under the name Little Bill Gaither and also Leroy's Buddy after the death of his friend and performance partner, Leroy Carr. For more see The Encyclopedia of Louisville ed., by J. E. Kleber; and The Blues. From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray, by T. Russell.
Subjects: Musicians, Opera, Singers, Song Writers
Geographic Region: Belmont, Bullitt or Harrison County, Kentucky

Gamble, Joseph Dunbar
Birth Year : 1926
Death Year : 2005
Gamble, born in Browder, KY, the son of Bessie Breckner Gamble. The family moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana, when Joseph was a child. Around 1960, Gamble and his mother, Bessie, were on their way to a church revival in Phoenix, Arizona, when their car broke down in New Mexico. Gamble liked the area so much that he went back to Fort Wayne, packed up his family, and moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1961. He became the first African American licensed contractor in the city, sole owner of Abdullah Construction from 1967-1986, incorporating the company as Gamble, Gamble, Gamble, and Gamble Construction Company in 1986. Joseph Gamble was also president of the Albuquerque branch of the NAACP from 1962-1966, advocating for fair housing legislation. He was founder and director of the Albuquerque Afro-American Cultural Center. In 1999 he was awarded the Carnis Salisbury Humanitarian Award. For more see L. Jojola, "Contractor was Noted Civil Rights Activist," Albuquerque Journal, 06/23/2005, Obituaries section, p. D13.
Subjects: Activists, Civil Rights, Construction, Contractors, Builders, Historians, Migration North, Migration West, NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People)
Geographic Region: Browder, Muhlenburg County, Kentucky / Fort Wayne, Indiana / Albuquerque, New Mexico

Garden of Eden (Fort Worth, TX)
Start Year : 1860
Garden of Eden is a historically Black community in Fort Worth, TX, that was settled by freed slaves from Kentucky and Tennessee around 1860. There were 54 households along the Trinity River. Today, the community has a population of 20, descendants of the original settlers. The Garden of Eden had fallen on hard times until the neighborhood association was developed in 2004. Since then the area has been designated a historic neighborhood. Garden of Eden received the 2004 Neighborhood of the Year Award. A cookbook, Recipes from Out to the House, contains a history of the community. In 2008, the city of Fort Worth began adding water and sewer lines to the church; others rely on septic tanks. For more see J. Milligan, "Historically black neighborhood reclaiming paradise," Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 03/10/2008, Domestic News section; and Garden of Eden Neighborhood Association website.
Subjects: Communities, Migration West
Geographic Region: Kentucky / Tennessee / Garden of Eden, Fort Worth, Texas

Gardner, Redondo Lee "Donnie"
Birth Year : 1968
Born in Louisville, KY, Gardner played defensive lineman at Trinity High School there; he was considered among the best high school defensive linemen in Kentucky. Gardner played college ball at the University of Kentucky for four seasons before being dismissed from the team his senior year (in 1989). He had been the only true freshman to letter his first year, and in his final season he was second on the team in sacks with four and eighth on the team with 49 tackles. Gardner was taken in the 7th round of the 1990 NFL draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and played for one season. He is the brother of Carwell Gardner. For more see J. Clay, "Claiborne kicks Donnie Gardner off team," Lexington Herald-Leader, 11/14/1989; and Donnie Gardner at the databaseFootball.com website.
Subjects: Football
Geographic Region: Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky

Garner, Margaret
Birth Year : 1833
Death Year : 1856
Garner was a runaway slave who was later recaptured and died in a shipwreck on the way back to Kentucky. She had killed one of her children rather than have the child returned to slavery. Toni Morrison's novel, Beloved, is based on Margaret Garner. For more see "Horrible Affair," Louisville Daily Courier, 01/30/1856; and Modern Medea, by S. Weisenburger.
Subjects: Freedom
Geographic Region: Kentucky

Garrison-Corbin, Patricia
Birth Year : 1947
Death Year : 2009
Born in Louisville, KY, Garrison-Corbin was the first African American female Sloan Fellow at MIT. She was the founder, chair and chief executive officer of P. G. Corbin & Company, the first African American female-owned Wall Street financial services corporation. In 1982 she became the first African American female officer in public finance at Drexel Burnham Lambert. Patricia Garrison-Corbin died of breast cancer in October 2009, she had lived in Center City Philadelphia, PA. She was the daughter of William and Ruby Garrison, and the wife of James D. Corbin. For more see Western Kentucky University Hall of Distinguished Alumni; "Corbin's Key to Success," The Bond Buyer, 10/31/02; Who's Who Among African Americans, 1985-2006; and J. F. Morrison, "Patricia G. Corbin, financial whiz, dies at 62," Philadelphia Daily News, 10/21/2009, Local section, p.26.
Subjects: Bankers, Banks, Finance, Financial Advisors, Businesses, Migration North
Geographic Region: Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky

Gavlin, Chrystel L. C.
Chrystel Gavlin was a 1986 graduate of Jessamine County High School in Nicholasville, Kentucky. She earned a B.A. in Elementary Education at the College of St. Frances in Joliet, IL, in 1990 and graduated from the Northern Illinois University College of Law in 1996. She was the Assistant State's Attorney for Dupage County in Wheaton, IL, the second African American to hold that post. In 2001, Gavlin opened her own law practice in Joliet, IL. For more see "February is Black History Month," The Jessamine Journal, 02/23/2006, p. A8.
Subjects: Lawyers, Migration North
Geographic Region: Nicholasville, Jessamine County, Kentucky / Joliet, Illinois

Gay, Tyson
Birth Year : 1983
Gay is an outstanding track star from Lexington, KY, the son of Daisy Gay Lowe and Greg Mitchell. He is a graduate of Lafayette High School in Lexington, where he won three State Class 3A 100-meter championships and in 2001 set the standing record of 10.6 seconds. Gay attended Barton Community College in Kansas, where he won the Junior College 100-meter Crown in 2002. His successful career running both the 100 and 200-meter races continued in Arkansas. In 2006, Track and Field ranked Gay 2nd in the world in the 100 and 1st in the 200. At the 2007 USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships, Gay set a new record of 19.62 seconds in the 200, beating the record of 19.66 set by Michael Johnson in 1996. For more see M. Maloney, "Catch him if you can - Lexingtonian is split-second away from being world's fastest human," Lexington Herald-Leader, 03/04/2007, Main News section, p. A1; and M. Maloney, "Gay, in a runaway - Lexington native tops Michael Johnson's meet record," Lexington Herald-Leader, 06/25/2007, Sports section, p. D1.
Subjects: Track & Field
Geographic Region: Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky / Great Bend, Kansas / Arkansas

Gaylord, Ruth A. Burton
Birth Year : 1938
Born in Richmond, KY, Ruth Gaylord graduated from Richmond High School in 1956, Berea College in 1962, and the University of Kentucky (UK) College of Library and Information Science in 1984. She was first a library assistant for the Lexington (KY) Public Library's "InMobile," a bookmobile that provided library services to children in the Lexington inner-city areas. The service was headquartered at Black and Williams Cultural Center on Georgetown Street. While working full-time, Gaylord was also raising four children and caring for her critically ill husband, who was frequently in the hospital; Mr. Harry Gaylord passed away in 1981. Ruth completed her M.S. in Library Science in 1984, becoming the seventh African American to graduate from the UK Library Science program (at the time the College of Library and Information Science) and the first to be employed at the Lexington Public Library. Gaylord said that being the first and only African American librarian at the Lexington Public Library was more of a challenge earlier in her career, but she was determined to succeed. Ruth is not bitter about the past because it was a wise decision for her to attend library school, and she loved being a librarian. She was the Assistant Manager at the Eagle Creek Branch in 2006 when she was nominated by the Lexington Public Library. Gaylord was selected by the University of Kentucky Libraries and the School of Library and Information Science as one of two recipients to receive the Lyman T. Johnson Award for her many years of service as a librarian and for her perseverance, dedication, and contributions to the profession. Ruth Burton Gaylord retired from the Lexington Public Library, May 2008. She is the mother of librarian Harry A. Gaylord at the Supreme Court of Illinois. For more information see "Profile on Ruth Gaylord," News from Lexington Public Library, Sept./Oct., 1984, p. 3; and "Frye, Gaylord receive Torch Award," Lexington Herald-Leader, 12/06/2006, Communities section, p.D2.
Subjects: Librarians, Library Collections, Libraries, Grade Schools & High Schools in Kentucky
Geographic Region: Richmond, Madison County, Kentucky / Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky

Gibson, Clifford
Birth Year : 1901
Death Year : 1963
Gibson was probably born in Louisville or Henderson, KY; however, his birthplace is also given as Alabama or Mississippi. A blues guitarist, most of his first 20 recordings were made in 1929; overall, he made about 40 recordings. He recorded under the name "Grandpappy Gibson." He spent a good deal of his career in St. Louis. For more see All Music Guide to the Blues. The experts' guide to the best blues recordings, 2nd ed., edited by M. Erlewine, et al; and The Encyclopedia of Popular Music, 3rd ed., edited by C. Larkin.
Subjects: Musicians, Opera, Singers, Song Writers
Geographic Region: Louisville, Jefferson County or Henderson, Henderson County, Kentucky / St. Louis, Missouri / Alabama / Mississippi

Gilbert, Artishia Garcia
Birth Year : 1869
Gilbert was the first African American woman to pass the medical boards and become a doctor in Kentucky. She was an 1892 graduate of State University [later Simmons College, KY], an 1893 graduate of the Louisville National Medical College, and an 1897 graduate of Howard University Medical School. She returned to Kentucky and taught obstetrics at the Louisville National Medical College and was superintendent of the Red Cross Sanitarium in Louisville. Gilbert was born in Manchester, KY, and she was the wife of attorney B. O. Wilkerson. For more see Black Women in America, 2nd ed., vol. 2; Women Doctors in the Gilded-Age Washington: race, gender, and professionalization, by G. Moldow; and the Artishia Garcia Gilbert entry in A Historical, Biographical and Statistical Souvenir by Howard University Medical Department [available full view at Google Book Search].
Subjects: Education and Educators, Medical Field, Health Care, Hospitals and Clinics: Employment, Founders, Ownership
Geographic Region: Manchester, Clay County, Kentucky / Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky

Gillard, Howard Harvey
Birth Year : 1883
Death Year : 1971
Howard Gillard was born in Falmouth, KY, the son of Belle and Edward Gillard. The family was living in Milford, OH, in 1900, according to the U.S. Federal Census. Howard Gillard became a lawyer. His office was located at 265 1/2 S. High Street in Columbus, OH. He served as the receptionist and assistant secretary to governors of Ohio. In 1906, Gillard was appointed Messenger in the Ohio Executive Department and was still at that post in 1919. He was also a special writer for the Sunday Dispatch (Ohio). For more see Who's Who in Colored America, 1950; and Journal of the Senate of the...General Assembly of the State of Ohio [full-text available via Google Book Search].
Subjects: Journalists, Newspapers, Magazines, Book Publishers, Music Publishers, Lawyers, Migration North, Politicians, Politics, Appointments & Elections
Geographic Region: Falmouth, Pendleton County, Kentucky / Columbus and Milford, Ohio

Gilmore, Artis
Birth Year : 1949
Born in Florida, Gilmore came to Kentucky in 1971 to play center for the Kentucky Colonels of the American Basketball Association (ABA). The 7'2" Gilmore previously played for two years at Gardner-Webb College and had an outstanding playing career at Jacksonville University. He was a first-round draft choice when the Kentucky Colonels selected him. The Kentucky Colonels existed from 1967-1976 and won the 1975 ABA Finals. Gilmore was named rookie of the year and player of the year his first year in the league, was overall league leader in rebounds and had many more accomplishments during his ABA career. In 1976, the ABA and NBA merged, and Gilmore continued his career with several NBA teams. He retired in 1989 as one of the all-time leaders in number of games played and rebounds. For more on Artis Gilmore see Who's Who of Sports Champions (1995). For more about the Kentucky Colonels see Remembering the ABA: Kentucky Colonels.
Subjects: Basketball
Geographic Region: Jacksonville, Florida / Kentucky / Boiling Springs, North Carolina

Givens, Jack "Goose"
Birth Year : 1956
Givens was born in Lexington, KY. A 6' 4" forward and guard, he scored 41 points while leading the University of Kentucky to the 1978 NCAA Championship. He was a three-time All-SEC player and second leading scorer in the history of the school. Givens was the first African American All-American in Kentucky. He was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks and played for them for two years. For more see Jack Givens at databaseBasketball.com; and the sound recording interview of Jack Givens in Blacks in Lexington Oral History Project, 1900-1989 at Special Collections, University of Kentucky.
Subjects: Basketball
Geographic Region: Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky

Givens, Reuben and Ruth Newby Givens Roper
Givens and Roper are the parents of actress Robin Givens, former wife of heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson, and Stephanie Givens, former professional tennis player. Both Reuben Givens and Ruth Newby Givens Roper are Lexington natives. Reuben was a star baseball and basketball player at Douglass and Lafayette High Schools. He was coached by Charles H. Livisay at Douglass. In 1962, Givens averaged 24.7 points in basketball, winning the Fayette County scoring title, but he did not receive the trophy after the sponsor backed out. He was the first African American basketball player at Lafayette; Douglass High was closed as part of the school system's integration plan. Givens graduated from Lafayette in 1964, the same year he married Ruth Newby. The family lived in New York, where Reuben Givens was tending his options as a professional basketball and baseball player. Ruth had been living in New York with her mother since her parents had divorced when she was a small child; she met Reuben while visiting family in Lexington. Reuben and Ruth Givens divorced in 1969. Reuben Givens, who still resides in New York, is the son of Betty and Dave Givens, the nephew of professional baseball player Lou Johnson, and a brother of University of Kentucky basketball player Jack Givens. For more see the Lexington Herald-Leader articles: B. Reed, "Robin Givens' dad a former Douglass High star," 10/20/1988, Sports section, p. C1, and "Robin Givens' parents are Lexington natives," 10/15/1988, Sports section, p. D17.
Subjects: Baseball, Basketball, Fathers, Migration North, Mothers
Geographic Region: Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky / New York

Glass, James G.
Birth Year : 1884
Death Year : 1962
Dr. Glass was one of the longest practicing physicians in Henderson, KY, where he practiced for 50 years. Glass was a physician and surgeon. He was born in Hopkinsville, KY, the son of Edward W. and Sallie E. McReynolds Glass. He graduated from Clark Embalming School, Walden University, and received his M.D. from Meharry Medical College in 1906. Prior to opening his practice, Glass was in the undertaking business with his father, Edward Glass. He practiced medicine for a year in Hopkinsville, 1908-1909, then moved his business to Henderson, KY. He was the husband of Ora H. Kennedy Glass, a community leader in Henderson, KY. For more see the James Garfield Glass entry in Who's Who of the Colored Race by F. L. Mather [available full view at Google Book Search]; and Dr. James G. Glass on p.84 of Journal of the National Medical Association, vol.55, issue 1, January 1963 [available online].
Subjects: Medical Field, Health Care
Geographic Region: Henderson, Henderson County, Kentucky / Hopkinsville, Christian County, Kentucky

Gleason, Eliza Atkins
Birth Year : 1909
Eliza Atkins Gleason was born in North Carolina, she came to Kentucky in 1931 to take up her first library job at the Louisville Municipal College for Negroes. In 1932 she became head librarian and also taught library classes in the new library department that she had created. The department, in conjunction with the Louisville Western Colored Branch Library, was established to continue offering the only library classes for African Americans in Kentucky between 1932 and 1951. Dr. Gleason left Kentucky in 1936, and in 1940 she graduated from the University of Chicago and became the first African American to earn a Ph. D. in librarianship. She was later hired at Atlanta University [now Clark Atlanta University], where she structured and organized the library school beginning in 1939 and would become the first African American library school dean. Decades later, Dr. Gleason returned to Louisville, where she presently lives. She is a younger sister to librarian Olie Atkins Carpenter, and they are the daughters of Simon Green Atkins and Oleona Pegram Atkins. In 1892, Simon Green Atkins was the founder of what is today Winston-Salem State University, and his wife Oleona Atkins was a teacher and assistant principal at the school. For more see Library Service to African Americans in Kentucky, by R. F. Jones; Biography Index. A cumulative index to biographical material in books and magazines, vol. 24 (Sept. 1998-Aug. 1999); Who's Who in America, 38th-46th eds.; and Eliza Atkins Gleason Book Award. For more on Simon G. Atkins, see the chapter "For Service Rather than Success" in Winston-Salem by F. V. Tursi. * Additional information for this entry was provided by Professor J. G. Carew at the University of Louisville, she is the daughter of Dr. Eliza A. Gleason.
Subjects: Education and Educators, Librarians, Library Collections, Libraries, Migration West
Geographic Region: Winston, North Carolina / Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky / Atlanta, Georgia

Gloucester, John
Birth Year : 1776
Death Year : 1822
Gloucester was born a slave in Kentucky. He was a gifted singer and the first African American minister of the first African American Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia. Before his church was built, Gloucester would sing outside, and when a crowd had gathered, he would begin preaching. In Kentucky, Gloucester had been owned by Reverend Gideon Blackburn, a leader in the Kentucky Presbyterian denomination. When Gloucester was ordained a minister, he was given his freedom. He preached throughout the United States and abroad, raising enough money to buy the freedom of his wife and children. The family settled in Philadelphia around 1807. For more see The Negro Church. Report of a Social Study..., edited by W. E. B. DuBois [full text at UNC Library, Documenting the American South]; and A Popular History of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America, by J. H. Patton.
Subjects: Freedom, Migration North, Musicians, Opera, Singers, Song Writers, Religion & Church Work
Geographic Region: Kentucky / Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Godfrey, Linda R.
Birth Year : 1947
Godfrey, born in Lexington, KY, has been a leader on several fronts since graduating in 1965 from old Henry Clay High School [on Main Street], where she was a member of the second integrated class to graduate from the school. Godfrey, a nurse, has worked at several locations in Lexington and is presently a case manager and diabetes nurse specialist at the Veterans Affairs (VA) Hospital off Cooper Drive, providing outreach and care coordination for returning combat veterans. She is a retired Army Nurse, having served (1985-2000) with the 475th MASH hospital unit out of Frankfort, KY. Godfrey also taught health education classes at multiple military hospitals throughout the U.S. and in Japan, Ecuador, and Barbados. She also served as an Army nurse in Saudi Arabia and Iraq during Operation Desert Storm in 1991. She received an Army commendation medal and has received a number of awards for her work with veterans, including the Federal Woman of the Year in 2000. In Lexington, Godfrey was a board member of Hospice when the program was being developed in 1977, coordinating the volunteers. For 13 years she taught pediatric nursing and basic medical surgical nursing at Kentucky State University and today is a part-time lecturer for the clinical labs and nursing programs. Godfrey also teaches health education and diabetes classes throughout the year at local churches. She has served two terms as president of the Northside Neighborhood Association, one of the oldest and largest neighborhood associations in Lexington. Godfrey, one of the original members, is past chairperson of the Historic Preservation Commission of the Fayette-Urban County Government and is completing her second term as vice-chair of the Fayette-Urban County Planning Commission. Linda Godfrey is a graduate of Appalachian School of Practical Nursing [which was on Warren Court in Lexington, KY], where she earned her LPN degree in 1968. In 1972, she earned her RN degree from Lexington Community College [now Bluegrass Community and Technical College] and in 1980 graduated with honors from the University of Kentucky College of Nursing. She is a charter member of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, Delta Psi Chapter. Godfrey, who grew up in Kinkeadtown, attends the Mount Calvary Baptist Church in Pricetown, founded by her great grandfather, Matthew Garner. Pricetown is one of the Negro hamlets founded at the end of slavery. This entry was submitted by William Anthony Goatley with detailed information from Linda Godfrey.
Subjects: Civic Leaders, Communities, Education and Educators, Kentucky African American Churches, Medical Field, Health Care, Military & Veterans, Religion & Church Work, Women's Groups and Organizations, Nurses, Hospitals and Clinics: Employment, Founders, Ownership, Grandparents
Geographic Region: Kinkeadtown, Pricetown, Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky / Iraq / Japan / Ecuador / Barbados

Golden Jubilees (Louisville, KY)
Golden Jubilee of the General Association of Colored Baptists in Kentucky: the story of 50 years' work from 1865-1915 including many photos and sketches, compiled from unpublished manuscripts and other sources, by C. H. Parrish. Louisville, KY: Mayes Print Co., 1915. Available at the University of Kentucky Special Collections Library.

Golden Jubilee of the Baptist Women's State Missionary Convention of Kentucky: the story of fifty years of women's missionary activities including histories of the young people and district conventions, societies and individuals. Louisville, Kentucky: Baptist Women's State Missionary Convention of Kentucky, 1953. Available at University of Kentucky Special Collections Library.
Subjects: Religion & Church Work, Jubilees
Geographic Region: Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky

Gomez, Wanti W. [Louis Jones]
Wanti (or Wante) W. Gomez is said to have appeared in Durham, NC, from 'out of nowhere' in 1920. He was first an independent agent with the Mutual Building and Loan Association, and with that major success, he was named director of the company's education department. Gomez left the position and founded the Bankers Fire Insurance Company, which was also a success. Gomez chose a low profile as secretary of the company. Bankers Fire was listed in Best Insurance Reports, vol. 22, 33rd ed., 1922-23, p. 54, wherein Gomez was credited as having several years of insurance business [online at Google Book Search]. In 1924, he pushed for the establishment of the National Negro Finance Corporation within the National Negro Business League. The Finance Corporation was a complete failure in the late 1920s. Gomez was long gone by that time, having disappeared from Durham in 1926 and taking with him assets from his business, Durham Commercial Security Company. He was never heard from again. It was soon learned that Gomez's real name was Louis Jones and he was a fugitive from Kentucky who was wanted for arson. He had left the Bankers Fire Insurance Company in good standing, and Wanti Gomez is still considered one of the major contributors toward the making of Black Wall Street in Durham. For more see Black Business in the New South, by W. B. Weare; Durham County, by J. B. Anderson and Historic Preservation Society of Durham; "Bankers Fire Insurance Company, Durham, N. C., condition December 31, 1921, as shown by statement filed," The Landmark, 04/27/1922, p. 3.
Subjects: Bankers, Banks, Finance, Financial Advisors, Businesses, Insurance Companies, Insurance Sales, Migration East, Negro Business League
Geographic Region: Kentucky / Durham, North Carolina

Goodlowtown, Goodloetown, or Goodloe (Lexington, KY)
Goodlowtown was a community in itself, established around 1871; by 1887 it had grown to include Gunntown and Bradley Street Bottoms. It was the largest Negro residential area in Lexington. The community was located on bottomland that had been used during the Civil War for mule stalls. The Colored Normal School was located in Goodloetown, with J. G. Hamilson as principal and Miss Mary E. White was a teacher, according to the Lexington City Directory, 1873 and 1874. Today Goodloe is a predominately low-income African American neighborhood partially shielded from view by Thoroughbred Park in downtown Lexington. The area includes portions of DeWeese, Race, Second, Third, Fourth and Fifth Streets. For more see J. Kellogg, "The Formation of Black Residential Areas in Lexington, Kentucky, 1865-1887," The Journal of Southern History, vol. 48, issue 1 (Feb. 1982), pp. 21-52; and P. Hobgood, "Constructing Community: an Exhibition of the Voices of Goodloetown," Kaleidoscope: University of Kentucky Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship, vol. 4 (2006), pp. 39-44.
Subjects: Communities, Parks, Grade Schools & High Schools in Kentucky
Geographic Region: Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky

Goodwine, Pamela R.
Birth Year : 1960
In 1999, Goodwine became the first African American woman appointed to the bench; she was appointed by Governor Paul Patton, and later that year was elected to the position. In 2003, she was the first to be elected Circuit Court Judge in Fayette County and was re-elected in 2006. Judge Goodwine, from Youngstown, Ohio, received her JD from the University of Kentucky in 1994. She was inducted into the University of Kentucky Gatton College of Business and Economics Alumni Hall of Fame in 2002. During her interview on the Renee Shaw show, Judge Goodwine talks about her life with Crohn's disease. For more see Gatton College of Business and Economics Alumni Hall of Fame, University of Kentucky; "A Pledge of Service," Lexington Herald-Leader, 11/28/03, Final Ed., p. B1; and KET's "Connections with Renee Shaw" - #315: Pamela Goodwine.
Subjects: Lawyers, Politicians, Politics, Appointments & Elections, Judges, Appointments by Kentucky Governors
Geographic Region: Youngstown, Ohio / Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky

Gordon, Robert L.
Birth Year : 1941
Death Year : 2007
Gordon was born in Lexington, KY, to Alice Gordon Williams and Roscoe Demus. He was a graduate of Edward Waters College and the College of Finger Lakes. He had been a teacher and baseball coach and also played basketball with the Harlem Astronauts. Gordon had also worked for the Ford Motor Company in labor relations and left the company to become president of his own business, Premier Personnel Placement Consultant, Inc. He was a member of President Reagan's Task Force on the Private Sector and was the former Grand Polemarch of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. He was listed as one of the 100 Most Influential Blacks by Ebony magazine. Gordon was Personnel Director of the City of Highland Park, MI, before becoming City Manager of Inkster, MI. For more see Who's Who Among African Americans, 1985-2006; Robert L. Gordon in "Obituaries," Ann Arbor News, 06/15/2007, p. A13; and M. Tippen, "Former City Manager Robert Gordon dies," Journal Newspapers Online, 06/14/2007.
Subjects: Basketball, Education and Educators, Migration North, Politicians, Politics, Appointments & Elections, Fraternal Organizations, Appointments by U.S. Presidents/Services for U.S. Presidents
Geographic Region: Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky / Highland Park and Inkster, Michigan

Gore, Jerry
Birth Year : 1947
Gore was born in Maysville, KY. An Underground Railroad historian, he is also a founding member of the National Underground Railroad Museum, Inc. and founder of the Freedom Time Company and the Kentucky Underground Railroad Association. He has been a consultant on the history of the Underground Railroad for a number of projects and programs and was featured on the History Channel's "Save Our History: The Underground Railroad." He is the great-great-grandson of Addison White, famous Ohio fugitive of the Underground Railroad. For more see Jerry Gore, from the Along the Underground Railroad website.
Subjects: Freedom, Historians, Underground Railroad: Conductors, Escapes, Organizations, Research
Geographic Region: Maysville, Mason County, Kentucky

Gospel Troupers (Lexington, KY)
Start Year : 1952
The group, referred to as the Gospel Troupers or Troopers, was organized in 1952 with four women and three men. It was thought to be the first all-blind gospel chorus (Mrs. Jane Scott, the pianist-director, was sighted). The group members, who belonged to various churches, performed at festivals, schools, and church events to raise money for various charities in Lexington, KY. Members included Mrs. Jean Searcy Carter, who organized the group; her husband, Garfield Carter; and Hester and George Hanley. For more see "Blind Ky. Choristers Sing Gospel for Charity," in December 18, 1952 issue of Jet, p. 30 [available online with picture of group]; J. Hewlett, "George Hanley, blind musician, singer, dies at 85," Lexington Herald-Leader, 03/30/1988, Obituaries section, p. B4; and "Garfield Carter, Fayette vendor, singer dies at 87," Lexington Herald-Leader, 03/13/1997, Obituaries section, p. C2. Additional information provided by Margaret Miller of Lexington, KY, daughter of Mrs. Jane Scott.
Subjects: Musicians, Opera, Singers, Song Writers, Religion & Church Work, Blind, Visually Impaired
Geographic Region: Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky

Gough, John
Birth Year : 1816
Death Year : 1906
Gough had been a slave in Graves County, KY; he moved to Illinois and married Kentucky native Louisa Smith. One of their children, Belle Gough Micheaux (1856-1918), was the mother of Oscar D. Micheaux (1884-1951); Oscar was an author and later established the Micheaux Film and Book Company. He became a producer of films, the first of which was The Homesteader (a silent film). For more on Oscar D. Micheaux see African-Americans in Motion Pictures, the Past and the Present, by Long Island University Library; and The Life and Work of Oscar Micheaux: Pioneer Black Author and Filmmaker, 1884-1951, by E. J. Young.
Subjects: Fathers, Migration North, Grandparents
Geographic Region: Graves County, Kentucky / Illinois

Gowens, Henry Lytle, Jr.
Birth Year : 1884
Death Year : 1953
Born in Lexington, KY, Gowens became an ophthalmologist and eye surgeon at the Mercy-Douglass Hospital in Philadelphia and served as president of the Pennsylvania Medical, Dental, and Pharmacy Association. He published several articles, including "Eserin in ophthalmology," Journal of Ophthalmology, Otology and Laryngology, vol. 20, 1914. He was among the first ten African Americans to become a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He was the husband of Beulah E. Gowens (b.1890) from Philadelphia, PN. The couple bought a home in what had been an all white neighborhood and a suit was filed by a former owner of the home. Judge Curtis Bok of the Common Pleas Court dismissed the suit. Dr. Gowens was the son of Henry L. Gowens, Sr. Prior to his marriage, Dr. Gowens was head of his family, according to the 1910 U.S. Federal Census. The family lived on 13th Street N. in Philadelphia, PN. Henry Gowens, Sr. was a school professor; Dr. Gowens had a private medical practice; his sisters Modina and Virginia were school teachers; and his brother Willard was an artist. All of the family members were born in Kentucky. In 1920, Henry Sr. was a clerk with the U.S. Government, and he, his wife Florence, and daughter Modina were living in Washington, D.C. In 1930, Williard Gowens was also living with the family in D.C. Henry L. Gowens, Jr. was a graduate of Howard University and received his medical degree in 1908 from Hahnemann Medical College [now Drexel University College of Medicine]. For more see Who's Who in Colored America, 1950; see pp.310-311 in Anyplace But Here by A. W. Bontemps and J. Conroy; and "Dr. Henry L. Gowens, Jr.," New York Times, 01/04/1953, p.78.
Subjects: Medical Field, Health Care, Migration North, Court Cases, Hospitals and Clinics: Employment, Founders, Ownership
Geographic Region: Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky / Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Graham, Derrick
Birth Year : 1958
Born in Frankfort, KY, Graham has been an educator and, since 2003, an elected state representative (D-Frankfort): he was the first African American to serve the 57th District. Graham is a teacher at Frankfort High School. He was a city commissioner in Frankfort (1992-2000), and a student regent, and later a Board of Regent member at Kentucky State University. He received an endorsement from the Kentucky Education Association during his campaign for the House. Graham is a graduate of Kentucky State University (BA) and Ohio State University (MA). For more see A. Cross, "2003 Kentucky General Assembly: Legislators to watch," Lexington Herald-Leader, 02/02/2003, Extra section, p. 09X; Representative Derrick Graham web page; and contact the Kentucky Legislative Research Commission.
Subjects: Education and Educators, Politicians, Politics, Appointments & Elections, Legislators, Kentucky
Geographic Region: Frankfort, Franklin County, Kentucky

Grant, Thomas and Amanda
Birth Year : 1848
Born in Germantown, KY, Grant was a member of the U.S. Army Colored Soldiers. According to the U.S. Civil War and Soldier Records and Profiles, Grant enlisted with the U.S. Colored Troops in Lexington, KY, on March 4, 1865. He was stationed in El Paso, TX, in 1870, and at Fort Davis, TX, in 1880. Grant arrived in Tuscon, AZ in 1892, remaining there after he retired from the 10th Cavalry. He was one of the five African American pioneers in the Arizona Territory [Arizona became the 48th state in 1912]. Grant was a stationary engineer and lived on North Main Street in Tucson, according to the 1900 U.S. Federal Census. In 1910, he was employed as a hotel porter, and was the husband of Amanda G. Grant (b.1870 in TX). Amanda's parents were former slaves who were born in Kentucky. Both her daughter, Rita Wellis, and her granddaughter, Christina Wellis, lived with Amanda and Thomas Grant in Tucson. The family lived on West 22nd Street at 11 Avenue. Grant was still alive in 1933 when he was included in J. W. Yancy's thesis on African Americans in Tucson. For more see In the Steps of Esteban: Tucson's African American Heritage, by the University of Arizona Library; and The Negro of Tucson, Past and Present (thesis) by J. W. Yancy.
Subjects: Early Settlers, Migration West, Military & Veterans
Geographic Region: Germantown, Bracken County, Kentucky / Tucson, Arizona

Gray, Anthony
In April 2007, Gray was sworn in as interim police chief of Danville, KY, the first African American to hold the post. Gray had been the assistant chief of police. For more see "Danville: Interim police chief sworn in," Lexington Herald-Leader, 04/02/2007, City&Region section, p. B3.
Subjects: Corrections and Police
Geographic Region: Danville, Boyle County, Kentucky

Gray, Leonard W., Sr.
Birth Year : 1942
Death Year : 2005
Born in Louisville, KY, Gray, a sales associate, was elected the Representative of the 42nd District (Jefferson County) to the Kentucky General Assembly for 1990-1995. Gray sponsored the bill that made Martin Luther King, Jr. Day a state holiday. He was a graduate of the University of Louisville, having graduated from Central High School in 1960 with his friend, Cassius Clay. In 1995, Gray gave up his seat in the House of Representatives to become Governor Patton's House Liaison. He was Patton's first African American appointee, serving as the minority chairman of Patton's successful 1995 gubernatorial campaign. In August 1996, the personnel records of Gray and two other top staff members were subpoenaed by the Franklin County Grand Jury. Gray testified but was not indicted. He was later named Minority Affairs Director by Patton. For more see "Patton picks legislator as his house liaison, Louisville representative will leave his seat in '96," Lexington Herald-Leader, 11/22/1995; "Patton's aides' personnel records sent to grand jury," Lexington Herald Leader, 08/15/1996; G. Josephstaff, "Ex-legislator, Democratic activist Leonard Gray Sr. dies," Courier-Journal (Louisville), 07/19/2005; or contact the Kentucky Legislative Research Commission.
Subjects: Politicians, Politics, Appointments & Elections, Legislators, Kentucky, Appointments by Kentucky Governors
Geographic Region: Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky

"The Great Slave Escape of 1848 Ended in Bracken County"
Start Year : 1848
This article, by John E. Leming, Jr., describes this escape attempt as "the largest single slave uprising in Kentucky history." Patrick Doyle, a white, was the suspected leader of the slave revolt; he was to take the 75 slaves to Ohio, where they would be free. The armed contingent of slaves made its way from Fayette County, KY, to Bracken County, KY, where it was confronted by a group of about 100 white men led by General Lucius Desha of Harrison County, KY. During an exchange of gunfire some of the more than 40 slaves escaped into the woods, but most were captured and jailed, along with Patrick Doyle. Doyle was sentenced to 20 years of hard labor in the state penitentiary, and the slaves were returned to their owners. For more see Leming's article in The Kentucky Explorer, June 2000, pp. 25-29; and American Negro Slave Revolts, by H. Aptheker.
Subjects: Freedom, Rioting, Insurrections, Panics, Protests in Kentucky
Geographic Region: Fayette County, Harrison County, & Bracken County, Kentucky

Green, Emma Cason
Birth Year : 1884
Death Year : 1983
Green, born in North Middletown, KY, was the daughter of James and Rebecca Cason. Her husband was Charles Green, also from Bourbon County. Emma Cason Green attended Kentucky Classical and Business College in North Middletown and later moved to Indiana. A dressmaker who also wrote poetry, she had some of her poems published in Attempting to Express My Thoughts, compiled by J. Curtis. She also wrote the History of the Second Christian Church, North Middletown, Ky. Emma Cason Green has a headstone in the Prescott Pike Cemetery in North Middletown, KY, that gives her birth year as 1886. The Emma Cason Green Papers are housed at the Indiana Historical Society. For more see "Emma Cason Green" in Guide to African-American History Materials in Manuscript Collections at the Indiana Historical Society.
Subjects: Authors, Migration North, Poets
Geographic Region: North Middletown, Bourbon County, Kentucky / Indiana

Green, Jim
Birth Year : 1950
From Eminence, KY, Green was the first African American athlete to graduate from the University of Kentucky. A state high school track champion in the 100, 220 and 440, he attended the university on a track scholarship. His freshman year he won the 100 yard dash in 9.7 seconds in New Orleans during the Super Bowl meet and the 60 yard dash in Detroit during the NCAA indoor meet. Green had hoped to participate in the 1968 Olympics but suffered a hamstring injury. Two of the Olympic sprinters that year were Tommie Smith and John Carlos, African Americans who raised their fists while standing on the awards platform. For more see "Green's Sprinting Helped Pave Way," Lexington Herald-Leader, 02/20/98; and M. Maloney, "Sprinter leads Mason-Dixon Hall's first class, Green's legacy began at games," Lexington Herald-Leader, 03/03/2005, Sports section, p. B8.
Subjects: Track & Field
Geographic Region: Eminence, Henry County, Kentucky / Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky

Green, Nancy
Birth Year : 1834
Death Year : 1923
Born a slave in Montgomery County, KY, Green was the world's first living trademark: she was the original "Aunt Jemima." Green did not develop the pancake mix nor did she own the company or any part of it. Green was first introduced as Aunt Jemima at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. She received a lifetime contract and traveled all over the country promoting Aunt Jemima Pancake Mix until her death in 1923. The pancake company was sold to the Quaker Oats Company in 1925. The image of Nancy Green as Aunt Jemima continued until the 1950s, when there was outspoken criticism. Since that time the image has received a number of upgrades. Nancy Green left Kentucky for Chicago when she was hired as a nurse for the Walker family, whose children grew up to become Chicago Circuit Judge Charles M. Walker and Dr. Samuel Walker. Green was the first African American missionary worker and an organizer of the Olivet Baptist Church, one of the largest African American churches in Chicago. She died in a car accident in 1923. For more see Nancy Green, the original "Aunt Jemima", an African American Registry website; Notable Black American Women. Book III, ed. by J. C. Smith; and "Aunt Jemima, victim of auto," Urbana Daily Courier, 10/27/1923, p. 7 [full-text of article in Illinois Digital Newspaper Collection].
Subjects: Businesses, Freedom, Migration North, Religion & Church Work, Nurses
Geographic Region: Montgomery County, Kentucky / Chicago, Illinois

Greene, Harold, Jr.
Greene was the first African American to be appointed to serve as Administrative Assistant to a governor (John Y. Brown in 1980). He is a graduate of Eastern Kentucky University and earned his law degree from the University of Kentucky. He was a former leader of the Lexington Urban League and the Lexington NAACP Chapter. For more see The Fascinating Story of Black Kentuckians, by A. A. Dunnigan; and J. Campbell, "Lexington attorney to speak at awards banquet," Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer, 09/07/2004, section C, p. 1.
Subjects: Civic Leaders, Lawyers, Politicians, Politics, Appointments & Elections, NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People), Appointments by Kentucky Governors, Urban Leagues
Geographic Region: Frankfort, Franklin County, Kentucky / Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky

Greenwood Cemetery (Owensboro, KY)
Start Year : 1906
End Year : 1976
In 2006, the Greenwood Cemetery in Owensboro, KY, turned 100 years old. The 16-acre cemetery was established in January 1906 by a group of African American men who purchased the land for $3,000, and in February of that year the group was incorporated as the Greenwood Cemetery Association. The land was paid in full in November 1906, the African American cemetery serving the community for 70 years before burials were ceased in 1976. It contains more than 2,000 graves; the actual number is still being researched. After 1976, the Greenwood Cemetery was abandoned, became overgrown with weeds and was vandalized. Beginning in 1992 the Greenwood Cemetery Restoration Committee, led by Wesley Acton and Emily Holloway, worked to restore the cemetery. Greenwood Cemetery, 1821 Leitchfield Road, Owensboro, KY, by Jerry Long, tells of the history and restoration of the cemetery and includes a list of the gravestones, death certificates, and obituaries from Owensboro newspapers and other sources. The Greenwood Cemetery database of burials, available at the Daviess County Public Library, will continue to be updated; send contributions to Jerry Long in the Kentucky Room of the Daviess County Public Library or to members of the Greenwood Cemetery Restoration Committee. For more information see the following articles in the Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer: K. Lawrence, "Cemetery more crowded than thought," 03/03/2005; and R. B. Jones, "Cemetery project in the works," 12/28/2005. Copies of Greenwood Cemetery, 1821 Leitchfield Road, Owensboro, KY may be purchased from the Greenwood Cemetery Restoration Committee, 3514 Christie Place, Owensboro, KY 42301.
Subjects: Authors, Undertakers, Cemeteries, Coroners, & Obituaries
Geographic Region: Owensboro, Daviess County, Kentucky

Grider, Katie
Birth Year : 1858
Katie Grider was a 52-year old widow who left Kentucky and lived in Missouri, before settling in the African American town of Brooklyn, Illinois. Free persons and escaped slaves from St. Louis, Missouri, established Brooklyn in 1830 in St. Clair County. In 1910 Grider was a successful businesswoman: the owner of a tavern, restaurant, and boardinghouse. She was one of two persons who owned a restaurant in the town. Grider lived on 8th Street where she operated her business, and according to the 1910 U.S. Federal Census, her 23 year old daughter, Lottie, lived with her. Lottie was born in Missouri. For more see America's first Black town: Brooklyn, Illinois, 1830-1915, by S. K. Cha-Jua; and Guest Viewpoint, B. L. Betts, "Brooklyn's proud past is foundation for future," Belleville News-Democrat, 03/06/2007, Local/National section, p. 4A.
Subjects: Businesses, Communities, Migration North, Migration West
Geographic Region: Kentucky / Missouri / Brooklyn, Illinois

Griffin, Edna
Birth Year : 1909
Death Year : 2000
Griffin, born in Kentucky and reared in New Hampshire, later moved to Des Moines, Iowa. In 1948 she was refused an ice cream cone in the Katz Drug Store because they did not serve African Americans. Griffin led sit-ins, picketed the drug store, and sued the store owner. She won her civil case and was awarded $1. Griffin went on to found the Iowa Congress for Racial Equality and participated in the March on Washington in 1963. For more see T. Longden, "Edna Griffin," Des Moines Register, 01/28/2001, Metro Iowa Famous Iowans section, p. 1B; and Edna Griffin Papers, a University of Iowa website.
Subjects: Activists, Civil Rights, Migration North, Migration West, CORE (Congress of Racial Equality)
Geographic Region: Kentucky / New Hampshire / Des Moines, Iowa

Griffin, James C.
Birth Year : 1933
Death Year : 1994
From Paris, KY, Griffin was the first African American policeman in Frankfort, KY. He had trained at a police school in Lexington, KY. The son of Laurene Rankin, he was a graduate of Kentucky State College [now Kentucky State University] and a Navy veteran. For more see The State Journal (Frankfort, KY), 04/20/61; and "Obituaries," The Kentucky Post, 07/23/1994, News section, p. 8A.
Subjects: Military & Veterans, Corrections and Police
Geographic Region: Paris, Bourbon County, Kentucky / Frankfort, Franklin County, Kentucky / Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky

Griffin, Mabel and Emma [The Griffin Sisters]
Mabel and Emma (1873-1918) Griffin were born in Louisville, KY. They were vaudeville performers known as the Griffin Sisters. They began performing as members of John Isham's Octoroons Company and toured with several other companies before organizing their own theater booking agency in 1913. They had been considered premiere performers of the Sherman H. Dudley agency, created in 1912 as the first African American operated vaudeville circuit. The Griffin agency was one of the earliest to be managed by African American women. Emma Griffin encourage African American performers to use either the Dudley agency or the Griffin agency. For more see "The Griffin Sisters" in Biographical Dictionary of Afro-American and African Musicians, by E. Southern; and A. Knight, "He paved the way for T.O.B.A.," The Black Perspective in Music, vol. 15, issue 2, pp. 153-181.
Subjects: Actors, Actresses, Businesses, Minstrel and Vaudeville Performers
Geographic Region: Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky

Griffith, Darrell S.
Birth Year : 1958
Griffith was born in Louisville, KY. He was invited to the 1976 Olympic trials as a high school basketball player. As a 6' 4" guard at the University of Louisville, he acquired the nickname "Dr. Dunkenstein," led the school to its 1980 NCAA basketball championship and received the John Wooden Award as the nation's top player. He was drafted by the Utah Jazz and chosen Rookie of the Year for the 1980-1981 season. For more see Darrell Griffith on Basketball-Reference.com; and Darrell Griffith Profile on the Wooden Award website.
Subjects: Basketball
Geographic Region: Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky / Utah

Grooms, Leonard S.
Birth Year : 1912
Grooms was born in Hopkinsville, KY, the son of Lizzie Wright Grooms. A pastor and journalist, he was the religious editor at the Hopkinsville Globe Journal for six years. The Hopkinsville Globe Journal was located at 112 8th Street in Hopkinsville (from The Negro Handbook, 1944), KY. For more see Who's Who in Colored America, 1950.
Subjects: Journalists, Newspapers, Magazines, Book Publishers, Music Publishers
Geographic Region: Hopkinsville, Christian County, Kentucky

Grubbs, Albert, Sr.
Birth Year : 1832
Grubbs was born in Lexington, KY. He is referred to as one of the pioneers of Sacramento, having arrived in California in 1854, two years after the death of Henry Clay. Grubbs had been the servant of Henry Clay, whom he had accompanied throughout the United States. Grubbs closed Clay's eyes when Clay died. In California, Grubbs was in the laundry and teaming businesses. In 1901, he was bedridden and a lamp tipped over on him. Grubbs, one of the oldest African Americans in Sacramento, was badly burned and, as reported at the time, not expected to survive his injuries. He was the father of Albert Grubbs, Jr., a trusted employee of the Southern Pacific Railroad Company, who received a letter of commendation in 1906. Albert, Jr. had been a drummer boy, and his father had been a member of the Sacramento Zouaves, an African American military company formed to provide military training at the end of the Civil War. Similar companies were formed in other locations in California. Albert Jr.'s son, an electrician who got discouraged by prejudice in the United States, learned Spanish and moved with his wife, Carrie Phelps, who was from Chicago, to Buenos Aires, Argentina. For more see The Negro Trail Blazers of California, by D. L. Beasley; "Sacramento man who was Henry Clay's servant," The Evening Bee, 01/13/1900; and "Albert Grubbs terribly burned," The Evening Bee, 10/19/1901.
Subjects: Migration West, Migration Outside the U.S. and Canada
Geographic Region: Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky / Sacramento, California / Chicago, Illinois / Buenos Aires, Brazil, South America

Gudgell, Henry
Birth Year : 1826
Death Year : 1895
Gudgell, born a slave in Kentucky, became a blacksmith, coppersmith, silversmith, and a wheelwright. He and his mother went with his father/master, Spence Gudgell, to Livingston County, Missouri, where he carved a walking stick that has also been described as a conjure remedy. The stick, the only surviving work of Gudgell, is at Yale University. For more about the carvings on the cane see B. J. Crouther, "Iconography of a Henry Gudgell Walking Stick," Southeastern College Art Conference Review, vol. 12, issue 3 (1993), pp. 187-191; and see "Missouri Wood Carving," The Afro-American Tradition in Decorative Arts, by J. M. Vlach, Cleveland Museum of Art.
Subjects: Artists, Fine Arts, Migration West, Blacksmiths
Geographic Region: Kentucky / Livingston County, Missouri

Gunner, Cicely S.
Birth Year : 1868
Born Cicely Savery in Alabama, she was the daughter of William Savery, a former slave who co-sponsored the incorporation of Talladega College in Alabama. The Savery Library at Talladega College was named in honor of William Savery. Cicely S. Gunner was the wife of Rev. Byron Gunner and the mother of Francis Van Dunk, who was born in Lexington, KY. Cicely Gunner was a school teacher; she addressed the American Missionary Association in 1893, speaking of her experience as a teacher in the South. The family lived in Lexington, KY, around 1895, and later lived in New York. For more see The American Missionary, vol. 48, issue 1, pp. 54-55 [available online by Cornell University Library]. In other sources Cicely Gunner may be referred to as Mrs. Byron Gunner.
Subjects: Education and Educators, Mothers, Religion & Church Work
Geographic Region: Alabama / New York / Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky

Guthrie, Robert V.
Birth Year : 1930
Death Year : 2005
A few weeks after Guthrie and his twin brother were born, the family moved to Richmond, KY, then to Lexington, KY. His father, P. L. Guthrie, was a former principal of old Dunbar High School. Guthrie was a veteran of the Korean War. He earned his undergraduate degree at Florida A&M and then enrolled at the University of Kentucky in 1955, where he received his master's degree in psychology. He earned his doctorate at International University in 1970. He would go on to become one of the most influential African American scholars. Guthrie was the first African American psychologist to place his papers in the National Archives of American Psychology. He is author of numerous books, including Even the Rat Was White; a Historical View of Psychology. Guthrie was the first African American faculty member at San Diego Mesa College. Decades later, he returned to live in San Diego, where he is buried. For more see An 'American psychologist'; and J. Williams, "Robert V. Guthrie, 75; noted psychology educator," San Diego Union-Tribune, 11/12/2005, Obituaries column, p. B6.
Subjects: Authors, Education and Educators, Medical Field, Health Care, Migration West, Grade Schools & High Schools in Kentucky
Geographic Region: Richmond, Madison County, Kentucky / Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky / San Diego, California