{"id":8491,"date":"2020-06-29T12:42:23","date_gmt":"2020-06-29T18:42:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/abclegaldocs.com\/blog-Colorado-Notary\/?p=8491"},"modified":"2020-07-06T16:48:21","modified_gmt":"2020-07-06T22:48:21","slug":"first-black-notaries-in-the-u-s","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/abclegaldocs.com\/blog-Colorado-Notary\/first-black-notaries-in-the-u-s\/","title":{"rendered":"First Black Notaries in the U.S."},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-transparent ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/abclegaldocs.com\/blog-Colorado-Notary\/first-black-notaries-in-the-u-s\/#First_Black_Notaries_in_the_US\" >First Black Notaries in the U.S.<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/abclegaldocs.com\/blog-Colorado-Notary\/first-black-notaries-in-the-u-s\/#First_Black_Notaries_and_the_Civil_War\" >First Black Notaries and the Civil War<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/abclegaldocs.com\/blog-Colorado-Notary\/first-black-notaries-in-the-u-s\/#William_Noland_Madison_Wisconsin_1857\" >William Noland, Madison, Wisconsin, 1857<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/abclegaldocs.com\/blog-Colorado-Notary\/first-black-notaries-in-the-u-s\/#Preston_G_Wells_St_Louis_Missouri_1864\" >Preston G. Wells, St. Louis, Missouri, 1864<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/abclegaldocs.com\/blog-Colorado-Notary\/first-black-notaries-in-the-u-s\/#WP_Powell_New_York_City_1865\" >W.P. Powell, New York City, 1865<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/abclegaldocs.com\/blog-Colorado-Notary\/first-black-notaries-in-the-u-s\/#George_T_Ruby_Galveston_Texas_1866\" >George T. Ruby, Galveston, Texas, 1866<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/abclegaldocs.com\/blog-Colorado-Notary\/first-black-notaries-in-the-u-s\/#John_Oliver_Richmond_Virginia_1867\" >John Oliver, Richmond, Virginia, 1867<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/abclegaldocs.com\/blog-Colorado-Notary\/first-black-notaries-in-the-u-s\/#John_L_Jones_Chicago_Illinois_1869\" >John L. Jones, Chicago, Illinois, 1869<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/abclegaldocs.com\/blog-Colorado-Notary\/first-black-notaries-in-the-u-s\/#William_H_Parham_Ohio_1874\" >William H. Parham, Ohio, 1874<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/abclegaldocs.com\/blog-Colorado-Notary\/first-black-notaries-in-the-u-s\/#Nathaniel_R_Harper_Kentucky_1878\" >Nathaniel R. Harper, Kentucky, 1878<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/abclegaldocs.com\/blog-Colorado-Notary\/first-black-notaries-in-the-u-s\/#Martin_Pedee_Catlin_Illinois_late_1880s\" >Martin Pedee, Catlin, Illinois, late 1880s<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/abclegaldocs.com\/blog-Colorado-Notary\/first-black-notaries-in-the-u-s\/#Robert_Day_Pennsylvania_1890\" >Robert Day, Pennsylvania, 1890<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/abclegaldocs.com\/blog-Colorado-Notary\/first-black-notaries-in-the-u-s\/#Rene_Metoyer_New_Orleans_Louisiana_1917\" >Rene Metoyer, New Orleans, Louisiana, 1917<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-14\" href=\"https:\/\/abclegaldocs.com\/blog-Colorado-Notary\/first-black-notaries-in-the-u-s\/#James_Buchanan_JB_Maxwell_Mt_Pleasant_South_Carolina_1931\" >James Buchanan (J.B.) Maxwell, Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, 1931<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-15\" href=\"https:\/\/abclegaldocs.com\/blog-Colorado-Notary\/first-black-notaries-in-the-u-s\/#Taylor_Ewing_Jr_Mississippi_year_TBD\" >Taylor Ewing, Jr., Mississippi, year TBD<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-16\" href=\"https:\/\/abclegaldocs.com\/blog-Colorado-Notary\/first-black-notaries-in-the-u-s\/#Kermit_McKelvy_Moulton_Alabama_year_TBD\" >Kermit McKelvy, Moulton, Alabama, year TBD<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-17\" href=\"https:\/\/abclegaldocs.com\/blog-Colorado-Notary\/first-black-notaries-in-the-u-s\/#William_Henry_Wall_Stanly_County_North_Carolina_year_TBD\" >William Henry Wall, Stanly County, North Carolina, year TBD<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-18\" href=\"https:\/\/abclegaldocs.com\/blog-Colorado-Notary\/first-black-notaries-in-the-u-s\/#Jessie_Robinson_Homestead_Florida_year_TBD\" >Jessie Robinson, Homestead, Florida, year TBD<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-19\" href=\"https:\/\/abclegaldocs.com\/blog-Colorado-Notary\/first-black-notaries-in-the-u-s\/#Charles_Jones_Hartford_Connecticut_year_TBD\" >Charles Jones, Hartford, Connecticut, year TBD<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-20\" href=\"https:\/\/abclegaldocs.com\/blog-Colorado-Notary\/first-black-notaries-in-the-u-s\/#Katherine_Harris_Florence_South_Carolina_year_TBD\" >Katherine Harris, Florence, South Carolina, year TBD<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-21\" href=\"https:\/\/abclegaldocs.com\/blog-Colorado-Notary\/first-black-notaries-in-the-u-s\/#Addie_Whitehead_Dickerson_Philadelphia_Pennsylvania_year_TBD\" >Addie Whitehead Dickerson, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, year TBD<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-22\" href=\"https:\/\/abclegaldocs.com\/blog-Colorado-Notary\/first-black-notaries-in-the-u-s\/#Amanda_Smelley_Burton_Eutaw_Alabama_year_TBD\" >Amanda Smelley Burton, Eutaw, Alabama, year TBD<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-23\" href=\"https:\/\/abclegaldocs.com\/blog-Colorado-Notary\/first-black-notaries-in-the-u-s\/#Civil_Rights_Pioneers\" >Civil Rights Pioneers<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"First_Black_Notaries_in_the_US\"><\/span><img decoding=\"async\"  class=\"size-full wp-image-8510 alignleft\" src=\"data:image\/gif,GIF89a%01%00%01%00%80%00%00%00%00%00%FF%FF%FF%21%F9%04%01%00%00%00%00%2C%00%00%00%00%01%00%01%00%00%02%01D%00%3B\" data-layzr=\"https:\/\/abclegaldocs.com\/blog-Colorado-Notary\/wp-content\/uploads\/first-black-notaries-in-US-320x200-1.jpg\" alt=\"first black notaries in US\" width=\"320\" height=\"200\" \/>First Black Notaries in the U.S.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">There are few online articles and mentions about the <strong>first black notaries<\/strong> in <strong>United States<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>history<\/strong>. Many stories were not written and have been lost.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Here are a few stories, listed in chronological order by notary appointment year.\u00a0 For some notaries, the year of appointment was not found and is shown as TBD.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">State and local history museums, historical societies, libraries, and newspaper archives may have more information.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><!--more--><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"First_Black_Notaries_and_the_Civil_War\"><\/span>First Black Notaries and the Civil War<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The first black notaries in the United States were appointed before the <strong>Civil War<\/strong> fighting began on April 12, 1861, at Fort Sumter, Charleston Harbor, South Carolina.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><img decoding=\"async\"  class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-8518\" src=\"data:image\/gif,GIF89a%01%00%01%00%80%00%00%00%00%00%FF%FF%FF%21%F9%04%01%00%00%00%00%2C%00%00%00%00%01%00%01%00%00%02%01D%00%3B\" data-layzr=\"https:\/\/abclegaldocs.com\/blog-Colorado-Notary\/wp-content\/uploads\/Abraham-Lincoln-75x100-1.jpg\" alt=\"Abraham Lincoln\" width=\"75\" height=\"100\" \/>During the war, on September 22, 1862, President <strong>Abraham Lincoln<\/strong> issued the preliminary <strong>Emancipation Proclamation<\/strong>, which declared that as of January 1, 1863, all enslaved people in the states currently engaged in <strong>rebellion<\/strong> against the Union \u201c<em>shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">He signed the formal Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, but it only applied to <strong>Confederate<\/strong> states or areas currently in rebellion, and not to the border states that remained loyal to the Union.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">On January 31, 1865, Congress passed the <strong>13th Amendment<\/strong> to the <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/abclegaldocs.com\/blog-Colorado-Notary\/u-s-constitution-bill-of-rights\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">U.S. Constitution<\/a><\/strong><\/span>, abolishing slavery.\u00a0 It reads: <em>&#8220;Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">On April 9, 1865, Confederate General <strong>Robert E. Lee<\/strong> surrendered his troops to Union General <strong>Ulysses S. Grant<\/strong>\u00a0at Appomattox, Virginia, effectively ending the war.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Only five days later, on April 14, 1865, President Lincoln was <strong>assassinated<\/strong> by <strong>John Wilkes Booth<\/strong>, a famous actor and Confederate sympathizer, before the required number of states <strong>ratified<\/strong> the 13th Amendment on December 6, 1865.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"William_Noland_Madison_Wisconsin_1857\"><\/span><img decoding=\"async\"  class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-8544\" src=\"data:image\/gif,GIF89a%01%00%01%00%80%00%00%00%00%00%FF%FF%FF%21%F9%04%01%00%00%00%00%2C%00%00%00%00%01%00%01%00%00%02%01D%00%3B\" data-layzr=\"https:\/\/abclegaldocs.com\/blog-Colorado-Notary\/wp-content\/uploads\/first-black-notaries-Wisconsin-William-Noland.jpg\" alt=\"William Noland, notary, Wisconsin, first black notaries\" width=\"75\" height=\"110\" \/>William Noland, Madison, Wisconsin, 1857<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>William Noland<\/strong>, born in 1811 in Binghamton, New York, arrived with his wife and children as the first black residents of Madison in 1850. He worked as a barber, baker, musician, veterinarian, and grocery operator. He received public attention when he refused to cut the hair of a customer who helped capture a fugitive <strong>slave<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">In 1857, Governor Coles Bashford appointed him as the first black notary in Wisconsin, but he never served. Secretary of State David W. Jones refused to accept his notary bond due to racial discrimination.\u00a0 In 1866, he was drafted by the Democrats to run for Mayor of Madison. He declined because of the Democrats&#8217; hostility toward <strong>equal rights<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">In 1875, he graduated from the University of Wisconsin at Madison with a B.A., the first black graduate.\u00a0 He attended law school there for two semesters.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Preston_G_Wells_St_Louis_Missouri_1864\"><\/span>Preston G. Wells, St. Louis, Missouri, 1864<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Preston G. Wells<\/strong>, born in 1810, moved from Kentucky to St. Louis, Missouri, and worked as a barber and hairdresser.\u00a0 He is listed in the 1851 St. Louis directory as the proprietor of Wells&#8217; Nonpareil Hairdressing Saloon and Baths. The bathhouse featured 12 rooms, half with marble tubs. He also operated a boarding house with his wife Jane.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">As the Civil War ended, he became more vocal about the rights of black people.\u00a0\u00a0In 1864, he became the first black notary commissioned by the Governor of Missouri.\u00a0 He served on the St. Louis Board of Education for Free Colored Schools. He also traveled to Syracuse, New York, to attend the National Convention for Colored Men.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">In 1870, he was introduced at the Colored People&#8217;s Educational Convention in Jefferson City, Missouri, as the first black notary in the state, with cheers from the audience.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"WP_Powell_New_York_City_1865\"><\/span>W.P. Powell, New York City, 1865<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>W.P. Powell<\/strong> was the first black notary of New York City, appointed by Governor Reuben E. Fenton in May 1865. Governor Fenton also served as a U.S. Congressman, Senator, and close political associate of <strong>Abraham Lincoln<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"George_T_Ruby_Galveston_Texas_1866\"><\/span>George T. Ruby, Galveston, Texas, 1866<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">In 1866, Texas Governor Elisha Pease appointed <strong>George T. Ruby<\/strong> as the first black notary in Galveston. Ruby worked for the Texas Freedmen&#8217;s Bureau and was a correspondent for the New Orleans Tribune. He later started his own newspaper, the Galveston Standard, using it as a forum to advocate for voting and civil rights for African Americans.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">He founded the local chapter of the Loyal Union League, which advised blacks about their political rights. He became president of the League in 1868, boosting his local political power in the Republican Party.\u00a0 When black males got the right to vote in 1867, they elected Ruby as the Galveston delegate to the state Constitutional Convention in Austin.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">In 1869, he was elected Galveston&#8217;s first black state senator. He became influential by serving on several Senate committees and became a political ally of Governor Edmond J. Davis.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">He did not seek reelection and returned to New Orleans in 1873 to work again at the Tribune. He died in 1882.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"John_Oliver_Richmond_Virginia_1867\"><\/span>John Oliver, Richmond, Virginia, 1867<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>John Oliver<\/strong> was the first black notary in Virginia, appointed by Governor Francis Harrison Pierpont in May 1867, after the <strong>Civil War<\/strong>, during the early years of <strong>Reconstruction<\/strong>.\u00a0 He fought for <strong>equal rights<\/strong> in Richmond and personally broke down many of the city&#8217;s racial barriers.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Note: Richmond was the former capital of the Confederacy from May 26, 1861, until it was evacuated and set on fire on April 2, 1865.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">In 1867, he was one of six black jurors on the federal grand jury that indicted <strong>Jefferson Davis<\/strong>, president of the <strong>Confederate States of America<\/strong>, for treason.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">He served on the Richmond city council (1872\u201373) and was named a deputy U.S. Marshal.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">A prominent Republican, he organized black city workers to improve working conditions and presided over an interracial labor convention in 1870, the first in the nation.\u00a0He was president of the local chapter of the Colored National Labor Union from 1870 to 1878 and edited a local paper, the Industrial Herald, in the 1880s. He died in 1899.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"John_L_Jones_Chicago_Illinois_1869\"><\/span><img decoding=\"async\"  class=\"alignleft wp-image-8498 size-full\" src=\"data:image\/gif,GIF89a%01%00%01%00%80%00%00%00%00%00%FF%FF%FF%21%F9%04%01%00%00%00%00%2C%00%00%00%00%01%00%01%00%00%02%01D%00%3B\" data-layzr=\"https:\/\/abclegaldocs.com\/blog-Colorado-Notary\/wp-content\/uploads\/first-black-notaries-Illinois-John-L-Jones.jpg\" alt=\"John L Jones, Illinois notary, first black notaries\" width=\"75\" height=\"110\" \/>John L. Jones, Chicago, Illinois, 1869<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">In 1869, blacks became eligible for political office in Illinois, and Governor John McAuley Palmer appointed <strong>John L. Jones<\/strong> as the first black notary public in Illinois. As a Cook County Commissioner, he was also the first black elected to public office in Chicago.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">He was born a free man in 1817 to a German father and black mother in North Carolina.\u00a0 He moved to Chicago in 1835 and used his house as a stop on the Underground Railroad.\u00a0 His home was a meeting place for abolitionist leaders including Frederick Douglass and John Brown.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">He wrote many antislavery pamphlets.\u00a0 Even though slavery was abolished, discriminatory <strong>black codes<\/strong> deprived, restricted, and oppressed the black population. His well-written pamphlet opposing the black laws gained support and drove the general assembly to repeal all of them.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">He learned to read and write with the help of Chicago attorney Lemanuel C. Paine Freer, a strong opponent of <strong>slavery<\/strong>. Jones died in 1879.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"William_H_Parham_Ohio_1874\"><\/span><img decoding=\"async\"  class=\"alignleft wp-image-8493 size-full\" src=\"data:image\/gif,GIF89a%01%00%01%00%80%00%00%00%00%00%FF%FF%FF%21%F9%04%01%00%00%00%00%2C%00%00%00%00%01%00%01%00%00%02%01D%00%3B\" data-layzr=\"https:\/\/abclegaldocs.com\/blog-Colorado-Notary\/wp-content\/uploads\/first-black-notaries-Ohio-William-H-Parham.jpg\" alt=\"William H Parham, Ohio notary, first black notaries\" width=\"75\" height=\"100\" \/>William H. Parham, Ohio, 1874<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>William H. Parham<\/strong> was the first African-American graduate of the University of Cincinnati in 1874. He was superintendent of the Colored Schools from 1866 to 1876.\u00a0 He was one of the first black notaries in Ohio and one of the first to be nominated for the state legislature.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Nathaniel_R_Harper_Kentucky_1878\"><\/span><img decoding=\"async\"  class=\"alignleft wp-image-8530 size-full\" src=\"data:image\/gif,GIF89a%01%00%01%00%80%00%00%00%00%00%FF%FF%FF%21%F9%04%01%00%00%00%00%2C%00%00%00%00%01%00%01%00%00%02%01D%00%3B\" data-layzr=\"https:\/\/abclegaldocs.com\/blog-Colorado-Notary\/wp-content\/uploads\/first-black-notaries-Kentucky-Nathaniel-R-Harper.jpg\" alt=\"Nathaniel R Harper, Kentucky notary, first black notaries\" width=\"60\" height=\"100\" \/>Nathaniel R. Harper, Kentucky, 1878<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Nathaniel R. Harper<\/strong> was born in Indianapolis and was raised and studied law in Detroit. After moving to Louisville in 1870, he became the first black lawyer, judge, and notary in Kentucky. In 1871, he was one of the first two blacks licensed to practice law in Kentucky.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">In 1878, he became the first black notary in the state. In 1885, he became the first black judge in Louisville city court. He fought for the <strong>rights<\/strong> of blacks to serve on state juries and founded a law school that was eventually absorbed into the Central Law School.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Martin_Pedee_Catlin_Illinois_late_1880s\"><\/span>Martin Pedee, Catlin, Illinois, late 1880s<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Martin Pedee<\/strong> was one of the first black notaries and justices of the peace in Illinois in the late 1880s. He was born <strong>enslaved<\/strong> on a huge plantation in the Carolinas in the mid-1840s.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">As a teenager, he joined the 35th U.S. Colored Infantry, serving for nine years as one of the famous <strong>Buffalo Soldiers<\/strong> in the U.S. Infantry in the West.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Following his discharge, he moved to Catlin, Illinois, and became a barber, municipal band member, and the first African-American police magistrate elected in the state, making national news.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">He was honored at his Catlin cemetery gravesite in 2019 by a special ceremony consisting of Civil War historians and the American Legion honor guard firing a 21-gun salute in remembrance of his service.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Robert_Day_Pennsylvania_1890\"><\/span>Robert Day, Pennsylvania, 1890<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Robert Day<\/strong> was appointed as the first black notary in Pennsylvania in 1890. He was also well known in Ohio and advertised in the weekly Cleveland Gazette, an African-American newspaper.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Rene_Metoyer_New_Orleans_Louisiana_1917\"><\/span><img decoding=\"async\"  class=\"alignleft wp-image-8494 size-full\" src=\"data:image\/gif,GIF89a%01%00%01%00%80%00%00%00%00%00%FF%FF%FF%21%F9%04%01%00%00%00%00%2C%00%00%00%00%01%00%01%00%00%02%01D%00%3B\" data-layzr=\"https:\/\/abclegaldocs.com\/blog-Colorado-Notary\/wp-content\/uploads\/first-black-notaries-Louisiana-Rene-Metoyer.jpg\" alt=\"Rene Metoyer, Louisiana notary, first black notaries\" width=\"75\" height=\"115\" \/>Rene Metoyer, New Orleans, Louisiana, 1917<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Rene Metoyer<\/strong> was one of Louisiana\u2019s first black notaries.\u00a0 He was born in Natchitoches, Louisiana in 1858, to a cotton planter from a prominent Louisiana family.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">In 1863, during the <strong>Civil War<\/strong>, his family relocated to <strong>New Orleans<\/strong>.\u00a0 He graduated from the Law Department of Straight University in 1886 and was admitted to practice before the Louisiana Supreme Court.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Metoyer practiced law for over forty years in New Orleans.\u00a0He was appointed a <strong>notary public<\/strong> in 1917.\u00a0\u00a0He died in 1937.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"James_Buchanan_JB_Maxwell_Mt_Pleasant_South_Carolina_1931\"><\/span>James Buchanan (J.B.) Maxwell, Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, 1931<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong><img decoding=\"async\"  class=\"alignleft wp-image-8499 size-full\" src=\"data:image\/gif,GIF89a%01%00%01%00%80%00%00%00%00%00%FF%FF%FF%21%F9%04%01%00%00%00%00%2C%00%00%00%00%01%00%01%00%00%02%01D%00%3B\" data-layzr=\"https:\/\/abclegaldocs.com\/blog-Colorado-Notary\/wp-content\/uploads\/first-black-notaries-South-Carolina-James-B-Maxwell.jpg\" alt=\"James B Maxwell, South Carolina notary, first black notaries\" width=\"75\" height=\"105\" \/>James Buchanan (J.B.) Maxwell<\/strong> was born in <strong>slavery<\/strong> in 1854 in Flat Rock, North Carolina. He and his parents were owned by plantation owner James Maxwell. After <strong>Emancipation<\/strong>, J.B. and his family walked to Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, to be reunited with family members who had been sold to South Carolina owners.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Around 1873, he graduated from Charleston\u2019s Avery Institute and later used his education to help his community. He insisted on the proper use of English and helped locals read their mail and legal documents.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">He voted when few other blacks did at that time.\u00a0 Court transcripts from 1879 include the testimony of blacks accused of voting while illiterate.\u00a0 When J.B. was called as a witness, he shocked the courtroom lawyer by proving that he could read, and he understood who and what he was voting for.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">He was the first black notary public in the Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina area around 1931.\u00a0 One surviving notarized document is for a widow&#8217;s pension for her husband who served in the <strong>Union Army<\/strong> during the Civil War.\u00a0\u00a0He died in 1940.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Taylor_Ewing_Jr_Mississippi_year_TBD\"><\/span>Taylor Ewing, Jr., Mississippi, year TBD<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Taylor Ewing, Jr.<\/strong> was the first black notary public in the state of Mississippi. He was the son of a <strong>slave<\/strong> who fought with the Union troops.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Kermit_McKelvy_Moulton_Alabama_year_TBD\"><\/span>Kermit McKelvy, Moulton, Alabama, year TBD<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Kermit McKelvy<\/strong> was the first black notary and first black voter in Lawrence County, Alabama.\u00a0 He was a community leader, activist, member of the <strong>NAACP<\/strong>, and held voting rallies for black people in the area of Moulton.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"William_Henry_Wall_Stanly_County_North_Carolina_year_TBD\"><\/span><img decoding=\"async\"  class=\"alignleft wp-image-8507 size-full\" src=\"data:image\/gif,GIF89a%01%00%01%00%80%00%00%00%00%00%FF%FF%FF%21%F9%04%01%00%00%00%00%2C%00%00%00%00%01%00%01%00%00%02%01D%00%3B\" data-layzr=\"https:\/\/abclegaldocs.com\/blog-Colorado-Notary\/wp-content\/uploads\/first-black-notaries-North-Carolina-William-Henry-Wall.jpg\" alt=\"William Henry Wall, North Carolina notary\" width=\"75\" height=\"100\" \/>William Henry Wall, Stanly County, North Carolina, year TBD<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>William Henry Wall<\/strong> was the first black notary in Stanly County, North Carolina.\u00a0 He was born in 1883 in Stanly County to former <strong>slaves<\/strong>.\u00a0 With a sixth-grade education, he worked as a brick mason and was active in his church and community.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">He served as high school PTA president and was a superintendent of church schools for 50 years. He built many homes on Wall Street in Kingville. He died in 1967.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Jessie_Robinson_Homestead_Florida_year_TBD\"><\/span>Jessie Robinson, Homestead, Florida, year TBD<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Jessie Robinson was the first black notary public in Homestead, Florida. He was the first person hired by the First National Bank of Homestead in 1932. His contributions were legendary. He was an honorary vice president at the bank where he worked for 48 years.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Charles_Jones_Hartford_Connecticut_year_TBD\"><\/span>Charles Jones, Hartford, Connecticut, year TBD<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Charles Jones<\/strong> was active in the Hartford community, involved with the Elks Club and the Republican Party, and is thought to be the first black notary in Hartford. His son, Marvin Edward Jones, was an Army veteran, police officer, civics teacher, coach, and church leader. Marvin was an advocate for equal treatment in the hiring and promotion of black police officers.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Katherine_Harris_Florence_South_Carolina_year_TBD\"><\/span>Katherine Harris, Florence, South Carolina, year TBD<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Katherine Harris<\/strong> was the first black notary in Florence, South Carolina. She christened the <strong>Ebony Guest House<\/strong>\u00a0in the 1940s, promoting it as a \u201cHome Away from Home\u201d for potential customers.\u00a0 Many famous black guests included Jackie Wilson, Fats Domino, Sam Cooke, Ray Charles, and James Brown.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">It was listed in Victor Hugo Green&#8217;s travel guide, known as the <strong>Green Book<\/strong>, advertising businesses that welcomed black customers nationwide starting in 1938, while de facto <strong>segregation<\/strong> practices were a continuing problem with many businesses.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Addie_Whitehead_Dickerson_Philadelphia_Pennsylvania_year_TBD\"><\/span>Addie Whitehead Dickerson, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, year TBD<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Addie Whitehead Dickerson was the first black notary in Philadelphia and one of the first black law graduates from the Temple University School of Law.\u00a0 She was also part of a delegation sent to the White House to talk to <strong>President Herbert Hoover<\/strong> about the concerns of Black Americans in 1931.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Addie and her husband George Dickerson were the original owners of a building in South Philadelphia now used for hosting events, programs, and exhibits for the African-American community, including the Art Sanctuary and the annual Celebration of Black Arts Festival (CBA).<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Amanda_Smelley_Burton_Eutaw_Alabama_year_TBD\"><\/span><img decoding=\"async\"  class=\"alignleft wp-image-8509 size-full\" src=\"data:image\/gif,GIF89a%01%00%01%00%80%00%00%00%00%00%FF%FF%FF%21%F9%04%01%00%00%00%00%2C%00%00%00%00%01%00%01%00%00%02%01D%00%3B\" data-layzr=\"https:\/\/abclegaldocs.com\/blog-Colorado-Notary\/wp-content\/uploads\/first-black-notaries-Alabama-Amanda-Smelley-Burton.jpg\" alt=\"Amanda Smelley Burton, Alabama notary\" width=\"75\" height=\"95\" \/>Amanda Smelley Burton, Eutaw, Alabama, year TBD<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Amanda Smelley Burton<\/strong> was the first black notary public and the first black woman to register to vote in Greene County, Alabama. She completed her B.A. degree at Alabama State University in Montgomery and was a certified librarian and school teacher. She was also active in her church activities.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">She became the first woman commissioner in Greene County when four-time <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biography.com\/political-figure\/george-wallace\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Governor George C. Wallace<\/a><\/strong><\/span> appointed her to fill her late husband\u2019s unexpired term. She celebrated her 100th birthday in 2008, still remaining active in local politics.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Civil_Rights_Pioneers\"><\/span>Civil Rights Pioneers<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">These first black notaries were pioneers in the notary industry, overcoming <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/abclegaldocs.com\/blog-Colorado-Notary\/discrimination-in-places-of-public-accommodation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">racial discrimination<\/a><\/strong><\/span> and fighting for freedom, liberty, equality, justice, and <strong>civil rights<\/strong>. Some rose up from <strong>slavery<\/strong> to become highly respected community members and public officials.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/abclegaldocs.com\/blog-Colorado-Notary\/emma-gillett-first-female-notary-1881\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Emma Gillett<\/a><\/strong><\/span> was the <strong>first female notary<\/strong>, appointed in 1881, for Washington, D.C., by <strong>President James A. Garfield<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Image Credits<\/strong><br \/>\nphoto images are included in good faith under Fair Use doctrine for research, educational and historic purposes<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Visit our website for\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/abclegaldocs.com\/blog-Colorado-Notary\/mobile-notary\/\" data-slimstat-async=\"false\" data-slimstat-callback=\"false\" data-slimstat-tracking=\"false\" data-slimstat-type=\"2\" data-slimstat-clicked=\"false\">Colorado Springs Mobile Notary<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0services or\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/abclegaldocs.com\/blog-Colorado-Notary\/colorado-notary-training\/\" data-slimstat-async=\"false\" data-slimstat-callback=\"false\" data-slimstat-tracking=\"false\" data-slimstat-type=\"2\" data-slimstat-clicked=\"false\">Colorado Notary Training<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>classes.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u00a9 Copyright 2020\u00a0 ABC Legal Docs, LLC\u00a0 All rights reserved.\u00a0 Do not copy.\u00a0 Citations welcome.\u00a0 Terms of Use apply.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>First Black Notaries in the U.S. There are few online articles and mentions about the first black notaries in United States\u00a0history. Many stories were not written and have been lost. Here are a few stories, listed in chronological order by notary appointment year.\u00a0 For some notaries, the year of appointment was not found and is shown as TBD. State and local history museums, historical societies, libraries, and newspaper archives may have more information.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8510,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1098,920],"tags":[2988,2977,797,2640,229,1641,2989,2976,2990,1003,2987,2980,2982,1491,2986,2985,5,2991,2983,2978,2984,2979,2981],"class_list":["post-8491","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-constitution","category-notary-history","tag-abraham-lincoln","tag-african-american","tag-civil-rights","tag-civil-war","tag-constitution","tag-discrimination","tag-emancipation","tag-first-black-notaries","tag-george-t-ruby","tag-history","tag-jb-maxwell","tag-john-l-jones","tag-john-oliver","tag-justice","tag-martin-pedee","tag-nathaniel-r-harper","tag-notary","tag-preston-g-wells","tag-rene-metoyer","tag-slavery","tag-william-h-parham","tag-william-noland","tag-wp-powell","has_thumb"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.8 - 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