Lucius Henry Holsey | |
---|---|
![]() Lucius Henry Holsey circa 1919 | |
Born | July 3, 1842
![]() Near Columbus, Georgia, U.S. |
Died | August 3, 1920
![]() Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
Lucius Henry Holsey (July 3, 1842 – August 3, 1920) was an American bishop.
Lucius Henry Holsey was born on July 3, 1842, near Columbus, Georgia. [1] [2] His mother Louisa was enslaved. His father James Holsey owned the plantation. [1] Lucius was born enslaved. [3]
He was sold to his cousin T. L. Wynn and then to Richard Malcolm Johnston, an academic. [1] According to the New Georgia Encyclopedia, Holsey chose to be sold to Johnston. [4] According to American National Biography, Holsey taught himself to read and write and was not educated; [1] according to the New Georgia Encyclopedia, some of Holsey's relatives taught him to read. [4] He remained enslaved by the Johnston family until slavery was abolished. [5]
Holsey converted to Methodism after attending plantation missionary revivals led by Henry McNeal Turner. [4] He was given a preaching license as a Methodist minister in February 1868 and held various positions as a minister until he was appointed a bishop of the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church (now the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church) in March 1873. [1] [5] The Colored Methodist Episcopal Church was a division of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, created for Black people in the year 1870 during the Reconstruction era. [4]
As a bishop, Holsey founded churches, wrote and revised religious texts including the church's Book of Discipline, [5] and participated in church governance. [4] [3] He also edited a church newspaper, The Gospel Trumpet. [5] [6] He raised funds in support of educational institutions including Paine College; Lane College; Holsey Industrial Institute in Cordele, Georgia; and the Helen B. Cobb Institute for Girls in Barnesville, Georgia. [7]
Initially an advocate for racial cooperation, Holsey endorsed Black separatism around the turn of the 20th century after Sam Hose was lynched in 1899. [4]
In 1898, Holsey published Autobiography, Sermons, Addresses, and Essays with Franklin Printing & Publishing Company in Atlanta, Georgia. [8] It went through three editions. [3]
Holsey married Harriett Turner on November 8, 1862, [4] [5] or 1863. [7] Harriett was 15 at the time. [5] Her name is also given as Harriett A. Pearce or Harriet A. Turner. [7] Harriett and Lucius met in Hancock County, Georgia, while classes at the University of Georgia, where Johnston taught, were canceled due to the Civil War. [4] Lucius died on August 3, 1920, [1] at his home on Auburn Avenue in Atlanta. [9]
Media related to
Lucius Henry Holsey at Wikimedia Commons
Lucius Henry Holsey | |
---|---|
![]() Lucius Henry Holsey circa 1919 | |
Born | July 3, 1842
![]() Near Columbus, Georgia, U.S. |
Died | August 3, 1920
![]() Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
Lucius Henry Holsey (July 3, 1842 – August 3, 1920) was an American bishop.
Lucius Henry Holsey was born on July 3, 1842, near Columbus, Georgia. [1] [2] His mother Louisa was enslaved. His father James Holsey owned the plantation. [1] Lucius was born enslaved. [3]
He was sold to his cousin T. L. Wynn and then to Richard Malcolm Johnston, an academic. [1] According to the New Georgia Encyclopedia, Holsey chose to be sold to Johnston. [4] According to American National Biography, Holsey taught himself to read and write and was not educated; [1] according to the New Georgia Encyclopedia, some of Holsey's relatives taught him to read. [4] He remained enslaved by the Johnston family until slavery was abolished. [5]
Holsey converted to Methodism after attending plantation missionary revivals led by Henry McNeal Turner. [4] He was given a preaching license as a Methodist minister in February 1868 and held various positions as a minister until he was appointed a bishop of the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church (now the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church) in March 1873. [1] [5] The Colored Methodist Episcopal Church was a division of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, created for Black people in the year 1870 during the Reconstruction era. [4]
As a bishop, Holsey founded churches, wrote and revised religious texts including the church's Book of Discipline, [5] and participated in church governance. [4] [3] He also edited a church newspaper, The Gospel Trumpet. [5] [6] He raised funds in support of educational institutions including Paine College; Lane College; Holsey Industrial Institute in Cordele, Georgia; and the Helen B. Cobb Institute for Girls in Barnesville, Georgia. [7]
Initially an advocate for racial cooperation, Holsey endorsed Black separatism around the turn of the 20th century after Sam Hose was lynched in 1899. [4]
In 1898, Holsey published Autobiography, Sermons, Addresses, and Essays with Franklin Printing & Publishing Company in Atlanta, Georgia. [8] It went through three editions. [3]
Holsey married Harriett Turner on November 8, 1862, [4] [5] or 1863. [7] Harriett was 15 at the time. [5] Her name is also given as Harriett A. Pearce or Harriet A. Turner. [7] Harriett and Lucius met in Hancock County, Georgia, while classes at the University of Georgia, where Johnston taught, were canceled due to the Civil War. [4] Lucius died on August 3, 1920, [1] at his home on Auburn Avenue in Atlanta. [9]
Media related to
Lucius Henry Holsey at Wikimedia Commons