Rachel Gallaher

Independent Historian

Rachel Gallaher is an undergraduate at the University of Washington majoring in English with an emphasis in Creative Writing. She also is a part of the English Honors Program. After graduating Rachel plans to earn her Master’s degree in Creative Writing and then join the Teach for America Program and eventually becomes a kindergarten teacher. Rachel loves history, literature and writing and hopes to publish a novel someday.

James Varick (1750-1827)

James Varick was the founder and first bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. Varick was born to a slave mother near Newburgh, New York. His father was Richard Varick, a free black man who was originally from Hackensack, New Jersey. Varick grew up … Read MoreJames Varick (1750-1827)

John Stewart (1786-1823)

John Stewart (also sometimes spelled Steward) was a missionary to the Wyandotte Indians of Ohio and founder of what is often considered the first Methodist mission in America. Stewart was born in Powhatan County, Virginia to free Negro parents who were of mixed ancestry; a … Read MoreJohn Stewart (1786-1823)

Reverdy Cassius Ransom (1861-1959)

Reverdy Cassius Ransom was a civil rights leader, editor and the forty-eighth bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church. Ransom was born in Flushing, Ohio to George and Harriet (Johnson) Ransom. In 1869, Ransom’s family moved to Cambridge, Ohio, where he spent several years … Read MoreReverdy Cassius Ransom (1861-1959)

Henry Hugh Proctor (1868-1933)

Image Courtesy of Daniel Murray Collection, Library of Congress Henry Hugh Proctor was an author, lecturer and a clergyman of the Congregational Church. Proctor was born on December 8, 1868 near Fayetteville, Tennessee to former slave parents Richard and Hannah (Murray) Proctor. Proctor attended local … Read MoreHenry Hugh Proctor (1868-1933)

Wallace Fard (ca. 1891-1934)

Wallace Fard, also known as W. Farad Muhammad, the Prophet, was founder the first Temple of Islam which evolved into the Nation of Islam or the Black Muslims. Authentic, documented information about Fard is very scarce and there is only a four year period (1930-1934) … Read MoreWallace Fard (ca. 1891-1934)

Levi Jenkins Coppin (1848-1924)

Levi Coppin was an editor, educator, missionary and the 30th Bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church. Coppin was born in Frederick Town, Maryland in 1848 to Jane Lily and John Coppin. He had six siblings. Coppin’s mother taught him to read and write … Read MoreLevi Jenkins Coppin (1848-1924)

Eliza [Sister Mary Magdalen] Healy (1846-1918)

Sister Eliza Healy was both an educator and noted first African American Mother Superior of a Catholic convent. Healy was born on a plantation near Macon, Georgia on December 23, 1846 to a white father, Michael Morris Healy and one of his mulatto slaves, Eliza … Read MoreEliza [Sister Mary Magdalen] Healy (1846-1918)

George Alexander McGuire (1866-1934)

George Alexander McGuire was a bishop and founder of the African Orthodox Church, as well as chaplain-general of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA). McGuire was born on March 26, 1866 at Sweets, Antigua, in the Caribbean. He was educated in the local school system, … Read MoreGeorge Alexander McGuire (1866-1934)

Solomon Lightfoot “Elder” Michaux (ca. 1885-1968)

Solomon Michaux was a radio evangelist, entrepreneur, and founder of the Church of God Movement; he was also known as the “Happy Am I Preacher.” Michaux was born around 1885 in Buckroe Beach, Virginia into a devout family of Baptists. He grew up in Newport … Read MoreSolomon Lightfoot “Elder” Michaux (ca. 1885-1968)

Daniel Coker (1780-1846)

Daniel Coker (born Isaac Wright) was a writer, activist, and a founder of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church who eventually emigrated from the United States to Sierra Leone as a missionary and colonist. Coker was born in 1780 in either Baltimore County or Frederick … Read MoreDaniel Coker (1780-1846)