People, Locations, Episodes

The Lemington Elder Care Services Opens

*On the Fourth of July 1883, Lemington Elder Care Services (LECS) began. Located in Pittsburgh, this was one of the first Homes for the Aged and Infirm Colored Women in America and it is the oldest continuously operated home for the aged existing in the United States.

Elizabeth Ross Haynes, Writer, and Administrator born

The birth of Elizabeth Ross Haynes in 1883 is marked on this date. She was an African American activist, writer, and administrator.

She was born in Lowndes County, AL, the daughter of prosperous farmers Henry and Mary Cames Ross. Elizabeth Ross was class valedictorian at State Normal School of Montgomery, and she received an A. B. degree from Fisk University in 1903. She got her M. A. in sociology from Columbia University in 1923. Haynes’ 1923 Master’s thesis was the most comprehensive study of Black women in America until the 1970s.

Cecelia Cabaniss-Saunders, Administrator born

*This date in 1883 is celebrated as the birth date of Cecelia Cabaniss-Saunders, a Black educator and administrator. From Charleston, South Carolina, Cecelia Hayne Holloway’s father, James H. Holloway, was a school principal during American Reconstruction. Cecelia Holloway graduated from Fisk University in 1909. She then attended Tuskegee Institute, receiving her Master of Social Science. Cecelia continued her studies […]

A. J. Smitherman, News Journalist born

*A. J. Smitherman was born on this date in 1883. He was a Black newspaper administrator and businessman.   Andrew Jackson Smitherman was born in Childersburg, Alabama. Both of his parents were of mixed race (his grandparents were of white-European, African, and Native American heritage). Smitherman was the second eldest of 11 children. His father […]

Harry Pace, Music Recording Producer born

Harry Herbert Pace was born on this date in 1884. He was an African American music publisher and insurance executive.

A Black Inventor Patents a Mechanical Eggbeater

*On this date in 1884, a Black inventor patented a mechanical eggbeater.  African American, Willis Johnson of Cincinnati, Ohio, patented the device (U.S. Pat# 292,821).  Johnson’s eggbeater improved over an earlier model and was intended to mix many more ingredients than just eggs.  He had designed his invention and mixer for eggs, batter, and other […]

P.B. Young, Journalist born

The birth of P.B. (Plummer Bernard) Young, Sr., in 1884 is celebrated on this date. He was an African American newspaper editor and publisher.

George Biddle Kelley, Civil Engineer, born

*George Biddle Kelley was born on this date in 1884. He was a Black civil engineer. From Troy, New York, his father, Richard, was a runaway slave who volunteered with the 54th Massachusetts Infantry. His mother, Mathilda, was the daughter of an African Methodist Episcopal minister, the Rev. W.H. Decker. Young Kelley was named after […]

A Black Woman Receives a Patent For a Dough Kneader, and Roller

*On this date in 1884, a Black woman received a patent a Dough Kneader and Roller.  From Washington, D.C., Judy W. Reed signed her name with an “X,” her Patent No. # 305474.  She is possibly the first African American woman to receive a patent.  

The Philadelphia Tribune Newspaper is Founded

On this date in 1884, Christopher Perry founded the Black Philadelphia Tribune, the oldest continually published non-church newspaper, and the first black newspaper.

The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), at its recent 68th Annual Merit Award Ceremony in Louisville, in 2008, presented its highest honor, the John B. Russwurm Award for “Best Newspaper,” to The Tribune. In seven of the last twelve years, The Tribune has been named the nation’s best black newspaper at the award ceremony.

Jesse Mathews Vann, News Publisher, born

*Jesse Mathews Vann was born on this date in 1885. She was a Black teacher and newspaper publisher. She was born Jessie Ellen Matthews in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. After finishing college, she began a career in classroom education. In 1908, she met Robert Lee Vann, a law student who was also a kindergarten teacher. They married […]

Homer Roberts, Businessman born

*Homer Roberts’ birth is celebrated on this date in 1885. He was a Black businessman (Automobile Dealer).   Homer B. Roberts was born in Ash Grove, Missouri, and grew up in Wellington, Kansas. He attended Tuskegee Institute and studied electrical engineering at Kansas State Agricultural College. He moved to Kansas City but found no one willing to […]

Vertner Woodson Tandy, Architect born

*Vertner Woodson Tandy was born on this date in 1885. He was a Black architect. He was born in Lexington, Kentucky. His parents were Henry A. Tandy and Emma Brice Tandy. Henry Tandy was a successful entrepreneur and building contractor. In 1904, young Tandy attended Tuskegee Institute, studying architectural drawing. In 1905, he transferred to Cornell University, where […]

The Appeal Newspaper is Published

On this date, we celebrate the founding of The Appeal, a Black newspaper based in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1885.

Originally named the Western Appeal, this newspaper was founded by Samuel E. Hardy and John T. Burgett, two Black businessmen who saw the need for a journal that would defend the interests of the Black race while highlighting its achievements.

A’Lelia Walker, Harlem Businesswoman born

On this date, A’Lelia Walker was born in 1885. She was an African American businesswoman. She was associated with the Harlem Renaissance as a patron of the arts who provided an intellectual forum for the Black literati of New York City during the 1920s.