People, Locations, Episodes

Ida Gray Nelson, Dentist born

*The birth of Ida Gray Nelson Rollins in 1867 is celebrated on this date. She was an African American dentist.

Ida Gray was born in Clarksville, Tennessee; at an early age she and her parents moved to Cincinnati, Ohio. She attended Gaines Public High School in Cincinnati, graduating in 1887. She entered the University of Michigan Dental School and received her DDS degree in 1890. At this time Gray became the first Black woman in America to earn a Doctor of Dental Surgery Degree. She returned to Cincinnati where she established a very successful private practice.

Robert R. Taylor, Architect born

Robert R. Taylor, an African American architect, was born on this date in 1868.

Born in Wilmington, N.C., Robert Robinson Taylor came from a middle-class family. His father, Henry, was the son of a white slave owner and a Black mother. The elder Taylor had been allowed to go into business for himself before the Civil War, building cargo ships for trade routes between the United States and South America through the Caribbean. He also built many commercial and residential edifices.

Jane ‘Nellie’ Datcher, Botanist, Teacher, and Woman’s Activist

*This date in 1868 is celebrated as the birth date of Jane ‘Nellie’ Datcher. She was a Black botanist and women’s activist. Jane Eleanor Datcher was born and raised in Washington, D.C., the daughter of Samuel and Mary Victoria Cook Datcher. Her maternal grandfather, Rev. John Francis Cook, Sr., was the founding pastor of the […]

Benjamin Covington, Doctor and Teacher born

*Benjamin Covington’s birth is celebrated on this date in 1869. He was a Black doctor, teacher, and community activist.  Benjamin Jesse Covington was born in Marlin, Texas, to formerly enslaved parents Ben and Georgiana Covington. He spent much of his early life working on a farm in Marlin, and his aptitude for surgical procedures flourished […]

Augustus Lushington, Veterinarian born

*Augustus Lushington was born on this date in 1869. He was an African American Veterinarian.

Adah Thoms, Nurse, and Educator born

*Adah Belle Thoms was born on this date in 1870. She was an African American nurse, educator, administrator and activist.

John Henry Jordan, Doctor born

*John Henry Jordan was born on this date in 1870. He was a Black doctor and philanthropist.   He was born in Hogansville, Georgia, and was the second son of Berry and Isabella Jordan, both former slaves. His mother died when he was two. Jordan was educated at Clark College in Atlanta before relocating to Nashville, […]

Amanda Gray Hilyer, Pharmacist, and Entrepreneur born

*Amanda Gray Hilyer was born on this date in 1870. She was a Black entrepreneur, pharmacist, civic worker, and activist.  Amanda Victoria Brown was born in Atchison, Kansas. She attended public schools in Kansas and married pharmacist Arthur S. Gray. In around 1897, the couple moved to Washington D.C., and she attended Howard University. She […]

George Jewett Jr., Collegiate Football Letterman and Doctor born

*George Jewett Jr. was born on this date in 1870. He was a Black doctor, businessman, and one of the first Black collegiate football lettermen.   George Jewett Jr. grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan; his father was George Jewett, a blacksmith born in Kentucky, and his mother, Letty Jewett, was born in Michigan. He had an older […]

J. Edward Perry, Doctor born

*The birth of J. Edward Perry in 1870 is celebrated on this date. He was an African American Physician.

Carrie Early Broadfoot, Nurse, and Healthcare Advocate born

*Carrie Early Broadfoot was born on this date in 1870. She was a Black nurse, and family consumer services advocate. Carrie Early was born in Lynchburg, Virginia, and educated at Frederick Douglass Memorial Hospital in Philadelphia, graduating in 1899. She was Superintendent from 1900-1904 and moved to Raleigh in the fall 1904 or winter of 1905. There, […]

Solomon H. Thompson, Physician born

*Solomon Thompson was born on this date in 1870. He was a Black Physician. From Charlestown, West Virginia, Solomon Henry Thompson graduated from Storer College in Harper’s Ferry, VA, and in 1892 received his medical degree from Howard University in Washington, D.C. In 1898, Dr. Thompson settled in Kansas City, Kansas, where he opened a […]

Martha Franklin, Nursing Pioneer born

*Martha Franklin was born on this date in 1870.  She was a Black nurse and activist.   Martha Minerva Franklin was born in New Milford, Connecticut, to Mary E. Gauson and Henry J. Franklin.  Her father was a Union Army soldier during the American Civil War.   She graduated from Meriden Public High School in 1890 as the only Black student in her class. In […]

Henry M. Minton, Pharmacist born

Henry Minton was born on this date in 1870. He was an African American pharmacist and physician.

Justina Ford, Doctor, and Humanitarian born

*The birth of Justina Ford in 1871 is marked on this date. She was an African American physician and humanitarian.