Century of Black Mormons
@centblckmormons.bsky.social
Century of Black Mormons is a digital history database designed to recover what was lost--the identities of Black Mormons from 1830 to 1930. Visit the database at www.CenturyofBlackMormons.org
Today we remember Mary Willson even though we know very little about her. The only surviving source to name her and describe her as a “colored woman” is a list of rebaptisms performed in Nashville, Lee County, Iowa. 1/7
October 19, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Today we remember Mary Willson even though we know very little about her. The only surviving source to name her and describe her as a “colored woman” is a list of rebaptisms performed in Nashville, Lee County, Iowa. 1/7
After converting to the Church as a young girl, serving a term in a London workhouse, and giving birth to a daughter out of wedlock, she immigrated to Utah Territory where she married a man of mixed racial ancestry, James Preston Berry.
October 12, 2025 at 12:27 PM
After converting to the Church as a young girl, serving a term in a London workhouse, and giving birth to a daughter out of wedlock, she immigrated to Utah Territory where she married a man of mixed racial ancestry, James Preston Berry.
Even though Mary Bowdidge Berry Smith was a white woman, she nonetheless ran afoul of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ racial policies. LDS leaders barred Mary from receiving the crowning rituals of her faith because she had married a Black man & had children with him.
October 12, 2025 at 12:27 PM
Even though Mary Bowdidge Berry Smith was a white woman, she nonetheless ran afoul of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ racial policies. LDS leaders barred Mary from receiving the crowning rituals of her faith because she had married a Black man & had children with him.
Although their baptism and confirmation record does not identify their race, a subsequent membership record includes the word “colored” written above each of their names, a reminder that white was deemed normal in LDS records and Black was marked with a note of difference. 4/5
October 8, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Although their baptism and confirmation record does not identify their race, a subsequent membership record includes the word “colored” written above each of their names, a reminder that white was deemed normal in LDS records and Black was marked with a note of difference. 4/5
Ethel Irene Wells Burdette and her husband William were two of three Black converts to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, baptized on the same day in 1914 in Chester County, Pennsylvania where William worked in the coal mines. 1/5
October 8, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Ethel Irene Wells Burdette and her husband William were two of three Black converts to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, baptized on the same day in 1914 in Chester County, Pennsylvania where William worked in the coal mines. 1/5
Alex James Brooks grew to adulthood in southwestern Georgia during federal Reconstruction when southern Black people enjoyed some of the rights promised in the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the Constitution, including citizenship and Black male voting rights. 1/4
September 21, 2025 at 2:09 PM
Alex James Brooks grew to adulthood in southwestern Georgia during federal Reconstruction when southern Black people enjoyed some of the rights promised in the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the Constitution, including citizenship and Black male voting rights. 1/4
Major Dorimus Church's mother was formerly enslaved to his father. Born in Tennessee in 1869, in the aftermath of the Civil War, he and his mother and his siblings were listed in the 1870 census as Black. 1/6
September 14, 2025 at 2:43 PM
Major Dorimus Church's mother was formerly enslaved to his father. Born in Tennessee in 1869, in the aftermath of the Civil War, he and his mother and his siblings were listed in the 1870 census as Black. 1/6
She went on to survive both world wars and the Great Depression and still have land to pass on to her children when she died at 86 years of age. She continued to be listed on LDS census records through the 1930s. 5/7
September 7, 2025 at 2:06 PM
She went on to survive both world wars and the Great Depression and still have land to pass on to her children when she died at 86 years of age. She continued to be listed on LDS census records through the 1930s. 5/7
He spent his entire life in Granville County, a prominent tobacco producing region on North Carolina’s norther border. He met and married Laura Thorpe there and the couple raised seven children together. 2/7
September 7, 2025 at 2:06 PM
He spent his entire life in Granville County, a prominent tobacco producing region on North Carolina’s norther border. He met and married Laura Thorpe there and the couple raised seven children together. 2/7
John & Laura Thorpe Fuller were both likely born into slavery in Granville County, North Carolina, before the Civil War began. After slavery was abolished, John worked on his father's farm from a young age & continued to do so well into adulthood, likely cultivating tobacco. 1/7
September 7, 2025 at 2:06 PM
John & Laura Thorpe Fuller were both likely born into slavery in Granville County, North Carolina, before the Civil War began. After slavery was abolished, John worked on his father's farm from a young age & continued to do so well into adulthood, likely cultivating tobacco. 1/7
Lorah Jane Bowdidge Berry Barton’s life history illustrates the ramifications of the one-drop racial temple & priesthood ban that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints enforced on members who appeared to be white, but who actually had limited Black African ancestry. 1/5
August 31, 2025 at 1:16 PM
Lorah Jane Bowdidge Berry Barton’s life history illustrates the ramifications of the one-drop racial temple & priesthood ban that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints enforced on members who appeared to be white, but who actually had limited Black African ancestry. 1/5
Pioneers and Prominent Men of Utah. Both images were published in 1913. Both images are included here. Our thanks to the Church History Library of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for the high quality digital scan of the Deseret News image. 5/6
August 28, 2025 at 3:16 PM
Pioneers and Prominent Men of Utah. Both images were published in 1913. Both images are included here. Our thanks to the Church History Library of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for the high quality digital scan of the Deseret News image. 5/6
It is not possible to know with certainty which person is Sylvester, but Cathy Gilmore at Century of Black Mormons has identified the most likely candidate, a person who resembles the second known image of Sylvester, a "crayon portrait" that appeared in Frank Esshom's 1913 book . . . 4/6
August 28, 2025 at 3:16 PM
It is not possible to know with certainty which person is Sylvester, but Cathy Gilmore at Century of Black Mormons has identified the most likely candidate, a person who resembles the second known image of Sylvester, a "crayon portrait" that appeared in Frank Esshom's 1913 book . . . 4/6
On July 24, 1913, Sylvester nonetheless gathered with other surviving 1847 pioneers for a photograph which was published on the front page of the Deseret News. Frustratingly, the Deseret News listed the names of the people in the photograph, but not in any particular order. 3/6
August 28, 2025 at 3:16 PM
On July 24, 1913, Sylvester nonetheless gathered with other surviving 1847 pioneers for a photograph which was published on the front page of the Deseret News. Frustratingly, the Deseret News listed the names of the people in the photograph, but not in any particular order. 3/6
Sylvester James, along with his mother Jane Manning James, his half-brother Silas, and step father Isaac James, was an 1847 pioneer into the Salt Lake Valley. He labored to establish a new settlement in the valley and with his family worked in Brigham Young's household. 1/6
August 28, 2025 at 3:16 PM
Sylvester James, along with his mother Jane Manning James, his half-brother Silas, and step father Isaac James, was an 1847 pioneer into the Salt Lake Valley. He labored to establish a new settlement in the valley and with his family worked in Brigham Young's household. 1/6
A new painting at LDS Church History Library by Casey Lynn Childs depicts a singular day in the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. On September 3, 1875, 8 African American Latter-day Saints attended the Endowment House to perform proxy baptisms for deceased friends & family.
August 20, 2025 at 2:54 PM
A new painting at LDS Church History Library by Casey Lynn Childs depicts a singular day in the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. On September 3, 1875, 8 African American Latter-day Saints attended the Endowment House to perform proxy baptisms for deceased friends & family.
Despite his brief affiliation with the LDS Church Albert was quite committed to other institutions throughout his life. He remained dedicated to his marriage for over 50 years, maintained close relationships with his children, served as a reverend, operated a business, . . . 2/4
August 17, 2025 at 1:55 PM
Despite his brief affiliation with the LDS Church Albert was quite committed to other institutions throughout his life. He remained dedicated to his marriage for over 50 years, maintained close relationships with his children, served as a reverend, operated a business, . . . 2/4
Albert Webb had a short-lived membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Only a couple of weeks after his baptism in 1872 in Tennessee, he returned to his previous religion, the Disciples of Christ. 1/4
August 17, 2025 at 1:55 PM
Albert Webb had a short-lived membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Only a couple of weeks after his baptism in 1872 in Tennessee, he returned to his previous religion, the Disciples of Christ. 1/4
The Salt Lake Tribune Mormon Land podcast interviewed Professors Jenny Pulsipher and Paul Reeve about the new Century of Black Mormons bio of James Brown Jr., a captain in the Mormon Battalion and founder of Ogden, Utah. A link to the Mormon Land interview follows.
August 14, 2025 at 2:32 PM
The Salt Lake Tribune Mormon Land podcast interviewed Professors Jenny Pulsipher and Paul Reeve about the new Century of Black Mormons bio of James Brown Jr., a captain in the Mormon Battalion and founder of Ogden, Utah. A link to the Mormon Land interview follows.
One public historian who wrote about Susannah Lucretia Tanner Christensen Stevens for a Las Vegas history project suggested that her long life embodied “much of western history.” 1/4
July 6, 2025 at 3:28 PM
One public historian who wrote about Susannah Lucretia Tanner Christensen Stevens for a Las Vegas history project suggested that her long life embodied “much of western history.” 1/4
John Stewart Knight was beset by opposition for most of his life. As a mixed-race man & suspected homosexual, he faced considerable challenges. 1/3
July 2, 2025 at 2:20 PM
John Stewart Knight was beset by opposition for most of his life. As a mixed-race man & suspected homosexual, he faced considerable challenges. 1/3
Without an 1853 journal entry from Texas and an 1857 entry in Latter-day Saint records in Utah, an enslaved woman named Louisa may have been lost to history. These two sources offer an intriguing glimpse into her life and her epic westward journey. 1/2
June 22, 2025 at 11:52 AM
Without an 1853 journal entry from Texas and an 1857 entry in Latter-day Saint records in Utah, an enslaved woman named Louisa may have been lost to history. These two sources offer an intriguing glimpse into her life and her epic westward journey. 1/2
These & other biographies at centuryofblackmormongs.org demonstrate the impossibility of policing racial boundaries. DNA evidence makes it clear that there has never been a period of LDS history without Black people admitted to the temple and ordained to the priesthood. 12/12
June 8, 2025 at 4:28 PM
These & other biographies at centuryofblackmormongs.org demonstrate the impossibility of policing racial boundaries. DNA evidence makes it clear that there has never been a period of LDS history without Black people admitted to the temple and ordained to the priesthood. 12/12
In 1844 Wilford Woodruff described Walker Lewis as a "colourd Brother who was an Elder." 3 yrs later Brigham Young called Lewis "one of the best elders, an African." Lewis was a barber in Lowell, MA who paid a generous tithe & hosted missionaries who preached in his home. 11/12
June 8, 2025 at 4:28 PM
In 1844 Wilford Woodruff described Walker Lewis as a "colourd Brother who was an Elder." 3 yrs later Brigham Young called Lewis "one of the best elders, an African." Lewis was a barber in Lowell, MA who paid a generous tithe & hosted missionaries who preached in his home. 11/12
Elijah R. Ables, the grandson of Elijah Able, was described as "black" in the 1900 census, but eventually passed as white. He was ordained an Elder in 1935, in Logan, Utah, marking three generations of priesthood holders in the same family. 10/12
June 8, 2025 at 4:28 PM
Elijah R. Ables, the grandson of Elijah Able, was described as "black" in the 1900 census, but eventually passed as white. He was ordained an Elder in 1935, in Logan, Utah, marking three generations of priesthood holders in the same family. 10/12