John Adams Hyman (1840-1891)

John Adams Hyman (1840-1891)

John Adams Hyman was born into slavery on July 23, 1840 in Warren County, North Carolina. Hyman’s thirst for knowledge resulted in him being sold away from his family for attempting to read a spelling book that was given to him by a sympathetic white jeweler. He...
Richard H. Cain (1825-1887)

Richard H. Cain (1825-1887)

Richard Harvey Cain was born a free black in Greenbrier County, Virginia on April 12, 1825. In 1831 his parents moved to Gallipolis, Ohio where he attended school. Seventeen years later, in 1848, he joined the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church and became a...
Alonzo J. Ransier (1834-1882)

Alonzo J. Ransier (1834-1882)

Alonzo Jacob Ransier, an African American Republican from South Carolina, held a series of political posts during the Reconstruction era.  Ransier was born a free black man in Charleston in 1834.  Little is known of his childhood and early education.  At the end of...