Zedekiah Johnson Purnell (c. 1813–1882) was an African-American activist, businessman, and editor. He served as the editor of the literary journal The Demosthenian Shield.[1][2] In the 1840s, Purnell emerged on the national stage as an outspoken proponent of an African-American press, supporting such authors as Charles Bennett Ray and Samuel Cornish.[1]
Zedekiah Johnson Purnell | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1813 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | November 12, 1882 California, U.S. |
| Burial place | Mountain View Cemetery (Oakland, California) |
| Other names | Zedkiah J. Purnell, Z. J. Purnell |
| Movement | Colored Conventions Movement |
| Spouse | Ann Sammons |
Early life
editZedekiah Johnson Purnell was born in about 1813 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[1] His family was active Philadelphia's black community.[1]
He began early work in 1833 as a sailor, but eventually changed careers in hopes for finding more stability.[1]
Career
editPurnell became a hairdresser and successful business-owner, his salon was located on the corner of Carpenter and Decatur Streets.[1][3] Purnell began his work as a "champion of the black press" in 1839 when he helped to found an organization that would become known as the Demosthenian Institute, "a literary society of colored young men". He was an avid supporter of Samuel Cornish and Charles B. Ray's Colored American and Martin R. Delany's Mystery.
On August 23, 1841, Purnell attended the Pennsylvania State Convention of Colored Freemen in Pittsburgh.[4][5]
As of the 1860 Philadelphia Census, his real estate property was valued at approximately US$1100 and his personal estate was valued at US$400.[citation needed] The family eventually moved to the San Francisco Bay Area continuing their civil rights activism, and first settling in San Jose, later moving to Oakland, California. In 1877, he ran for city council of Oakland (serving the 6th ward).[6]
Purnell died on November 12, 1882, in California, and is buried in Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland.[7]
Personal life
editPurnell married Ann Sammons. They had one daughter.
Purnell and both were listed as members of the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas, a church of the black elite in Philadelphia.[citation needed]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f Winch, Julie (2000). The Elite of Our People: Joseph Willson's Sketches of Black Upper-Class Life in Antebellum Philadelphia. State College: Pennsylvania State University Press. p. 159. ISBN 978-0-271-04302-9.
- ^ Willson, Joseph (1811). Sketches of the Higher Classes of Colored Society in Philadelphia. Rhistoric Publications. p. 104.
- ^ "New Hair Cutting Room". Public Ledger (Philadelphia). 1836-06-01. p. 3. Retrieved 2023-01-16.
- ^ "National Convention". The Liberator. 1841-11-05. p. 2. Retrieved 2023-01-16.
- ^ Proceedings of the State Convention of the Colored Freemen of Pennsylvania : held in Pittsburgh, on the 23rd, 24th and 25th of August, 1841, for the purpose of considering their condition, and the means of its improvement. Convention of the Colored Freemen of Pennsylvania (1841: Pittsburgh, PA). 1841.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ "News and Other Items". Petaluma Weekly Argus. 1877-03-02. p. 6. Retrieved 2023-01-16.
- ^ "California, Oakland, Mountain View Cemetery Records, 1857–1973, Mountain View Cemetery, Oakland; FHL microfilm 008266227". FamilySearch.
External links
edit- ColoredConventions.org is a website about the Colored Conventions Movement, that collected biographical information about Zedekiah Johnson Purnell