There are more notable African Americans with Kentucky roots and ties than any one person knows about. Very little has been written about many of them and it is a challenge to find what was written in the past. For some, their stories have only been told by word of mouth. The Notable Kentucky African Americans Database (NKAA) has been developed as a finding aid to bring together a brief description of pertinent names, places, and events, and to list the sources where additional information may be found. This is not currently an all inclusive database, but we are working toward that goal and suggestions are welcomed.
Did you know?
William H. Bowen was born in Montgomery County, KY. He was a minister and wrote editorials for The Evangelist, a religious paper published in Paris,…
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Gambling with cards and dice greatly increased following the American Revolution. Every state had passed laws to curtail gambling, particularly among…
Jeff Hamilton, a slave, was sold to Texas Senator Sam Houston; Hamilton had been placed on the auction block in Huntsville, TX, in 1853. Jeff Hamilton…
William Baton Ball, a former slave, was born in Danville, KY, and graduated from Oberlin College. He served in the U.S. Army, 99th Division, 149th…
Greenbury (or Greenberry) Logan was born in Kentucky, the son of David Logan, who was white. Greenbury may or may not have been a slave, though he was…
Born in Louisville, KY, Thomas R. Sumner is a graduate of the University of Illinois and John Marshall Law School. Since 1988, he has been an…
George Brent was born near Greensburg, KY; he and his parents were slaves owned by Louis C. Patterson. Brent's father gained his freedom and moved to…
George Stevens was born in Georgetown, KY, the son of Washington Stevens. He had been a slave and had many owners until he joined the Army during the…
