North Carolina Newspapers

ZQTK2 TIMES SAT., FEBRUARY 20, 1932 United Stales ' Blacks have been involved in the defense of the United ; States from colonial times. -They have fought against the Indians, Spanish, French and English forces. The earliest recorded death of a black in an encounter seems to be 1689. Blacks were also the first to shed their blood during the Revolu tionary 'and Civil Wars: Orispus Attucks in the -former!, and Nicholas Biddle in the latter. The distinction of firing the first shot at the Battle of Manila' Bay during the Spanish-American War belongs to another black man. John Jordan. . . Oftenlhe first to volunteer for the militia or arm ed services, the authorities' acceptance or rejection . of this willingness depended upon the depth of the crisis. Fear of arming slaves or free blacks rose durig peacetime or minor skirmishes, and ebbed when the peril was real. This attitude, with laws to support the dichotomy, would persist well into the twentieth century. The Revolutionary War After the Boston Massacre m 1770 in which At tucks was killed, the escalation of hostilities fof the next, five years saw blacks enlisting as Minute Men andparticipating in a number of contests against the British. In the Battle of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775 (marking the official beginning of the war), Prince Estabrook, Lemuel Haynes (later a minister of renown and a fierce abolitionist). Bar zillai Lew and Peter Salem were part of the militia. Salem has been credited with killing the British Ma jor Pitcairn at the Battle of Bunker Hill. Lew, Haynes and Salem Poor were also part of a small force tinder Ethan Allan and his Green Mountain Boys who" captured Fort Ticonderoga from the British in 1775. Despite their evident bravery and ' ability tp fight, in the early stages of the Revolution wholesale acceptance of blacks in the military was not countenanced. Two major factors forced a change. The initial enlistment time for members of the militia was drawing to a close, and the British offered any black who joined their forces freedom and equality. While reenlistments in the Continental Army were meager, thousands of blacks accepted the British terms. The North was quick to match the British and a regiment of blacks was formed in Rhode Island. Eventually, all of the North and Middle Atlantic States authorized the enlistment of blacks. Two states, South Carolina and Georgia, refused to allow the slaves to become part of the continental Army at any time; however, they were allowed, on a very limited basis and under armed supervision, to build or repair roads. Consequently, many runaways joined the British forces in those states and were instrumental in the loss of Augusta and Savannah, Georgia to the British. During the siege of Savannah, men who were to become important figures in their own revolution: Chavannes, Andre, Christophe, Rigaud, Villette, and Beauregard, were part of the 800 Haitian infantrymen and officers serving under the French allies who covered the retreat of the Continental Army. Spain also joined in the cause and a force of blacks, both slave and free with black line officers, drove the British from Louisiana,, Mississippi, Mobile, Alabama, and Pensacola, Florida. Six of .. the officers received medals of honor from the King of Spain. Ironically, the area in which blacks faced the least discrimination (ironically because this would change drastically in the late 19th and early 20th century) was the navy. Pilots on a number of vesselsr'blacks'also served in-every capacity-v-One young; eabiti ' boy, James "Forten, was' tatef-! become wealthy from the invention of a sail that ! would revolutionize shipping. Perhaps' one of the most important functions of blacks during the war was as spies. Often masking their innate intelligence with service behavior, they were able to infiltrate the British 4o gain important 1 information. In one incident, Mammy Kate rescued the Governor of Georgia from a British prison by placing him in a large laundry basket under soiled 'clothing and carrying him out on her head. James Armistead was a courier between Lafayette, who commanded the forces of the French Allies, and in filtrators of the British forces. Without Armistead, Lafayette felt that he would not have been able to be so victorious against the British. Armistead was manumitted by Virginia in 1786 in gratitude for his services. One of the more romantic episodes involved a slave named Pompey Lamb. When Fort Fayette. New York fell to the British, much of the sjatc. in cluding West1 Point, was threatened. Lamb, acting as a vendor, gained entrance to the fctrt. He did so , for about two weeks, winning confidences and the password 'ih1 the process. With this information. Continental forces were able to regain the fort. At the end - of the war. only three- states, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and 'Vermont 4.. abolished slavery outright. The rest of the North did so gradually until by 1820, all states admitted , north of the '36' 30" (the MasoniDixoh Line) were free states. 5Thosc blacks who were veterans, were generally granted their freedom. However, except for a limited number of menial tasks given to blacks, the edict of "Whites Only" in the militia returned. . ! ' '"' . War of 1812 Basically, thiswar was fought to guarantee freedom of the scasy On the Great Lakes and all along the Atlantic:' coastline, England began harassing American shipping and impressing American ;, seamen. Included in the capture of England's first impressment In 1807 were three black sailors. Sailors, "then, were important in this war. Dif- " Acuity in recruiting whites for service in the navy forced the government to accept black rccuits, and . they constituted about twenty per cent of the total. Difficulties were also experienced in recruiting enough whites for the militia to satisfy the quotas set by the Federal Government; still the fcarof revolt by arrned blacks once again prevented some slates from accepting blacks in large numbers as soldiers. New York raised two regiments of black volunteers only when the city was endangered. ' Elsewhere, Ihe volunteers were utilized as laborers (road and. fortification building, etc.) or as musi cians, ".'.y. V' . ' Those who did become part of the fighting military were peerless. Specific or individual acts of heroism are,, meager at best; but, as a group, the dispatches indicate their courage. Perhaps the lack of communiques on individuals may be due to the practice of sending a slave in place of the master and the master collecting the slave's pay and honor. The major engagements on the Great Lakes, along the Eastern coast, and in New Orleans indicate that without; the black servicemen', the war would have been lost. . - , , : Indeed, the Southeast was, in effect, lost because ' of the black man. Once more, England of fcrcd freedom to slaves in. exchange for their services; once more hundreds accepted the offer. Surely the , information slaves possessed about American for tifications, strength, etc., led to the stunning defeat the British handed American forces throughout the ' With and as far north as R r fresh fror BLACK HISTORY MONTH SPECIAL SECTION, PART II these victories where they had burned and captured much of the' South, including ' the-' capital, Washington, D.C., the British turned to New . Orleans. Louisiana, admitted as a state in 1812, had free blacks 'ints militia (now known as the National Guard). Governor Claiborne has the distinction of commissioning three blacks as second lieutenants, the first black commissioned officers in the militia of any state in the Union. Promised all of the rights of , white servicemen, i.e., rations, . clothing, bonuses, pensions and land, 600 free blacks with their own line officers were involved in the Battle of Nw Orleaps. Led by Andrew Jackson who ex- I horted them to do battle for their country, they helped to soundly defeat the. British. The promises - that were made to them were slow in coming; and, once the war had ended, their suffrage ended. The blacks under the British fared little better; for, after losing the war, England rewarded many of her black soldiers with reenslavement in the West , Indies or resales as slaves in the South. ' ! ' - , The Seminole Wars : Little has been reported concerning black involve ment in the Seminole Wars which were fought after : the War of 1812. Publicly, it has been stated that it was to remove the threat of continuing a war with .: England as result of that Country's arming the In-! dians in Florida (which was.-athal time, a Spanish ; colony). In reality, it was to prevent a rebellion . . among the slaves in the Deep South. . Long a soyrce of irritation to the' Georgia i slaveholders, the Seminole Nation in North. Florida had been a haven for Maroons (slave runaways).; Whert an abandoned British fort was occupied by about 300 blacks and some Indians, it was the last - straw.- In 1819, American troops attacked 'Negro " Fort" as it came to be called. An American shell ex ploded, the ammunition dump, destroying the fort , and killing most of the, inhabitants. Those who sur- Vived were returned to slavery. This was just the . beginning.,. r Statistics are unavailable as to the actual number of Maroons in Florida, but it would not be until 1842 that the rebellion could be said to have ended. v . During the ensuing years the Maroons (black and Seminole, Indians) , engaged the ; Union Army -(regulars, and, vplunteers) who used traditional ; strategies, in a guerrilla war that threatened to demoralize the i nation and eventually cost the Federal government some $5 million. The fear that ' was '"a caused 4 by : the ; . victories; ; of ; the SeminoleMarooji forces; fear that a general .slave ' uprising would be encouraged by these victories, , forced the army to change tactics. Osceola, one of the Seminole Chiefs, led the guerrilla forces, but the Army's'all-out offensive, where whole villages were torched, all Indians , who were caught were im mediately shipped to Oklahoma, and those sjaves . . (Maroons) , who were captured, were resold into ; slavery, broke the back of the resistance. However, many hundreds of the Maroons escaped into Mex- - ico where they continued their guerrilla warfare : against the Texans.' - North Carolina's First Black Physician By Hubert A. EatonM.D, ICnnvrieht Pendintt The first black physician wh o was a school to was Dr. graduate of a regular medic 'open an office in North Carolir James Francis Shober. Prior to 1885, the North. Carolina Board bf Medical Examiners ytas required to admit to its examinations nyone who cared to take them, and as a result, some nongraduates' held licenses to practice in the state. This explains the significance of ,; the qualifying term, 'who was a graduate of a regular medical school. There are several facts and events to y substantiate the claim of "first" for Dr. Shober. The majority of black physicians in N.C. during the last decade of the nine teenth century and the early part of this century were graduates of the Leonard Medical School which was a part of Shaw University in Raleigh. Inasmuch as this .. school was not founded until 1882, four years after Dr. Shober opened his office in Wilmington, all graduates of Leonard Medical School are automatically ruled out with respect to the claim, of "first". Meharry Medical College was founded in 1876, just two years before Dr. Shober opened his office in Wilmington, hence it was impossible for a Meharry graduate to claim the honor as "first". The most important and reliable evidence in support of the assertion that ' Dr. Shober was the "first" is the recogni tion of his accomplishment by the all black Old North State Medical Society, organized in 1887. On June 1, 1937,' meeting in Durham to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the' organization, the president-elect of the society, Dr. Max King, paid tribute to Dr. Shober for his achievement. Also, a 1954 quarterly journal of this society was dedicated to the "Old Timers" and under the caption, "The First Negro Practitioner in North; Carolina", Dr. Shober's achievement was again recognized. After ; Dr.; Shober's graduation: from medical school, he opened - an offiie in 1878 in the coastal city of Wilmington. Several questions 'immediately arise concerning this young man. Who were his parents? How and where did he receive : adequate education before and .im mediately after, the end of slavery to , enable him to enter a college in 1871, a scant eight years after President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation? Since slaves had no money, how was his college and medical education financed? What evidence supports this claim of' first? A study of his genealogy and an in-, vestigation of his life story revealed answers to these and other questions which should be recorded in history in as much detail as possible for time has already take it's toll of many details Of his life. ;, - 1 James Francis Shober was born in or near Salem, (now Winston-Salem) North Carolina in 1853. His 1881 marriage license to Anna Marie Taylor in Wilm ington indicated that his mother's name was Betsy Ann. A niece of Dr. Shober's wife, Mrs. Carrie Wright of Wilmington, revealed that his mother died when he was young and he had been reared by an uncle whose last name was Waugh. With , this paucity of information; a search was made of the Moravian Records eleven volumes of Moravian history, and other related books. In due time, it was discovered that "a Negress named. Betsy" was sold by a P. Transou to Brother ... John Henry Schulz. In September, 1831, Brother John Henry Schulz was notified by the Aufseher Col legium, Board of Overseers, in charge of secular affairs, to "get his Negro woman out of town." (Salem). Brother Schulz resisted this order by appeals and accusa tions of unfair treatment. It vas only after ihe was threatened with exclusion from the congregation that he finally sold her for $200 on April 1, 1832 to Brother Theodore Schulz for service in the Spr ingplace, Georgia Mission for Cherokee Indians. , . . , . . It is unlikely that Betsy was sent, to Georgia since forcing a slave to leave her home region would have violated Mora vian customs. Miss Mary Creech, ar chivist,' Moravian Archives, said, "She would not have been sent there if she did nqt want to go." As a result, eighteen years later, the 1850 Slave Schedule of Forsyth County showed Elizabeth Waugh . of Waughtown (near Salem) to be the, . owner of one mulatto female slave, age 45. This stave, in all likelihood, was Bet 1 sy. ' ' ' , The 1850 Slave Schedule of Forsyth Cwmty fevealed ownership by Elizabeth Waugh of another mulatto female slave, - age ' fifteen; The Memoir files of the Moravian Archives reveal that a slave, Betsy Ann; was born in 1835, so by 1850 she would have been fifteen years old. This slave, also in all likelihood, was the daughter of Betsy and the mother of James Francis Shober. She was eighteen years old when he was born. i i 1 i I 1 , . ft . v 7 DR. JAMES FRANCIS SHOBER father of the mulatto slave, Betsy; but the reluctance; with which John H. Schulz parted with Betsy, coupled with the com munity's insistence that he do so, strongly suggests that the father of her mulatto daughter was her previous owner. Having established beyond a reasonable doubt the identity of Dr. Shober's mother, the next question is, who was his father? The patriarch of the Shober family in Salem was Gottlieb Shober. He was born in the Moravian settlement in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and came tg Salem in 1768. ' ; He; waslh father of Ye'veif children; cafe of whom was Emanuel Shober, who was married to Anna Hanes. They also had . seven children, one of whom was named Francis Edwin, born in March 1 83 1 . Francis Edwin Shober received his early education in Pennsylvania but he attend ed college, at the University of North Carolina in Chapel HilU graduating in 1851. He then studied law and was admit ted to the Bar in 1853. . , . Using q combination of documented facts and the chronological sequence of events, it is a reasonable' conclusion that the paths of Betsy Ann and Francis Edwin Shober crossed near Thanksgiving time in 1852 and James Francis Shober was born on August 23, 1853. The fact that James Francis Shober's middle name is the same as Francis Edwin Shober's first name would seem to be significant rather than coincidental This conclusion could also explain now James Francis Shober's col lege and medical school education was financed. - When James Francis Shober was two years old, Francis Edwin Shober separated himself from the Moravian con gregation by marrying a non-Moravian, Mary Wheat, of Chapel Hill without per mission of the church. He then made his home - in Salisbury, N.C, where he became an outstanding . and successful politician and businessman. . He was a member of the N.C. State House of Commons in 1862 and 1864, served in the N.C. State Senate in 1865, elected as a Democrat to the 41st and 42nd U.S. Congress in 1869 and 1873, County Judge of Rowan County in 1877 and 1878, appointed Chief Clerk of the United States Senate in the 45th Congress and Acting Secretary of the Senate serving from October 24, 1881 to March 3, 1883. He was also a co-partner in he oldest mercantile house in Salisbury, Bingham and Company, established in 1866. At a point in time not available, Betsy Ann (Waugh) was married to a slave by the name of David Shober. Miss Mary Creech is of the opinion thai in 1855 Betsy Ann and David were moved from the Salem area to .Salisbury. In 18$9, when , her son James. Francis was between sjx and seven years old, his mother, Betsy Ann, died! Following her death, this" young boy was, in all likelihood, moved back to the Waugh plantation where his grandmother, Betsy, at least one uncle and Betsy Ann's other siblings were located. To support this conclusion, the 1860 Slave Schedule of Fprsyth County : identifies a 56-year-old mulatto female and a seven year old mulatto male. The former would have been Betsy and the lat ter, James Francis Shober, Betsy Ann could not be identified as she had died in : y 1859.yx';r;ifeV-. ' The background and accomplishments ' of James Francis Shober are closely in termeshed with the Moravian Church which evolved as a result of the persecu " tlon of Christians by Roman Catholics :, during the 15th century in what is now ' Med Czechoslovakia. Seeking religious : - -m, the- early Moravians moved ' America in 1742 and settled in Penn: , sylvania. Their goals were to preach the gospel to the inhabitants of Pennsylvania . 1 1 ' and do missionary work among the In- ;' dians. In the fall of 1753, the Moravian : community of Salem was established. Contrary to the laws of t North Carolina, the Moravians taught the children of slaves reading and writing in . their Sunday Schools. This practice, without question, played an important role in laying the educational foundation for James Francis. He was a graduate of Lincoln University, Oxford, Pennsylvania in the class of 1875, finishing with a final average of 95.5. He then enrolled in the Howard University School of Medicine, Washington, D.C,, and was one of the 48 graduates in the class of 1877-78. He was the only student in his class from North Carolina. After his graduation from Howard Medical School in 1 878, Dr. Shober open ed his office in Wilmington, the largest ci ty in North, Carolina at the time. Wilm ington was a large export-import center. After Dr. Shober Jad been in Wilm ington for approximately three years, he was married to a member of a prominent and well-known family in the city, Anna Maria Taylor. Two daughters were born of this marriage, Mary Louise Taylor Shober and Emily Lillian Shober. As an interesting side note, this mar riage ceremony was performed by David J. Sanders, principal of the City Schools for Negroes from 1875 to 1890, and also pastor of the Chestnut Street Presbyterian Church in Wilmington for fifteen years. He Sanders later became president of Biddle University (now Johnson C. Smith University), in Charlotte, from 1891 to 1907. Scanty but reliable information reveals that Dr. Shober was well-like and respected, and was an elder in the Presbyterian Church. On the other hand, information regarding his personality, hpb,b4esa,nd, participation in community arfaits. was not available.' .-..,....... Being the only black physician in the ci- , ty with a black population of 10,504, his heavy work load undoutedly contributed to his early and unfortunate death on January 1, 1889, at the age of 34. Dr. Shober's death left Wilmington without a black physician for ten years. Among the large oak trees in the Pine ' Forest Cemetery in Wilmington, a burial plot may be found on which are located four flat, unpretentious, granite stones marking the burial sites of Dr. Shober, his wife and two daughters. There is no epitaph on his grave marker. It has been nearly a century since his death. North Carolina will soon erect a state marker near his home and office to recognize and honor Dr. James Francis Shober. Facts For Consumers By Dr. H.J. Bridgeater. Jr. ' HHPA ; The skyrocketing cost of medical care is hitting everyone hard, especially senior citizens. Prescrip tion drug costs are rising fast. In 1977, U.S. con sumers paid $8 billion. In 1978the last year for which accurate figures are available, Americans paid $9 billion . for prescription drugs. - A prescription dru may have three diffcreni names its "chemical" !nam'e; Its "brand" name chosen by the manufac- ; turer, and jts"generic" or official name for ac tive ingredients. (Non prescription v , exahiple:, aspirin ; is the generic name for acetylsaltcylic acid sold under brand name such as Bayer, etc.). Consumers who purchase generic drugs could save some money on their medicine. Generic drugs are. low . cost effective substitutes for brand-name prescrip tions medicines. The amount of . money you save depends of the drug, but could be as much as fifty per cent. Before having your prescription filled, discuss with your phar macist the facts on .generic drugs. A generic drug is call ed by its basic chemical name as forestated, in stead of a registered v brand-name chosen by the manufacturer. Generic drugs have' the sanif tiVf injredienti ' " ' 'j job as brand-name drugs. One difference between them is in : the name; another usually is in the price. If your pharmacist gives vou a centric drui v ii" in place of a brand-name product, it will be both generically and therapeutically equivalent. If your doc .tor , . writes - on .the "iMe.scription form that a specific brand-name drug is necessary, the prescription must be fill ed exactly as written, Thus, youf pharmacist (must . give you the medicine prescribed by your doctor. , . There is not a generic drug equivalent for all drugs. Some drugs are protected by patents and are supplied by only one pharmaceutical com pany. After the original patent expires, 'other manufacturers are per mitted, to produce a . generic equivalent, which is often sold at t y lower cost to consumers.' Presently about half the ! drugs on the market are. ? available generically, of-T, fering you the possibility; of substantial savings.'!" You '. can request that , . your doctor, whenever possible, , write a prescription .. permitting : substitution Of a generic! 'i drug product; You also t have the right to ask your physician and your pharmacist whether a generic drug would be as '. .effective, and less iostlv. .