Documenting the American South Logo
Collections >> The Church in the Southern Black Community >> Document Menu >> Summary

Horace Talbert, b. 1853
The Sons of Allen: Together with a Sketch of the Rise and Progress of Wilberforce University, Wilberforce, Ohio
Xenia, Ohio: Aldine Press, 1906.

Summary

Horace Talbert begins The Sons of Allen by offering a brief history of Bishop Richard Allen, the founder of the African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church. Born a slave in 1760, Allen purchased his own freedom, became a preacher, and officially established the A.M.E. Church in 1816. Talbert then includes an address that praises the A.M.E. Church for its role in African American progress and another address that credits the itinerant system for the success of the Church. The bulk of Talbert's book, however, consists of individual biographical sketches of 120 prominent members of the A.M.E. Church. These biographies focus particularly on the individuals' involvement with the Church. Sons of Allen concludes with a history of Wilberforce University from the school's founding in 1856 through its struggles, growth, and successes over the next half century.

Andrew Leiter

Document menu