Absalom Jones

Absalom Jones (1746-1818) was born into slavery in Sussex County, Delaware. He was sold to a farmer at the age of sixteen and brought to Philadelphia soon after. Allowed to attend school and to learn how to read and write, he was emancipated in 1784 and soon became a lay preacher here at St. George’s along with his friend, Richard Allen. The pair established the Free African Society in 1787, a mutual-aid organization designed to help emancipated Black people, many of whom were newly free and had moved to Philadelphia for job opportunities. It is estimated that by 1790, around 2,000 free Black people lived in the city.

As early as 1791, Jones began holding services at the FAS headquarters with the hope of forming a church independent of white control. After the walk out of St. George’s Black congregation, Jones helped to establish the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas, the city’s first Black church. Jones was ordained as the first Black Episcopal priest in 1795.