William Savery

William Savery was born as an enslaved person in 1835 in Talladega, Alabama. [1] As a skilled carpenter, Savery was directed, along with several other enslaved men such as Ambrose Headen, to build the Baptist Academy for white male Baptist students in 1853. [2]

Once emancipated, he and Thomas Tarrant traveled to Mobile to attend the 1865 Alabama Convention of Negroes. They, along with 54 other delegates, discussed education, housing, and legal protections among other issues plaguing Black Alabama citizens. Shortly after, he, Thomas Tarrant, and Ambrose Headen established Talladega College. He and Ambrose Headen were listed as trustees of the College until 1876. [3]

After the establishment of Talladega College, William Savery continued working as a carpenter. William Savery married Frances Savery and had nine children, several of whom attended Talladega College. Although death records have not been located, cross-referencing the school catalogues and the Federal Census, he passed during the late 1890s.

REFERENCES

[1] William Savery. U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.

[2] Jones, Maxine D. and Joe M. Richardson. Talladega College: The First Century. Tuscaloosa: The University of Alabama Press, 1990, p. 3.

[3] Circular of the Normal and Preparatory Departments of Talladega College, Talladega: Talladega College Press, 1877.

CREDITS

Written by: Rachel Nelson for ENGL/HIST 677, taught by P. Gabrielle Foreman, University of Delaware, Spring 2019.

Edited by P. Gabrielle Foreman.

Acknowledgements: Samantha de Vera and Michelle Byrnes for further edits, visualization contributions, and technical assistance.