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London Ferrill, also spelled Ferrell, (1789–1854) was a former slave who became the second preacher of the First African Baptist Church in Lexington, Kentucky, serving from 1823 to 1854. During his 31 years of service, Ferrill attracted and baptized many new members in the growing region; by 1850 the church had 1,820 members and was the largest of any in the state, black or white. He gained support from both black and white leaders of the city. The funeral procession for Ferrill numbered 5,000 people, the largest in the city after that of the statesman Henry Clay. This was the first black church west of the Allegheny Mountains and the third oldest black Baptist congregation in the United States. ==Early life and education== London was born into slavery in 1789 in Hanover County, Virginia, where his enslaved mother was owned by Richard Ferrill, an English immigrant. The unmarried master died soon after the boy's birth and his estate, including slaves, was inherited by his sister Ann (Ferrill) Winston. She named the slave boy London Ferrill after her brother, who was likely his father, as he was of mixed race.〔(A.W. Elder, "Biography of London Ferrill, Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Colored Persons, Lexington, KY." ): A.W. Elder, printer, 1854, 12 pgs, online edition, ''Documenting the American South'', University of North Carolina, accessed 6 May 2011〕 Some recent researchers believe the naming suggests that Ferrill may have been of mixed race. 〔(Tom Eblen, "Churches join to honor former slave" ), ''Lexington Herald-Leader'', 21 Feb 2010, accessed 28 Aug 2010〕 His white father was likely Richard Ferrill. As noted by Edward Ball, author of ''Slaves in the Family'' (1999), a study of the interracial relationships among his ancestors, mixed-race slaves were frequently given names that distinguished them from the others. London Ferrill is an example of such naming. Ann Winston died when London Ferrill was eight or nine years old. When her estate was settled, the boy was sold away from his mother to Colonel Samuel Overton. Soon the master apprenticed Ferrill to learn carpentry, a skilled trade. This was often the pattern for children of white masters, to give them an artisan skill to enable them to support themselves as adults. Ferrill was baptized in 1809 at the age of 20 and had a conversion experience with the Baptists. The minister and congregation approved of his preaching and singing, and he began to preach more widely in the community.〔 Ferrill's freedom was bought by his wife Rhoda Hood after Overton's death. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「London Ferrill」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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