Contributed by Maine Historical Society
Description
George Washington Pierce of Baldwin, beginning his senior year at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, wrote to his brother Josiah Pierce of Gorham about his hopes for the year, what he was reading, and some of the changes at the college.
At the end of his letter, Pierce notes that there are 21 freshmen, 8 or 9 students added to the sophomore class, and three new juniors, "one a molatto his name is Russworm -- he is under the protection of Pres. Boyer the governour of Hatiy."
John Brown Russwurm, class of 1826, was the first African-American student at Bowdoin and one of the first three to graduate from a college in the United States. He later became a co-editor of the Freedom's Journal and a official in Liberia.
Transcription
About This Item
- Title: George W. Pierce on black student at Bowdoin, 1824
- Creator: George Washington Pierce
- Creation Date: 1824-10-04
- Subject Date: 1824
- Location: Brunswick, Cumberland County, ME
- Media: Ink on paper
- Local Code: Coll. 4210
- Collection: Pierce family collection
- Object Type: Text
Cross Reference Searches
Standardized Subject Headings
- African Americans--Maine
- Bowdoin College--Students
- Jamaican Americans--Maine
- Letters
- Pierce, George W. (George Washington)--Correspondence
- Pierce, Josiah, 1792-1866--Correspondence
- Russwurm, John Brown, 1799-1851
People
For more information about this item, contact:
Maine Historical Society485 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04101
(207) 774-1822 x230
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