Charles Bennett Ray
Born	( 1807-12-25 ) December 25, 1807 Falmouth, Massachusetts , US
Died	August 15, 1886 (1886-08-15) (aged 78) New York City , US
Alma mater	Wesleyan University
Occupation(s)	Abolitionist, newspaper editor and owner
Spouses	Henrietta Green Regulus ​ ​ ( m.  1834; died 1836) ​ Charlotte Augusta Burroughs ​ ​ ( m.  1840) ​
Children	7, including Charlotte and Cordelia

Charles Bennett Ray (December 25, 1807 ? August 15, 1886) was a prominent African-American minister and abolitionist who owned and edited the weekly newspaper The Colored American . Born in Massachusetts, he spent most of his career and life in New York City.

Early life and education [ edit ]

Born a free man in Falmouth, Massachusetts , Ray was the son of mail carrier Joseph Aspinwall Ray and his wife Annis Harrington. ^{[ citation needed ]} He attended Wesleyan Seminary in Wilbraham, Massachusetts , studying theology. In 1832 he enrolled as the first black student at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut , although his enrollment was revoked less than two months later. White students protested his admission. ^[1]

Move to New York and ministry [ edit ]

Ray moved to New York City in 1832 and opened a boot and shoe store. ^[2] He became a Methodist minister and later a Congregational minister.

Ray served as pastor of two predominantly white churches in New York City, Crosby Congregational Church and Bethesda Congregational Church. ^[3] Ray was a strong supporter of the temperance movement , and was a member of the American Missionary Association , the African Society for Mutual Relief, and co-founded the Society for the Promotion of Education Among Colored Children . ^[3]

Abolitionism [ edit ]

In the early 1830s Ray became involved in the abolitionist movement, and became a prominent promoter of the Underground Railroad . He was also co-founder and director of the New York Vigilance Committee and a member of the American Anti-Slavery Society , assisting refugee slaves. ^{[4] [5]} Ray was also active in the Society of the Promotion of Education Among Colored Children. ^[6]

The Colored American [ edit ]

In 1838 Ray and Phillip Alexander Bell became co-owners of The Colored American , the fourth weekly periodical published by African Americans. In 1839 Ray became the sole owner and editor. ^[5] The Colored American promoted "the moral, social and political elevation of the free colored people; and the peaceful emancipation of the slaves." ^[3] Ray traveled throughout the North giving speeches condemning prejudice against African Americans. In 1840 he became a supporter of the newly founded Liberty Party , the only publicly pro-Abolitionist political party. ^{[2] [3]}

Family [ edit ]

Ray married twice: first in 1834 to Henrietta Green Regulus , who died two years later in childbirth. He married again in 1840, to Charlotte Augusta Burroughs . They had seven children together, including Charlotte E. Ray , who became the first female African-American attorney; Florence Ray, who also became an attorney; and Cordelia Ray , who became a poet and known for her 80-line ode, "Lincoln". ^{[ citation needed ]}

Charles B. Ray died in New York City and is buried in Cypress Hills Cemetery in Brooklyn. ^[3]

Notes [ edit ]

References [ edit ]

• Ray, Charles B. (1840). Black Churches in New York City, 1840 . Colored American. ISBN   978-0-8223-2449-2 . Retrieved December 12, 2008 .

External links [ edit ]

• Media related to Charles Bennett Ray at Wikimedia Commons