JOHN MARRANT Yash Raval

Early Life  Born in 1755 in a free black family in New York  Moved to Florida, Georgia, and Charleston, South Carolina after father died (1766)  Sister looked for master to apprentice him, he begged to take music lessons  He learned to play french horn and violin in music school  By age of 13, he was sought out musician for parties and dances (Black History Review, 2014)

“Prepare to meet thy God, O Israel”  One evening on his way to performing friend challenged him to go to church where evangelist George Whitefield was present  He was challenged to blow french horn  As he prepared to blow horn, Whitefield said: “Prepare to meet thy God, O Israel”  Under conviction, Marrant passed out (Black History Review, 2014)  A few days after, he talked with preacher and prayed until he found relief from his guilt  Sister’s family didn’t agree with his faith, and when returning to mothers home he found animosity ((Black History Review, 2014)

Cherokees  At the age of 14, he left home to wander in the wilderness  He was rescued by a Cherokee hunter and taken into a Cherokee village  Even though he was sentenced to death in Cherokee village, he won his life through prayer and led several people to the lord  Marrant was one of America’s earliest missionaries to the Indians  He spent two years among Cherokees, Creeks, Catawars, and Howsaws  Preaching was best received by the Cherokees  Upon return, family didn’t recognize him and assumed he was dead

Royal Navy  He claimed he was drafted into the Royal Navy for six years before being discharged in 1782 (Jarret, n.d.)  However, official records do not show him as having served army  During that time he backslid though he saw God protect him and keep him safe  After being released from navy, he met Whitefield again and renewed walk with God (Jarret, n.d.)

Life after Navy  In 1782, Marrant started training as a methodist minister with the Countless of Huntington’s Connexion  Countless of Huntington’s Connexion was a small society of evangelical churches  Selina, Countless of Huntington was his mentor  In 1785, he was ordained and sent to Nova Scotia to minister to African Americans who fled north during fighting  Also in 1785, he wrote his autobiography, A Narrative of the Lord’s Wonderful  He, however, did not arrange all of those printings, and received little financial support from publication (Black History Review, 2014)

Contribution towards ending Slavery  In 1787, Marrant moved to Boston, before returning briefly in 1788 to Nova Scotia to marry Elizabeth Herries  In 1788, he became chaplain of the African Masonic Lodge in Boston  Because of his group’s work, Boston abolished the slave trade in 1788  He travelled back to London in 1790, and died in Islington the following year

George Whitefield Selina Hastings

Birchtown, Nova Scotia Map A Narrative of the Lord’s Wonderful Dealings

Sources  "Black History Review." John Marrant, America's First Black Preacher. Black History Review, Web. 30 Nov  Jarrett, Gene Andrew. The Wiley Blackwell Anthology of African American Literature. N.p.: John Wiley & Sons, Print.  "John Marrant." John Marrant. Black Loyalists: Our History, Our People, Web. 30 Nov  Marrant, John. "A Narrative of the Lord's Wonderful Dealings With John Marrant, a Black: (Now Going to Preach the Gospel in Nova-Scotia), Born in New-York, in North America (Classic Reprint) Paperback – August 29, 2012." A Narrative of the Lord's Wonderful Dealings With John Marrant, a Black: (Now Going to Preach the Gospel in Nova-Scotia), Born in New-York, in North America (Classic Reprint): John Marrant: Amazon.com: Books. N.p., Web. 30 Nov