Bio:George Gregory
Sgt. George Gregory (1842–1929) was step-father of Louis George Gregory, a prominent Baha'i in the United States during the 20th century.
George Gregory was born 28 November 1842, a freeborn African-American in Charleston, South Carolina, United States. During the US Civil War, he left to join the Union Army, enlisting in the 104th Regiment, U.S. Colored Infantry, and rising to rank of First Sergeant.[1]
Following the Civil War, Gregory, a carpenter by trade, played a significant role in the local Carpenters Union in Charleston.[2] Later in life, he was apparently referred to with the honorary title of "Colonel."
Gregory married three times. After his first wife died, he married in 1881 Louis Gregory's mother, Mary Elizabeth George, widow of Ebenezer F. George.[3] Louis adopted his step-father's family name. After Mary Elizabeth died in 1891, George Gregory married Lauretta Noisette, widow of another Civil War veteran, Louis Noisette.[2]
George Gregory died in Charleston on 16 October 1929, from injuries sustained from being struck by a truck.[4] His funeral was attended by a racially mixed group, many of whom evidently were associated with the Carpenters Union.[2]
In his eulogy for his step-father, Louis Gregory noted, "On the basis of merit and good humor he was highly respected and honored by a large circle of friends among both races.”[5]
Sources
- ↑ U.S. National Park Service, Soldiers Civil War, Soldier and Sailor Database, "Soldier Details: Gregory, George"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 DC Baha'i Tour 2012: Mr. Louis George Gregory House #49. Originally published on DCBahaiTour.org; accessed via Archive.org, 9 Feb 2020.
- ↑ "Gregory, Louis George (1874–1951)," Baha'i Encyclopedia Project (accessed 9 February 2020)
- ↑ "South Carolina Deaths, 1915–1965," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N92N-FFJ : 5 April 2018), George Gregory, 16 Oct 1929; citing , Gregory, George, 1929, Department of Archives and History, State Records Center, Columbia; FHL microfilm 1,913,713.
- ↑ Gayle Morrison, "To Move the World: The Early Years of Louis Gregory," World Order 14(4), Summer 1979: 21–43.