MR. JASPER'S SECOND MARRIAGE.

        We come now to the second marriage of Mr. Jasper. By his first wife he had no children.

        His second marriage was with Candus Jordan in 1844, by whom he had nine children, though there never existed a very pleasant relationship between them; and after long years of trouble and dissatisfaction Mr. Jasper finally obtained a divorce from her upon good and just grounds.

        He at this time had gained great influence among his people. It is admitted by all who knew him then that his hold upon the colored people was stonger than any other colored man in Virginia. When he would go out within a radius of eight or ten miles

from the city, very large crowds of people would follow him just to hear him preach, in fact, so much so that it created jealousy on the part of the other colored preachers in the city; because, when he would preach in or near the city, his preaching always took the people away from other churches. There were a great many people who were prejudiced towards Jasper, simply because of his great influence with the people. They would often take advantage of his absence from the city, in going to his house and telling his wife unpleasant little things about him, in order to create family troubles. Four of the nine children by his second wife are alive--two sons and two daughters--three of whom are in the city of Richmond and one somewhere in the North, a daughter whose name is Irene Johnson; the other daughter is Mary Elizabeth Glover, who still lives in Richmond. The names of the two boys are Abram and Shederick Jasper. He also has several grandchildren, about nine in all; both children and grandchildren, with the exception of Irene, are living in Virginia--most of them in the city of Richmond. It is not known for a certainty in what portion of the North Irene lives. It has been quite a long time since Mr. Jasper has heard anything of her, but, as near as he can remember, that when he heard from her last she was living in the city of New York, and he is perfectly satisfied that she is not dead.

        Mr. Jasper has preached in every city in the State of Virginia and two-thirds of its counties. Whenever he was invited out of the city to preach, it was encumbered upon those extending the invitation to pay a tariff of one dollar for every day Jasper would be absent from his work, Sundays excepted. In cases when the three weeks' task was done the money went to Jasper, otherwise to his boss. After preaching nearly every day in the week, he always had to preach two or three times on Sunday. He received nothing special for his preaching on Sundays; but whenever he went out into the country to preach, after preaching there was always a liberal collection given him.

        While Mr. Jasper was preaching to a large assembly of people in Rocketts one Sunday, some white ruffians came up, and, interfering, said that a colored man had no right to preach, and that he ought not to be allowed by any means to preach the Gospel. A sailor, who was standing close by, told the ruffians to let Jasper alone, that he was a smart man, the smartest colored man in Virginia, and if you take that man where I came from he would be treated as a man, and would be considered a smart man. A little white boy who was also standing near by and hearing Jasper while he preached, exclaimed, in an excited manner, saying: "I know Mr. Jasper is right, because what he says I have read it; yes, all of it in the Bible,

so let him go on," and before Mr. Jasper got through there were more white people present than colored.

        On the following Sabbath day Rev. Jasper received an invitation, from Dr. Winfree, inviting him to his farm, about six miles below the city of Richmond, in the county of Henrico, to preach the funeral sermons of some five or six of his slaves who had died from time to time. Mr. Jasper accepted the invitation and went down. When he got near the plantation of Dr. Winfree, he met great crowds of people coming away from the place where the preaching was to have been, saying that the white people had taken possession of the grounds, and who had told them that no colored man should be allowed to preach there on that day, that according to law it was unlawful for a colored man to preach; and they told Mr. Jasper not to go any further, and if he went down where the white people were they would shoot him. Mr. Jasper told them that he would rather go down as he had been invited there by the Doctor; so those who met him said if you will go we will go with you, and, if necessary, we will die with you to-day. When he arrived at the place he found everything true, as had been represented to him by the friends who met him. He also found a justice of the peace there with all his law books, Mayo's Guide, &c.

        The Justice told Mr. Jasper that he could not preach

there on that day. Mr. Jasper then sent for Dr. Winfree, who had invited him there to preach, and when the Doctor came he found Mr. Jasper entirely surrounded by the great mass of people, both white and black, who had congregated upon the ground--some to hear Jasper preach, and some to prevent him if possible from preaching. After Dr. Winfree had gained the attention of the justice of the peace and others who were opposed to Mr. Jasper preaching there, he told them that he had invited Mr. Jasper down to preach on that occasion, that it was his plantation, and furthermore, he would have the preaching go on and would stand all the consequences of the law himself.

        It was the custom to have a white preacher, also, who was always accorded the first honor--that is to say, to open the services and preach the first sermon. So after those who were opposed to Jasper's preaching found out that Dr. Winfree fully intended to have the funeral sermons of his dead slaves preached, and that by Jasper, too, they made themselves satisfied as best they could and accepted the situation as it was.

        The white divine who was present on this occasion, and whom Jasper had to follow, then took the stand, which had been erected under an old shady oak tree in the yard, opened the meeting and began his preaching. He was very bitterly opposed to Mr. Jasper

having anything to say at all, and in order not to have him preach he tried to use up all of the time, which was not more than two hours and a half, allotted to both of them. The white preacher occupied the stand two hours, thus leaving but the half hour for Jasper.

        When Mr. Jasper took the stand the white people all cried out aloud "now we will hear the nigger logic," and when Mr. Jasper commenced they all laughed and mocked him; but before he had gotten through his sermon they all were wiping the tears from their eyes, and when Mr. Jasper had gotten through, many of those who were most bitterly opposed to his preaching went up to him and took him by the hand and congratulated him, extending a most cordial invitation to come down the next Sunday and preach to them again, and that not a single soul should interfere with him. For this Mr. Jasper thanked them, saying that it was impossible for him to come down the next Sunday, because he had made a previous engagement to preach to the people of Charles City county on the following Sabbath day, but would be glad to preach to them again at any time after that.

CHAPTER III.

        Mr. Jasper goes to Petersburg before the War--His Invitation to Preach on certain Sundays in Petersburg--Rev. Kean, a White Preacher, goes to hear Mr. Jasper Preach--Mr. Jasper's charge of the Third Baptist Church of Petersburg--Mr. Jasper's Sermon in Farmville--How he used to be let off to Preach--His Wagon Breaks Down on his way to Hanover to Preach--Mr. Jasper's Sermon on Pollard's Farm--Mr. Jasper and a Campbellite Preacher--Tina, the Mother of Mr. Jasper--the Death of Tina.

        MR. Jasper was sent to the city of Petersburg in the place of Mr. Joe Abram, of the city of Richmond, who used to be sent every year as a delegate, and for the purpose of carrying the donations given by the colored Baptist churches, of Richmond, to the Foreign Mission Board. This money was to be sent to Africa.

        After the death of Mr. Abrams, Mr. Jasper was selected by the brethren of Richmond to represent them and to carry the donations. This Foreign Missionary Board always held its annual meetings in the city of Petersburg.

        After the colored people had heard Mr. Jasper preach, many of them offered him great inducements to try and get himself hired out in Petersburg, so that he might

preach to them every Sunday, but he found it was a matter of impossibility for him to do this. The next step taken by them to get him in Petersburg to preach was done by the members of the Third Baptist church, though he preached for them long before this; he also had often preached in the Gilfield and Harrison Street churches.

        The brethren of the Third church extended an invitation to Mr. Jasper to come to Petersburg on the third and fourth Sundays in each month. He accepted the invitation and used to go over every third and fourth Sunday in each month and preach for them; but under the law at that time there was obliged to be a white minister or person at the head of the church, because a colored man could not be ordained as a minister of the Gospel, but it made no difference whether the white man was ordained or not. And while they were not allowed to hold their meetings unless some white person was present, Mr. Jasper was virtually the pastor of the church.

        When Mr. Jasper commenced his preaching in the Third Baptist church the people all left their own churches and went to hear Jasper preach, in fact, they did it to such a great extent that it caused the ministers of the Gilfield and Harrison Street churches to make many complaints about their members not attending their own churches; and when these ministers

inquired of the whereabouts of their members they were told that all of them went to the Third Baptist church every Sunday to hear John Jasper preach. Rev. Kean, the pastor of the Gilfield church, asked some of his members who this man Jasper was, and that he (Kean) would like very much to see this man Jasper, for he could not be a minister of the Gospel, because God had not ordained that a colored man should be a minister of His Gospel. They told him that Mr. Jasper would be over on the third Sunday in the month, and if he would come to the Third Baptist church he could have an opportunity to hear Mr. Jasper preach, then he could judge for himself as to whether Mr. Jasper could preach or not. On the third Sunday Rev. Kean went and heard Mr. Jasper and was much disappointed.

        Jasper on that day preached, taking his text from the sixth chapter and second verse of the book of Revelation: "And I saw and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow, and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering and to conquer."

        When Jasper had preached about ten minutes the white preacher and all of his white friends, who went with him to hear John, were drying the tears from their eyes. A few days after, one of Jasper's friends met the Rev. Kean in the street and asked him how

did he like Jasper, and what he thought of his preaching. The Reverend, in replying, said: "I like him first rate; Jasper is the only colored man that God has ever ordained to preach the Gospel."

        When Mr. Jasper took charge of the Third Baptist church they were in almost a helpless condition, the house was in a dilapidated state, and besides their current expenses they had a debt of nine hundred dollars hanging over them, and within a year's time Mr. Jasper had paid off all of the indebtedness and put a new pulpit in the church, also a new fence around on the outside.

        Mr. Jasper always made funeral sermons a speciality.

        He was on one occasion invited to Farmville, Va., to assist a white preacher in preaching the funeral sermons of three or four colored persons who had died during the year. When the people heard that John Jasper would be in Farmville, and that he would preach, they came from a far distance to hear him.

        When the white minister had come, and seeing so many colored people gathered there to hear Jasper, he was somewhat afraid to let Mr. Jasper have anything to say; but, after a little consideration, he consented and called on him for the opening prayer, and told him that it would not do for him to preach at the morning services at all, but it would be well for him to preach in the "afternoon" or "evening"; but

the people, both white and colored, were so anxious to hear Mr. Jasper, that as soon as the white preacher had concluded his sermon, they called out in many voices for Mr. Jasper, who stood up and spoke for about twenty minutes, and the people said that they had never heard such wonderful preaching in that town before.

        Mr. Jasper was again invited to Hanover county by Mr. Tinsley, to preach the funeral sermons of some of the old slaves. Mr. Tinsley, before this, had always had a white preacher to preach the funeral sermons of his slaves, and the reason they had Mr. Jasper this time was because some one of the slaves had heard by some means about Mr. Jasper, who asked his master, Mr. Tinsley, would he allow Mr. Jasper to come down and preach for them on that occasion, or would he invite Mr. Jasper down. His master told him that he did not believe that any Negro could preach the Gospel, and it was not any use in sending for Jasper. That old slave went off and got many others and came to his master again, begging him to let Jasper come down and preach, saying to his master that if he did not think Mr. Jasper could preach, after hearing him, they would not ask him any more to let him come down. Mr. Tinsley said then, "Well, let him come." But they told him that Mr. Jasper would not come unless you send him a note inviting him to come.

Their master then wrote a note, not because he thought anything of Jasper's preaching, but in order to satisfy his slaves.

        When the people had heard that John Jasper would be down to Mr. Tinsley's plantation to preach the funeral sermons of their dead friends and fellow-slaves, they went from all parts of the county there to hear him, also many from the city of Richmond. The wagon which took Mr. Jasper on that occasion was so heavily loaded that it broke down when they were but half of their way to their destination, which caused Mr. Jasper to be late--so much so, that many of the people who had been on the grounds all of the morning were beginning to leave, thinking that Mr. Jasper would not be there at all; but when some of the brethren saw that they were going so rapidly, they called on Deacon Claiborne Storrs to speak to the people in order to hold them, if possible, until Mr. Jasper could get there. When Mr. Jasper arrived he found the deacon speaking to an immense gathering of people, both white and black. When the deacon got through, the people all called for Mr. Jasper. Though late in the day, they wanted to hear him preach--some of them having heard so much of him and had never had an opportunity of seeing him before that Sunday. Mr. Jasper then stood up, and took the very same text, or portion of the Scripture, which Brother Storrs had chosen,

and upon which he had spoken, and began to preach. Mr. Tinsley, who had said that he did not believe that a Negro could preach the Gospel, gave Mr. Jasper his undivided attention, and he became very much interested in the sermon, which was demonstrated by the fact that when Mr. Jasper had gotten through, he went up and put five dollars in Mr. Jasper's hand, and said to him that he had never heard a colored man preach before. He was so much pleased with Mr. Jasper's preaching that he wanted to know whether Mr. Jasper would be able to come down the following Sunday and preach again. Mr. Jasper told him that he would be very glad to do so but for the fact that he had made a previous engagement for the following Sunday to preach at Mr. Pollard's farm, in the same county, about twenty-three miles from the city of Richmond, and to associate with a white Campbellite preacher. After this preacher found out that Mr. Jasper was a colored man, he did not want him to have anything to say at all, and to prevent him from saying anything, he occupied all of the time, which was about two hours; and when he got through, the people all called for Jasper, and there were many white people present who wanted especially to hear Mr. Jasper. And by general consent Mr. Jasper was allowed the privilege to speak. And when he had preached about fifteen minutes, they all said, the white people more especially,

that Mr. Jasper did more preaching in fifteen minutes than the white preacher had done in the two hours that he had been preaching.

        Mr. Jasper has always been and is now well known in Amelia county. He used to make his visits there about three times a year, and would preach all of the funeral sermons of the colored people in all that section of the county. Tina Jasper, the mother of John, lived in that county. She was a noted woman; was very useful in times of sickness of the slaves. She belonged in the Bannister estate; but, as the Bannisters, Barksdales, and the Tabbs were all closely related to each other, and all of whom owned large estates in lands and Negroes, consequently their slaves were all closely related to each other, and Tina used to visit from one plantation to the other, on each rendering good and valuable services to both the colored and the white women in their peculiar sicknesses. She was highly thought of and esteemed by all who knew her. Her genius and ability in many of the cases she attended far excelled that of some of the best medical doctors in that part of the State.

        After the death of John Blair, Peachy, his wife, returned to her people and their home in the county of Amelia, and took with her Tina, to whom she had become so much attached.

        Tina was one of those women in whom the strongest

and best qualities of noble womanhood exist. She had a mother's disposition and a love, not only for her own children, but for those of other mothers. Her memory is to-day cherished, and ever will be for deeds of kindness, and love, and beneficence, written not with pen and ink, and will ever remain fresh upon the tablets of many hearts in all Virginia, where she lived. She, in her day and time, was a useful woman, and after a long and well-spent life, accomplishing great good, died at a ripe old age of about an hundred years, in 1867.

CHAPTER IV.

        Mr. Jasper Preaches to the Sick and Wounded Soldiers in the Confederate Hospitals at Richmond--Mr. Jasper Works in the Rolling Mills--His Indebtedness at the Fall of Richmond--The Amount he had at the Close of the War--Mr. Jasper Works on the Streets in Richmond--Mr. Jasper Called to Petersburg--His Invitation to Preach in Weldon, N. C--The Second Invitation--Mr. Jasper gives up his charge of the Petersburg Church--The Organization of his Church on Brown's Island--His Church in the Carpenter Shop--The Purchase of his Present Church Property--The Separation of the White and Colored Baptists in the First Church--The Establishment of Other Baptist Churches in the City--The Organization of the Sixth Mount Zion Church--Mr. Jasper's Third Marriage.

        DURING the late civil war Mr. Jasper was employed to preach to the sick and wounded soldiers in the Confederate Hospitals on Chimborazo Hill, and on 19th and Franklin streets; he preached during the war with impunity as he did before it--no one interfered or troubled him at all.

        It must always be remembered, that all the time he was hired out as a factory hand by his owners for a good salary per annum.

        In the year 1859 or '60 he left the factory and went to the Rolling Mills, just above the city, on the James

river, where he worked until the fall of Richmond, and while there he often preached to the hands in the mills. The last sermon he preached before the fall of Richmond was down at the mills, on the second day of April, 1865, and Richmond was surrendered on Monday, the third of April, 1865.

        At this time, when Mr. Jasper had become a free man in body as well as soul, he had seventy-three cents, and was in debt to the amount of forty-two dollars for house rent, and to-day he is worth over five thousand dollars.

        This brings Mr. Jasper to that period in his life where the new order of things takes place, practically, in the condition of the colored people in the State of Virginia. He now must preach the Gospel, surrounded by entirely different circumstances than ever before; he must preach now to a people like himself, who have just been made free in body as well as soul; he must preach now to them alone.

        This new order of things necessitated a new arrangement of them. The colored people had been holding their meetings in the houses of their masters, now they have no masters, consequently they have no meeting-houses. During the unsettled condition of affairs, from April 6th, 1865, to the 4th of July of the same year, Mr. Jasper worked on the streets of Richmond, cleaning bricks for a compensation, so much per

thousand. This noble feature of his life readily reminds one of the same incident in the history of the life of the Apostle Paul, when preaching got dull with him, and before he would do nothing or wait until business got better, went to his trade--"tent making."

        After the war, Mr. Jasper was called again to the Third Baptist Church of Petersburg, and this time directly by the colored people. He accepted and took the charge. About a year after this he received an invitation from the brethren at Weldon, North Carolina, asking him to come down and organize a Baptist church, which is known unto this day as the First Colored Baptist Church of Weldon.

        When Mr. Jasper arrived in the city of Weldon, he found there about thirty-five baptized believers in the Christian faith, and after the organization of the church, there were about thirty-five more baptized by him, thus making, in all, a membership of 70.

        About a year after the church in Weldon had been established, Mr. Jasper again was sent for, for the purpose of organizing a Baptist church in the town of Gaston, just across the Roanoke river, but he was compelled this time to decline going down, because he had so much on his hands at home that it was impossible for him to leave.

        In December, 1866, he gave up his charge of the Third Church in Petersburg and came back to Richmond,

and from this time until September, 1867, he did general missionary work, both in the city and country; during which time he had a great many calls, but accepted none. Many of the people in Richmond were very anxious and desirous that he should have charge of a church in this city, and at that time many of the members, congregation and friends of the Old African Baptist Church thought that he ought to have had charge of that church, which is now better known as the First Colored Baptist Church of Richmond, and is commonly called by its members and congregation as the First Church, of which I shall say something more in connection with this work.

        On the first Sunday in September, 1867, Mr. Jasper organized his present church, with nine members, on Brown's Island in the James river, just opposite the city, in a little, old wooden shanty, which had been used by the government for a stable. The membership and congregation of this church increased so rapidly in one year's time, that the old stable was not large enough to accommodate them, so they left the island, and came over to the city and rented an old carpenter shop on the corner of Fourth and Cary streets, in which they held their meetings for two years. When the membership and congregation had gotten too large for the old shop, they were compelled to look out for another and more spacious house for their

worship. During this time they heard that there was a little brick church, on the corner of Duval and St. John's streets, for sale, and could be bought for a reasonable sum. They immediately took advantage of the opportunity, made the necessary arrangements, and bought the church for the sum of two thousand and twenty-five dollars. Since that time they have made great improvement in it--remodeling it at a cost of six thousand dollars. The church has a membership of about two thousand, and is paid for and clear of any debt or encumbrance of any shape or form.

        Mr. Jasper at one time baptized three hundred candidates, commencing at eleven o'clock in the morning, and by one o'clock in the afternoon he was through, thus taking only two hours.

        He was a member of the Old African, or First Baptist Church, and at that time white and colored people were in the same church, the white people up stairs and the colored people down stairs; but that custom has somewhat changed now in Richmond--in most of the white people's churches, in fact, we believe in almost all of them, the colored people sit up stairs. This Old African Church, of which we shall say more, was the first Baptist church in the city. The white portion of the members drew out and established a Baptist church on the corner of Twelfth and Broad streets, which is known as the First

White Baptist Church of Richmond, and its membership and congregation are composed of some of the wealthiest people in our city. After the membership of the Old African Church got so large, about fifty or sixty of them came out for the purpose of establishing a Second Colored Baptist Church, but before they could find a suitable place either to rent or buy, and in order to keep themselves together, they were obliged to and did accept the basement of the Second Baptist Church (White), in which they held their meetings until they secured a place of their own.

        Not very long after this, another outgrowth from the Old African Church went up High street, near Brook Avenue, and established a third African church, called the Ebenezer. Mr. Jasper was one of the first persons who subscribed five dollars for the building, and after its erection used to preach for them whenever called upon.

        Not very long after the establishment of this church, another and third outgrowth from the Old African Church went over upon Church Hill, for the purpose of establishing a fourth Baptist church, and while they were looking for a place, held their meetings in the Leigh Street (White) Baptist Church. These people had some little trouble in getting a suitable lot. They first bought a place called "Bloody Run Springs," but on account of some defect in the title they were compelled

to give it up; after which, they bought land and builded their present church, which is a very good and substantial house. Mr. Jasper preached to them all of the time they were worshiping in the basement of the Leigh Street Baptist Church.

        The organization of the Sixth Mount Zion Church (better known as Jasper's Church). This church was organized with nine members: three from the Old African Church, three from the county of Chesterfield, and three from the county of Goochland.