Some of the earliest African American families in Decatur include:
Henry Oliver (1826-1904)
One prominent early African American of Decatur was Henry Oliver. A blacksmith by trade, mystery surrounds the man, who is mentioned in Mary Gay’s Life in Dixie During the War as “Decatur’s Henry Oliver” (p. 145). Local legend tells that Henry Oliver, which was a name he chose for himself after emancipation, at some point was given a large portion of land in Decatur by his enslaver who was also his father. He continued his blacksmithing but also sold much of this land to both black and white residents and was known as a successful businessman.
He was such a respected figure in Decatur during his lifetime that a major road, which runs through the center of town, was named Oliver Street after him in 1902. This name stayed in place until 1984 when the town commission voted to change the name to Commerce. As of 2018, a conference room at the Courtland Atlanta Decatur hotel is named after him, as is a senior living center named Oliver House, which is located in what was once the Beacon community.
Sallie Thomas Durham (~1850-1934)
Sallie Durham was born Sarah Thomas to mother Clarissa Thomas and an unknown father in Athens, Georgia. Born into slavery, she first appears free, along with her children Clara and Mark, in 1870 in Athens as a domestic for lawyer and two-term US Congressman Junius Hillyer.
In the 1870s, at approximately the same time that Hillyer moved to Decatur, Georgia, Sarah (now Sallie) also moved to Decatur with her two children. In 1874, she married Sylvester “Vesta” Durham in DeKalb County. She began her own successful catering business in Decatur with clientele consisting of well-established white residents, including some of her own family members. You can learn more about Sallie and her descendants in the documentary 5 Generations: From Enslavement to Public Service in Atlanta.
Joseph Samuel Ebster (1902-1995)
Joseph Samuel Ebster was born in Decatur in 1902. His mother was Fannie Paschal, the daughter of Frank Paschal, an early reverend and founder of Thankful Baptist in Decatur, and his father was Deacon Donald Grant “D.G.” Ebster of Thankful Baptist, for whom Ebster Park and Recreaction Center are named. D.G. Ebster was a charter members of the DeKalb County NAACP in 1955.
Joseph Ebster attended Morris Brown College, where he was a pitcher for the school’s baseball team, a member of the Glee Club, and chapter president of Omega Psi Phi, a historically African American fraternity. In 1926, he married Jessie Mae Ware of Atlanta and they moved to Chicago looking for a better life.
Stay tuned for upcoming family biographies
Baadhi ya familia za kwanza za Kiafrika za Marekani katika Decatur ni pamoja na: Henry Oliver (1826-1904) Mmoja mashuhuri wa mapema wa Kiafrika wa Decatur alikuwa Henry Oliver. "Mtu huyo, ambaye ni fundi wa chuma, anatajwa katika kitabu cha Mary Gay, ""Life in Dixie During the War"" kama ""Decatur's Henry Oliver"" (p. 145)." Hadithi ya kienyeji inasema kwamba Henry Oliver, jina alilojichagulia baada ya kuachiliwa, wakati fulani alipewa sehemu kubwa ya ardhi huko Decatur na mtumwa wake ambaye pia alikuwa baba yake. Aliendelea na kazi yake ya kutengeneza chuma lakini pia aliuza sehemu kubwa ya ardhi hii kwa wakazi weusi na wazungu na alijulikana kama mfanyabiashara mwenye mafanikio. Alipokuwa akiishi huko, barabara kuu iliyokuwa katikati ya mji huo iliitwa Oliver Street. Jina hilo lilibaki hadi mwaka 1984 wakati tume ya mji ilipopiga kura kubadilisha jina hilo kuwa Biashara. Tangu mwaka 2018, chumba cha mikutano katika hoteli ya Courtland Atlanta Decatur kimepewa jina lake, kama vile kituo cha kuishi cha wazee kinachoitwa Oliver House, ambacho kiko katika kile kilichokuwa jamii ya Beacon. Sallie Thomas Durham (sasa anaitwa Sarah Thomas) alizaliwa na mama yake Clarissa Thomas na baba yake ambaye hajulikani. Alipokuwa mtumwa, alianza kuonekana huru, pamoja na watoto wake Clara na Mark, mnamo 1870 huko Athens kama mtumishi wa nyumbani kwa mwanasheria na Mbunge wa Marekani Junius Hillyer. Katika miaka ya 1870, karibu wakati huo huo Hillyer alihamia Decatur, Georgia, Sarah (sasa Sallie) pia alihamia Decatur na watoto wake wawili. Mwaka 1874 aliolewa na Sylvester "Vesta" Durham katika Kaunti ya DeKalb. Alianzisha biashara yake mwenyewe ya chakula huko Decatur na wateja wake walikuwa wakazi wazungu wenye sifa nzuri, ikiwa ni pamoja na baadhi ya wanafamilia wake. "Kama unavyojua, kuna filamu ya ""Mizazi mitano: Kutoka Utumwa hadi Huduma ya Umma huko Atlanta.""" Joseph Samuel Ebster (1902-1995) alikuwa mwanamuziki wa muziki wa muziki wa muziki wa muziki wa muziki wa muziki wa Decatur, Marekani. Mama yake alikuwa Fannie Paschal, binti ya Frank Paschal, mchungaji wa mapema na mwanzilishi wa Thankful Baptist huko Decatur, na baba yake alikuwa Deacon Donald Grant <unk>D.G. <unk> Ebster wa Thankful Baptist, ambaye Ebster Park na Kituo cha Burudani vimepewa jina. D.G. Ebster alikuwa mmoja wa wanachama wa mkataba wa DeKalb County NAACP mnamo 1955. Joseph Ebster alihudhuria Chuo cha Morris Brown, ambapo alikuwa pitcher kwa timu ya baseball ya shule, mwanachama wa Glee Club, na rais wa sura ya Omega Psi Phi, kihistoria Afro-American udugu. Mwaka 1926 aliolewa na Jessie Mae Ware wa Atlanta na wakahamia Chicago wakitafuta maisha bora. Endelea kusikiliza hadithi za maisha ya familia zinazokuja