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    Gwinnett County, Georgia
    Gwinnett County, Georgia
    Gwinnett County, Georgia
    Ebook201 pages25 minutes

    Gwinnett County, Georgia

    By Jennifer E. Cheeks-Collins

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    About this ebook

    The African-American community of Gwinnett County boasts a rich heritage brought to life in scenes captured by early photography. These residents faced challenges and hardships both during and after slavery and entered into the turbulent 20th century poised for social change; theirs is an engaging story told by the proud faces in this volume. Men and women who built homes and businesses, who defended their country in times of war, and who educated their young make up the diverse and determined African-American citizenry of this greater Atlanta community.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateMar 12, 2002
    ISBN9781439612248
    Gwinnett County, Georgia
    Author

    Jennifer E. Cheeks-Collins

    Jennifer E. Cheeks-Collins is a native of Madison County and a product of its public schools, community organizations, and churches. Proud of the lives black residents have made for themselves in this treasured region of the Magnolia State, she is committed to preserving and honoring the African-American heritage of Madison County.

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      Book preview

      Gwinnett County, Georgia - Jennifer E. Cheeks-Collins

      Cheeks-Collins

      INTRODUCTION

      We realize that our future lies chiefly in our own hands. We know that neither institutions nor friends can make a race stand unless it has strength in its own foundation. In order to succeed it must practice the virtues of self-reliance, self-respect, industry, perseverance, and economy.

      ——Paul Robeson

      The county of Gwinnett was founded in 1818; Creek and Cherokee Indians first occupied the area. Gwinnett County was named for Button Gwinnett, one of the three Georgia signers of the Declaration of Independence. Few African slaves made up the population of Gwinnett in the early 1820 census. As the slave trade increased, more slaves were brought into the county. However, the numbers are low in comparison to other Georgia counties. With this said, there have been Africans in the area since there has been a European presence.

      Very little is documented about the history of Africans and African Americans in Gwinnett. Slave records, sharecropper’s logs, and church and cemetery records are a rare find in this county. History books based on Gwinnett fail to acknowledge the rich and long-standing history of African Americans. My findings of the African-American community of Gwinnett were overwhelmingly vast. The community is filled with people from all walks of life. We have surely missed a valuable lesson through the lack of documentation of African-American history in Gwinnett.

      There are many African-American residents I did not have the opportunity to interview while doing research for this book. I only wish I had a chance to hear your stories of days long ago in Gwinnett. I wish I could have included all the contributions African Americans have made to the county. It is definitely a new day in Gwinnett, compared to 175 years ago. I salute all persons past and present that helped make this county what it is today.

      The pages within this book are meant to display the life of African Americans in the county. These people are all remarkable, and they tell their story through pictures. The foundation of the community is religion, and the African-American citizens in this area are well grounded in the church. I was unable to obtain a photo from every historically black church in the county. I would like to recognize the following, which are not pictured within this book: Mt. Carmel Baptist Church, Mt. Zion Methodist Church, New Bethel A.M.E. Church, O’Kelley Chapel Baptist Church, and Union Baptist Church.

      I challenge all African-American citizens from Gwinnett to research your history and preserve it; the world needs to know about the great people of Gwinnett! This book takes the reader from the early days of the county through the present, and I hope you, the reader, will get a sense of the rich history of our African-American community. There are still many untold stories that need a listening ear, so I encourage you to preserve your own family’s

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