William Saunders Crowdy facts for kids

William Saunders Crowdy (born August 11, 1847 – died August 4, 1908) was an important American leader. He was a soldier, a preacher, and a businessman. He is known for starting the Church of God and Saints of Christ in 1896. He believed that Black people were descendants of the ancient lost tribes of Israel. This idea made him one of the first leaders of the Black Hebrew Israelites movement in the United States.

Early Life and Freedom

William Saunders Crowdy was born into slavery in 1847 on a large farm called Chilsy Hills Farm in Charlotte Hall, Maryland. His father, Basil Crowdy, was a very religious man who worked with clay for bricks. His mother, Sarah Ann, was a cook, which sometimes allowed her to go into the main house.

When he was born, his overseer called him "Wilson." He grew up working on the farm, first tending melons, then working with horses and drying tobacco. Life for enslaved people was very difficult in the 1800s. Even though it was against the law for enslaved people to learn to read, William was a caring and religious person from a young age. He learned about the Hebrew prophets, like Elijah.

When he was 17, in 1863, William escaped from the farm after an argument with his enslaver. He decided to change his name from "Wilson" to "William," because he saw "Wilson" as a name given to him while he was enslaved. He then joined the Union Army, which was fighting to end slavery during the American Civil War. He became a cook for the army. He joined the United States Colored Troops 19th Regiment of Maryland, along with his half-brother Daniel.

Military Service

William Crowdy's army unit was formed in Maryland in December 1863. The United States government paid his former enslavers for his freedom so he could fight in the war. During the Civil War, his unit fought in the Battle of the Wilderness in 1864. William worked as a laborer and helped manage supplies. He even helped capture a wagon full of flour that was being secretly taken to the enemy during a battle in Petersburg, Virginia.

After the war ended, William stayed in the army and became a Buffalo Soldier. These were African American soldiers who served in the U.S. Army in the western United States. In 1867, he was promoted to quartermaster sergeant in the 5th Cavalry, which meant he was in charge of supplies. He left the army in 1872. After his military service, he worked as a cook on the Santa Fe railroad.

Starting a New Church

After leaving the railroad, William Crowdy settled in Guthrie, Oklahoma. He became a deacon in a local Baptist Church and was also an active member of the Prince Hall branch of Freemasons, a group that helps its members and communities.

Around 1893, William Crowdy began to have unusual experiences. He said he had several visions where he was told that Black people were descendants of the ten lost tribes of Israel. Based on these visions, he decided to create a new religious group called the Church of God and Saints of Christ. This made him a very important figure in the start of the Black Hebrew Israelite movement.

He began preaching in Guthrie, Oklahoma, and then opened churches, called Tabernacles, in Emporia, Kansas and Lawrence, Kansas in 1896. In the early days, he was arrested many times, but he kept spreading his message. He opened more Tabernacles in Topeka, Kansas, Sedalia, Missouri, Chicago, and several cities in New York. In each city, he would appoint a leader before moving on to the next place.

In 1903, he bought about 40 acres of land in Suffolk, Virginia, and called it "Canaan Land." More land was bought later, and this area is now the main international headquarters for the Church of God and Saints of Christ. In 1905, he sent missionaries to South Africa to spread his teachings there. By 1906, he named Chief Joseph W. Crowdy, Bishop William H. Plummer, and Elder Calvin S. Skinner as the future leaders of his church.

Some people, like Shais Rishon, a Black Orthodox Jewish writer, have said that William Crowdy was a Southern Baptist who never officially joined or converted to any branch of Judaism.

Death

William Saunders Crowdy passed away on August 4, 1908, in Newark, New Jersey. He was first buried there, but his body was later moved and reburied in Belleville, Virginia.

Images for kids

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  Former headquarters of the Church of God and Saints of Christ in Washington, D.C. during Crowdy's leadership.