Bray School Enrollments for Free and Enslaved Black Children, 1758-1845

Beginning in the middle of the eighteenth century, the Associates of Dr. Thomas Bray established and maintained schools for the education of free and enslaved black children in North America. The purpose of these schools was to introduce them to the doctrines of the Church of England, and also to instruct the students in reading and writing, sometimes even mathematics, as well as sewing, knitting, and embroidery for girls. By the time of the War for Independence, five such schools had been established in Newport, Rhode Island; New York city; Philadelphia; and Williamsburg and Fredericksburg in Virginia, though only the Philadelphia school would reopen after the conflict ended. Overseen by a series of white mistresses, this school was associated with Philadelphia’s Christ Church and would remain in operation until 1845. Meanwhile, the Associates supported two other schools in Philadelphia. The first was initially taught by the Rev. Absalom Jones and then by Solomon Clarkson, both of the African Methodist Episcopal Church of St. Thomas. The second was in Northern Liberties and was instructed by James C. Ward, a black man ordained as a deacon in the Episcopal Church. Throughout the existence of the Associates’ various schools, teachers and administrators sent periodic reports to the secretaries of the Associates in London, often including rosters of the students that recorded such information as their names, ages, addresses, curriculum, and (if enslaved) owners’ names. The files uploaded here include an Introduction with explanation of the Editorial Method; and all extant records relevant to the American schools’ students, teachers, and curricula between their first establishment in 1758 and the closure of the Philadelphia schools by 1845. Though many records are missing, and those that remain are often incomplete, these lists identify about 400 individual students by name (there were undoubtedly many more) and together comprise what is probably the largest aggregation of such data, one that will yield valuable insights into one of the few opportunities for black education in early America. N.B. There is a .csv file for each of 13 school or teacher spreadsheets and the Summary Spreadsheet. There is also an Excel file of the Summary Spreadsheet.