Hull, November 12, 1792.
The bearer hereof, Mr. GUSTAVUS VASSA, an African, is recommended to us
by the Rev. Dr. Peckard, Dean of Peterborough, and by many other very respectable characters,
 as an intelligent and upright man; and as we have no doubt but the accounts we have received are grounded on the best authority, we recommend him to the assistance of the friends of humanity in this town, in promoting subscriptions to an interesting Narrative of his Life.
John Sykes, Mayor,         R. A. Harrison, Esq
Thomas Clarke, Vicar,    Jos. R. Pease, Esq
William Hornby, Esq of Gainsborough.

While this letter of recommendation demonstrates that Equiano had the support of prominent men in the locality, it does not prove that he visited Hull or East Yorkshire in the winter of 1792. Unlike other letters of the same nature, there is no personal testimony about Equiano or any confirmation within the text that these men had personally met the abolitionist. In addition, as of yet no evidence of Equiano’s presence has been found in local newspapers, or in the surviving memoirs of prominent local men. Thus, whether he visited the region remains a mystery.

If you have information which demonstrates that Equiano did come to Hull, please click the contact us button below.

This portrait photograph below was taken at the studios of Sunley and Toogood, 10 Caroline Place, Hull. It highlights the small, yet often forgotten, Black population that had resided in Hull since the Tudor era. The clothing suggests that this was a poorer resident, but it is interesting that he was photographed so far from the dock area, where so many Black seafarers lived while ashore. At sea, most of Hull’s early Black population worked as seafarers rated as cooks or donkeymen (stokers) but being on shore provided them with an opportunity to purchase photographs to send to loved ones living locally or further afield. It is possible to date the photograph because the company only operated at the address for a short period of time. The image is from the collection of Dr Nicholas Evans at the University of Hull. Dr Evans added: “The photograph is the earliest of a member of Hull’s black community and we would love to know who this image is of.”

As the Contemporary Voices part of our project is coming to an end and we are preparing for our first exhibition at the Hull History Centre in September, we have decided to launch a new feature which looks to chart the African presence in Hull and East Yorkshire through images and videos. While some include famous people, such as Desmond Tutu others are of men and women who we have found no further information about.

Although for confidentiality reasons we need to be very careful when selecting images for our collection, we would encourage you to look through your family photographs or local newspapers to find pictures showing Black entertainers, sportsmen, politicians or servicemen in the region between 1750 and 2007. Alternatively, if you are of African descent and wish to send us a picture of yourself with a small biography, please do so.

As well as photographs and newspaper clippings we are also very interested in copies of any drawings or paintings you may have discovered in Hull and East Yorkshire highlighting the African presence in the region.

Once these sources have been showcased in our blog, they will be added to our existing photo and video gallery. Already, located on these pages are a host of images which have featured alongside the many stories that we have published plus my personal favourite a video of a small group of Black boxers at Hull fair in 1902 (to watch this clip, click the image above and go to 2.43-3.30 on the video).

Don’t forget to check back tomorrow when we will be releasing the first picture in our fabulous collection.

Please click here if you would like to send us your photographs or videos.

While every historian loves the experience of being in an archive and handling documents from the past, the digital age has enabled researchers to quickly find an array of information that they may not have been able to otherwise access. Evidence documenting people of African descent who visited, lived and worked in Hull and East Yorkshire can be found all over the world. For example, pictured below is the death certificate of Oswald Z Paris, a 46-year-old Black man who died on 14 February 1928 in Greensboro, Gilford, North Carolina, USA.[1] While shedding light on his death, this document also demonstrates that he was born in Hull around 1882 and his father was J. K. Paris. Unfortunately, further information on his parents has not yet been found. However, at least one of them must have been of African descent. Further evidence located in America demonstrates that he arrived in New York on 4 April 1902. In 1920, he lived at number 1701 Maudle Avenue, Newport, Virginia with his wife Emma B. Paris and was working as a musician.[2] He later went on to be a music teacher in a school.[3]

Further records from across the Atlantic demonstrate that Hull born Raymond B. Edwards had emigrated to America in the first half of the twentieth century. The information on his U.S. World War II Draft Registration Card shows that he was born in Hull on 2 January 1892 and by 1942 lived at 2746 Mickle Avenue, the Bronx with his wife.[4] It also documents that he worked for the British Government at their Ministry of War Transport Office in New York. As pictured below, he was described as a 50-year-old man with black hair and a dark brown complexion.[5]

We have also identified two Black women that were born in Hull but moved to America for a short time. These were Dorothea Anita Forde and Gwendoline Cecilia Philpot.

As people move from one region to another and sometimes emigrated across the seas to create a new life, they are lost in a larger migration story. Thus, this is a national and international call for information to all family historians. If you have an ancestor who visited, lived or worked in Hull or East Yorkshire and was of African descent please get in touch because we would love to document their presence in the region! Also, if you have further information on the people mentioned in this post we would love to hear from you.

Footnotes
[1] Ancestry.com. North Carolina, Death Certificates, 1909-1976 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007.
[2] Ancestry.com. 1920 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.
[3] Ancestry.com. North Carolina, Death Certificates, 1909-1976 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007.
[4] The National Archives at St. Louis, Missouri, Draft Registration Cards for Fourth Registration for New York State, 04/27/1942 - 04/27/1942; NAI Number: 2555973, Records of the Selective Service System: 147
[5] Ibid.