As Morgan Freeman says, “Black history is American history.” I found this blog post with a list of books to celebrate Black History Month. Many are available at the Pember and others can be requested from other local libraries.
A recent addition to Granville is the Haynes House of Hope. But how many people actually know the history of Lemuel Haynes (1753-1833) for whom the Haynes House is named? The Haynes House was built on the site of the home Rev. Haynes occupied here in Granville (see correction in comment below). We have a couple of books about Reverend Haynes available at the Pember.
There are two copies of Black apostle to Yankeeland : egalitarian catchcolt who overlived his caste by Paul Douglass (written in 1972). One is available for checkout. The other should be used in the library along with a second biography of Rev. Haynes, Sketches of the life and character of the Rev. Lemuel Haynes, A. M. : for many years pastor of a church in Rutland, Vt., and late in Granville, New-York written in 1837 by Timothy Mather Cooley.
Be sure to check out Morris Rote-Rosen’s articles on Lemuel Haynes from the December 17 and December 24, 1936 issues of the Granville Sentinel. They are available on microfilm at the Pember.
If you check on HeritageQuest, there are 33 hits for Lemuel Haynes. Not all hits are about the Lemuel Haynes from Granville and some are just a mention in someone’s genealogy of a marriage with “Rev. Lemuel Haynes officiating.” I find it interesting that he lived at Granville MA for a time. He is also mentioned in a family history of another preacher who “could repeat more Scripture than any man I ever saw, except the Rev. Lemuel Haynes.”
Rev Haynes spent the last eleven years of his life in Granville, NY and is buried in the old Lee Cemetery along SR 149.
