[Ads-l] Large Antedating of "Black Church"

[Shapiro, Fred]

Black church (OED 1963)

1816 The Yankee (Boston) 26 Apr. 1/1 (GenealogyBank)  There are about four hundred and fifty negroes in prison No. 4, and this assemblage of blacks affords many curious anecdotes ... these blacks have a ruler among them whom they call king DICK. ... There was a diversity of opinion in the black church. ... His majesty King Dick advised that the dispute should be left to the decision of a neighboring methodist preacher.

1818 Salem (Mass.) Gazette 29 May 2 (GenealogyBank)  The influence of Christianity seems to be gradually raising the Blacks in the scale of society.  The Rev. Mr. Paul, of the Black Church in Boston, preached on Monday evening in the Rev. Mr. Booles's pulpit in this town.

Fred Shapiro

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org