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McGill family (Monrovia)
Encyclopedia
The McGill family of Monrovia, Liberia was a free
African American
mulatto
family from Baltimore, Maryland which immigrated to Monrovia
in the 19th century. The McGills were one of the most prominent early Americo-Liberian
families and they were one of the early American settlers of Liberia. Daguerreotypes of the McGill family can be found in the Library of Congress
, and they are mentioned in the African Repository by the American Colonization Society
.
George R. and Angelina McGill immigrated to Liberia
aboard the Reaper with several other members of their family and arrived in Monrovia
on February 1831. Shortly after, Angelina died and some of the members of the McGill family settled at Cape Palmas. George McGill remained in Monrovia and became a wealthy merchant and Methodist preacher; two of his four sons followed suit. George McGill was also the acting colonial agent of the American Colonization Society
from September 24, 1833 to January 1, 1834. Urias and James McGill both partnered in 1854 to establish the Urias A. McGill & Brother trading company. Later on the name was changed to McGill Brothers when their two other brothers, Samuel and R.S. McGill joined them in the trading business. The McGill Brothers company established many warehouses and numerous stores and were among the first successful Americo-Liberian
trading families.
They were members of the Americo-Liberian
mulatto
class who discriminated against the dark-skinned Americo-Liberian colonists.
Two portraits of members of the McGill family were shown on a segment of African American Lives
presented by Henry Louis Gates, one of the members of the family shown was the 'Merchant of Monrovia
' Urias McGill. Daguerreotypes of the McGill family can be found in the Library of Congress
because they were one of the first 19th century colonizers of Liberia
Free Negro
A free Negro or free black is the term used prior to the abolition of slavery in the United States to describe African Americans who were not slaves. Almost all African Americans came to the United States as slaves, but from the earliest days of American slavery, slaveholders set men and women free...
African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
mulatto
Mulatto
Mulatto denotes a person with one white parent and one black parent, or more broadly, a person of mixed black and white ancestry. Contemporary usage of the term varies greatly, and the broader sense of the term makes its application rather subjective, as not all people of mixed white and black...
family from Baltimore, Maryland which immigrated to Monrovia
Monrovia
Monrovia is the capital city of the West African nation of Liberia. Located on the Atlantic Coast at Cape Mesurado, it lies geographically within Montserrado County, but is administered separately...
in the 19th century. The McGills were one of the most prominent early Americo-Liberian
Americo-Liberian
Americo-Liberians are a Liberian ethnicity of African American descent. The sister ethnic group of Americo Liberians are the Sierra Leone Creole people who are of African American, West Indian, and liberated African descent...
families and they were one of the early American settlers of Liberia. Daguerreotypes of the McGill family can be found in the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
, and they are mentioned in the African Repository by the American Colonization Society
American Colonization Society
The American Colonization Society , founded in 1816, was the primary vehicle to support the "return" of free African Americans to what was considered greater freedom in Africa. It helped to found the colony of Liberia in 1821–22 as a place for freedmen...
.
Immigration to Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
aboard the Reaper with several other members of their family and arrived in Monrovia
Monrovia
Monrovia is the capital city of the West African nation of Liberia. Located on the Atlantic Coast at Cape Mesurado, it lies geographically within Montserrado County, but is administered separately...
on February 1831. Shortly after, Angelina died and some of the members of the McGill family settled at Cape Palmas. George McGill remained in Monrovia and became a wealthy merchant and Methodist preacher; two of his four sons followed suit. George McGill was also the acting colonial agent of the American Colonization Society
American Colonization Society
The American Colonization Society , founded in 1816, was the primary vehicle to support the "return" of free African Americans to what was considered greater freedom in Africa. It helped to found the colony of Liberia in 1821–22 as a place for freedmen...
from September 24, 1833 to January 1, 1834. Urias and James McGill both partnered in 1854 to establish the Urias A. McGill & Brother trading company. Later on the name was changed to McGill Brothers when their two other brothers, Samuel and R.S. McGill joined them in the trading business. The McGill Brothers company established many warehouses and numerous stores and were among the first successful Americo-Liberian
Americo-Liberian
Americo-Liberians are a Liberian ethnicity of African American descent. The sister ethnic group of Americo Liberians are the Sierra Leone Creole people who are of African American, West Indian, and liberated African descent...
trading families.
Members of the family
- Urias McGill (merchant)Urias McGill (merchant)Urias Africanus McGill was an African American mulatto from the United States who immigrated to Liberia. Urias McGill was a member of the McGill family and his brothers and he established a successful trading business in...
- James McGill (American Colonist)
- Samuel McGill (doctor, merchant, graduate of Dartmouth College)
- R.S. McGill
They were members of the Americo-Liberian
Americo-Liberian
Americo-Liberians are a Liberian ethnicity of African American descent. The sister ethnic group of Americo Liberians are the Sierra Leone Creole people who are of African American, West Indian, and liberated African descent...
mulatto
Mulatto
Mulatto denotes a person with one white parent and one black parent, or more broadly, a person of mixed black and white ancestry. Contemporary usage of the term varies greatly, and the broader sense of the term makes its application rather subjective, as not all people of mixed white and black...
class who discriminated against the dark-skinned Americo-Liberian colonists.
Two portraits of members of the McGill family were shown on a segment of African American Lives
African American Lives
African American Lives is a PBS television miniseries hosted by historian Henry Louis Gates, Jr., focusing on African American genealogical research...
presented by Henry Louis Gates, one of the members of the family shown was the 'Merchant of Monrovia
Monrovia
Monrovia is the capital city of the West African nation of Liberia. Located on the Atlantic Coast at Cape Mesurado, it lies geographically within Montserrado County, but is administered separately...
' Urias McGill. Daguerreotypes of the McGill family can be found in the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
because they were one of the first 19th century colonizers of Liberia
See also
- Joseph Jenkins RobertsJoseph Jenkins RobertsJoseph Jenkins Roberts was the first and seventh President of Liberia. Born free in Norfolk, Virginia, USA, Roberts emigrated to Liberia in 1829 as a young man. He opened a trading store in Monrovia, and later engaged in politics...
-First president of Liberia - Stephen Allen BensonStephen Allen BensonStephen Allen Benson served as the 2nd President of Liberia from 1856 to 1864. Prior to that, he served as the 3rd Vice President of Liberia from 1854 to 1856 under President Joseph Jenkins Roberts....
- second president of Liberia
Sources
- http://www.npg.si.edu/exh/awash/mcgill.htm
- http://negroartist.com/dags%20library%20of%20congress/index.htm
- http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/Arrivals/liberia.htm
- http://www.educationalsynthesis.org/famamer/NinthPresident.html
- http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/african/afam003.html
- http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/daghtml/dagamco.html
- Liberia Past and Present: J. J. Roberts