African Americans in the Boone County Recorder during WWI

Compiled for the African Americans in Boone County Project sponsored by Preservation Kentucky. All accounts from Boone County Recorder, Microfilm, Boone County Public Library, Boone County, Kentucky.

• Colored people from everywhere assembled at Florence last Sunday, to attend the annual basket meeting held with their church at that place. Estimated that 500 attended.

• KY will have to supply 14,236 men for army.

• Boone County will have to furnish 69 for first phase of the draft. Strowbridge Hoard & Lee Utz among the first group if they pass the exemptions. Eli Early part of second group in case the first group doesn’t fill quota.

• Place in class one (pretty certain to go to Camp Taylor) – Kirtley Steele, Albert Strader, Wm Johnson, George Sleet, Amos Bradford, Owen Weaver, C. R. Baker, and McGarvey Gaines.

• Last week, Henry Fry, colored, of Burlington, who is totally blind and who makes his pocket change by breaking rock on the pike felt his way up in town, and volunteered a fifty cent donation to the Red Cross, saying that every body ought to do something for our boys ‘over there’ and that he wanted to contribute what he could.
• more to him than thousands from others
• should be an incentive to others
• This colored man had already joined the Red Cross some time ago and has also made a liberal donation to the Y.M.C.A.

Note: According to the 1900 Census, Henry Fry was lving in Burlington, married to a Laura since 1881. He was born in 1857 in Kentucky. In 1910, Henry Fry still lived in Burlington, but was widowed. By 1930, Henry is noted to be living on Petersburg Pike (Idlewild Rd) in Burlington next to the Bohannon and Sanders familys (both African American). He died on 15 November 1935 of a stroke and is buried in the Burlington IOOF Cemetery. His death certificate listed his father as Henry Fry- mother unknown.

Following men being sent to Camp Taylor, Compiler's Note (which must be for both black & white draftees – from there they are sent for training elsewhere it sounds like)

• Kirtley Steele (d. 18 Aug 1958 Veteran's Hospital in Cincinnati)
• Wm. Johnson (b. 6 Sept 1888, worked on Nicholson Farm in Walton), Dudley Strader (b. Apr 1889, parents Thomas and Eva Strader; Living in Detroit, MI in 1935 and 1940)
• Albert Strader (d. June 1969 in Cincinnati)
• Geo. Sleet
• Hobe Conrad (d. 18 Nov 1954 Bourbon County, KY; Veteran Hospital records list Anna Mae Allen as sister)

Next group that left for Camp Taylor:

• Amos Bradford
• Owen Weaver
• Charles Baker

• Unordered List ItemAfrican Americans celebrated the 4th of July at Erlanger fair grounds – lots of dancing by young & old.

To Camp Taylor shortly:

• Ira Sanders
• Charles Baker (mentioned previously)
• Elmer Ross
• Fred Jimison
• Clarence & Wm Dickerson
• James Baker
• McGarvey Gaines.

1102 men registered from the county to date – shows where the preponderance of blacks were living.

• Hamilton 75 whites 3 blacks
• Florence 112 whites 5 blacks
• Petersburg 92 whites 1 black
• Constance 87 whites 1 black
• Union 74 whites 4 blacks
• Walton 130 whites 15 blacks
• Carlton 70 whites 0 blacks
• Burlington 129 whites 11 blacks
• Verona 60 whites 2 blacks
• Belleview 65 whites 2 blacks
• Beaver 35 whites 8 blacks
• Bullittsville 96 whites 9 blacks

• One case of influenza in county at present – Wm. Utz – recovering. Several cases already recovered – no deaths. Schools all closed until further notice.

• More information regarding African-Americans in Boone County
• Boone County History