Enslavement to
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More information on Zion Baptist Church
From Harryette Mullen, July 22, 2003
That article on William C. Williams has been very useful to me. Nearly every detail mentioned in his obituary has been a clue to help me to piece together more of my family's history.
I've found an on-line history of Zion Baptist Church. Two of my ancestors were pastors during the early history of this church.
My great-grandfather, Walker Tolliver, was three years old when the Civil War ended. He was born in Caroline County, Virginia, so we assume that he and his parents were slaves. They might have come to Harrisburg as "contrabands" during the war, or maybe they moved after the war. He was the second minister of the church, then located on Marion Street (1895-1922). He baptized converts in the Susquehanna River.
My grandfather, Lowell P. Mitchell, was the fourth minister, after the church had moved to Reily Street (1935-38). He built the church's first baptistery, thus ending the tradition of river baptisms.
The link to Zion Baptist Church history is:
https://greaterzionbaptist.org/
Thanks again for creating Afrolumens. It's definitely shed some light on my family's past.