John Jasper: The Unmatched Negro Philosopher and Preacher (Dodo Press)

John Jasper (1812-1901) was the 24th child of Philip and Tina Jasper. John was a rebellious slave and constantly in trouble with his owners. When he was twenty- five, Jasper worked in a tobacco factory after he converted to Christianity. In 1840 he was licensed to preach by the Old African Baptist Church, and he didn't stop for more than sixty years. In his biography, Jasper talked about his life as a slave for fifty years before Emancipation. Jasper's funeral sermons brought him renown among blacks as well as whites. In freedom Jasper fostered a congregation that reached several thousand, and he built the Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church to house them.