The Life, History, and Unparalleled Sufferings of John Jea, the African Preacher

John Jea (1773-? ) was an African-American slave. He was sold into slavery in New York with his family, where they worked for a Dutch couple, Oliver and Angelika Triehuen. After learning to read the Bible, he was freed and eventually embarked on a journey to Boston, New Orleans, South America, Holland, France, Germany, Ireland and England, where he worked as a preacher. In 1811 he published his autobiography, The Life, History, and Unparalleled Sufferings of John Jea, the African Preacher, along with poems, thus being one of the first African-American poets to have written an autobiography.