John Chavis

Stephen B. Weeks

Article about the life of John Chavis. Licensed by the Presbytery in Lexington, Va. and sent out as a missionary to the blacks and whites in North Carolina, Chavis preached until 1832 when an act was passed in North Carolina to silence colored preachers. Chavis then began a school in Wake, Chatham, Orange and Granville counties where he taught white boys and girls until his death. Many of his pupils went on to distinguished careers and Chavis himself was a friend to numerous prominent white men of his generation.