John Welden Jewett
John Welden Jewett | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 4, 1870 Fayette County, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Died | June 8, 1905 (aged 35) Lexington, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Burial place | African Cemetery No. 2, Lexington, Kentucky |
| Other names | John Weldon Jewett, J.W. Jewett |
| Occupations | Teacher, civil servant, columnist, community leader |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Louise C. Miller (m. 1902) |
| Children | 1 |
John Welden Jewett (March 4, 1870 – June 8, 1905) American educator, civil servant, columnist and community leader.[1][2] He served as the president of the Fayette County Teachers' Association; and was later appointed to the Internal Revenue Service.[2]
Life and career
John W. Jewett was born on March 4, 1870, in Fayette County near Lexington, Kentucky, he was the son of Sarah Henderson and Henry Jewett.[2] The family moved to Covington, Kentucky, where he attended school.[2] He graduated in 1883 from Gaines High School in Cincinnati, Ohio.[2]
Jewett began his teaching career in 1890 at the Cadentown School in Cadentown, Kentucky, a former Fayette County community on the eastern edge of the city of Lexington.[2] He served as the president of the Fayette County Teachers' Association.[1]
Jewett was a Republican delegate to Kentucky State Conventions.[2] He was a Chancellor Commander of the Bluegrass Lodge No. 11, Knights of Pythias; and a member of the Frederick Douglass Club of Lexington.[1] He also wrote a column in The Kentucky Leader newspaper in Lexington, and was the first Black columnist.[3] Jewett would often sign his name with “Weldon” or “Welden” or “JW.”[3]
He was married in 1902 to Louise C. Miller, and together they had one son who died 5 months after his birth.[2][4][5]
Jewett died a few months later of tubercular meningitis on June 8, 1905, and the funeral services were held at the Main Street Baptist Church in Lexington.[2][6] He is interred at African Cemetery No. 2.
References
- ^ a b c Johnson, William Decker (1897). "Chapter XVIII. John Welden Jewett". Biographical Sketches of Prominent Negro Men and Women of Kentucky. pp. 33–35 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Jewett, John W." Notable Kentucky African Americans Database (NKAA). University of Kentucky Libraries.
- ^ a b "Black Community News". Lexington Public Library. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
- ^ "Colored Circles". Lexington Herald-Leader. September 10, 1902. p. 7. Retrieved October 9, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Obituary for James Miller Jewett". Lexington Herald-Leader. June 19, 1904. p. 12. Retrieved October 9, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Colored Funeral Notices". Lexington Herald-Leader. June 11, 1905. p. 2. Retrieved October 9, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
External links
- Media related to John Welden Jewett at Wikimedia Commons