Businesses and Owners
19th Century
The tradition of owning businesses has a long and storied history. For those in need of a barber, the 19th century African American business community provided such services. The well-respected Holdridge Primus became a co-owner of a store at Main and Syms Street. In 1844 August Washington’s studio was a major destination for people desiring portraits and pictures of family members. For more than 100 years, William Saunders and his descendants operated a tailor shop at the “African Corner” of Talcott Street. In 1921 the family finally closed their shop. In the 19th century Saunders boldly served as the local agent for the Liberator. The owner of the newspaper was William Lloyd Garrison, considered to be one of the most defiant abolitionists of the period. Men such as Emersley Hammerly and Jeremiah Jacobs ran local saloons. R. Sands, another businessman, operated a restaurant.
Early 20th Century
Few leaders of the 20th century won as much acclaim as Booker T. Washington. The principal of Tuskegee Institute urged the black masses to learn trades, work with hands, and build businesses. Washington also created the National Negro Business League. The league held meetings throughout the country to inform and educate African American businessmen and ordinary citizens about the accomplishments of African Americans in business. In 1902 G. Grant William, a local barber, also sold African American literature. Leading newspapers such as the Philadelphia Tribune and New York Age were available to those looking to read papers from outside Hartford. Avid readers could pick from the works of Paul Laurence Dunbar, Booker T. Washington, and Pauline Hopkins. Williams became the local representative for Washington’s National Negro Business League. A tireless supporter of the Tuskegee educator Williams played a prominent role in bringing Washington to Hartford for a speaking engagement.
By the time of World War I and the early 1920s, a small and vibrant African American business community was quite visible. The businesses included enterprises such as barbershops, beauty salons, groceries, music studios, restaurants, funeral parlors, billiard parlors, after-hours clubs, taxi services, and boarding houses. Moreland Barbershop offered an opportunity for hair grooming and conversation. Southern migration from the South clearly fostered some of the business growth. For African American women in need of hair styling and pressing, Ella Pittman offered her services to the community. While William and Ella Murray, a local couple, operated a grocery store, Raymond A. Lawson taught music from a studio on Main Street. Anyone hungry meal simply had to venture to Jefferson Banks’ restaurant on Front Street. For people looking for entertainment and billiards, Charles B. Taylor’s poolroom was a frequent stop. Sidney Johnson, proprietor of a funeral parlor was one of the city’s most respected business leaders. One of the most dignified moments in the lives of poor families was the funeral of departed love ones. Johnson provided such services. A local African American also operated a taxi that shuttled people throughout the city. Visitors to the city and local residents also knew that lodging and meals were available at local boarding houses. A perfect example was the one run by Daniel and Sarah Parrish. Although only a small portion of the businesses operated by African Americans, they clearly revealed that African Americans understood the importance of uplift in their community. The African American influences from the South were very apparent in this uplift. People from places such as Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia became solid contributors to this growth.
1930s-1940s
The “Old Hoover Days” crushed the economic will of a number of families in the country and made families do more with less. The African American business community survived because of the work of ordinary citizens and owners. In 1938 the Hartford Negro Interest Group, as part of “Negro History Week”, decided to highlight the business acumen and work of local barbershops, beauty parlors, dressmakers, tailors, physicians, dentists, funeral directors, dining establishments, and moving companies. Dr. Allen F. Jackson, one of the physicians listed by the group, played an instrumental role in revitalizing the city’s local NAACP. His work eventually led to the national group asking that he join their board. With the coming of World War II, the economic malaise of the depression began to end; however, the struggle for equality remained constant. A group of African American leaders, including Robert “Subway” Lewis, decided to publish the Hartford Chronicle. Lewis was the owner of the Subway. Although not the first African American newspaper published in Hartford, it would prove to be a great activist paper. With George Goodman, editor, and a talented staff, the Chronicle tackled issues of southern racism, local job discrimination, housing inequities, healthcare, and community uplift. Before ending their media efforts, the owners and operators re-organized the paper as the Connecticut Chronicle and New England Bulletin. When it came time to relax, the Sundown Club and Torch Club featured some of the best Jazz music in New England. Lewis’ Subway establishment, another major hotspot, offered drinks, food, and banquet facilities.