I Belong to Mr. Green

Abstract

Green, though still a slave under Dobyns, began preaching in Flemingsburg, 18 miles distant, in 1853, though he had to be home by dark. In 1855 he started a church in Paris, over 40 miles from Maysville, preaching as well in Bracken and Lewis counties. In 1853 he purchased the freedom of his sister Harriet. In 1855 his Maysville church purchased lot to build on. He began alternating his Sundays between the Paris and Maysville churches. Dobyns allowed him to travel as far as Georgetown and Louisville for his preaching. His freedom to travel may have been due to Dobyns's having retired from his wholesale business. In 1856, he bought his freedom. But the Panic of 1857 ruined Dobyns, and to save Green's wife and children from being sold, a group of white citizens loaned Green $850 to buy them. Dobyns committed suicide in late 1859.