John Henry "Jack" Yates (July 11, 1828 – December 22, 1897) was an American freedman, minister, and community leader. Born enslaved in

Gloucester County, Virginia Gloucester County ( ) is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 38,711. Its county seat is Gloucester Courthouse, Virginia, Gloucester Courthouse. T ...

, on July 11, 1828, Yates was taught to read at an early age by his enslaver's child. He married Harriet Willis, who was enslaved on a neighboring farm. When her enslaver moved his plantation to Texas to avoid emancipation, Yates, then a free man, asked to be re-enslaved in order to stay with his family. He joined his family in

Matagorda County, Texas Matagorda County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 36,255. Its county seat is Bay City, not to be confused with the larger Baytown in Harris and Chambers Counties. Matagorda County i ...

, until their emancipation in 1865. The family then relocated to Houston, where he helped establish Freedman's Town, purchased property, and began ministering to the community. In 1868, Yates was named the first full-time preacher of the Antioch Missionary Baptist Church, Houston's first Black baptist church. As a community leader, Yates organized Houston Academy, now Booker T. Washington High School;

Bethel Baptist Church Bethel Baptist Church may refer to: United Kingdom * Bethel Chapel Guildford, Surrey * Bethel Baptist Chapel, Llanelli, Carmarthenshire * Bethel Strict Baptist Chapel, Robertsbridge, East Sussex United States * Bethel Baptist Church (Birmingham ...

; and Houston's

Emancipation Park Emancipation Park may refer to: *Emancipation Park (Houston), a park in Houston, Texas, United States *Emancipation Park (Kingston, Jamaica), a park in Kingston, Jamaica *Market Street Park, a park in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States former ...

. He died in 1897. Yates' original Houston home, the Jack Yates House, was donated to Houston's Heritage Society and first opened to the public in 1996.

Early life

Yates was born on July 11, 1828, in

, to Robert and Rachel Yates, who were both enslaved. When Rachel became the caregiver to her enslaver's child, the child taught Yates to read. Yates would stash reading material when he went to work in the fields and would sneak out at night to read it. He also began attending religious gatherings of enslaved people. Yates' enslaver brought Yates on business trips where Yates learned financial basics that later enabled him to purchase his own freedom. He met and married Harriet Willis, who was enslaved on a neighboring farm.

Relocation to Texas

Following the

Emancipation Proclamation The Emancipation Proclamation, officially Proclamation 95, was a presidential proclamation and executive order issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, during the American Civil War. The Proclamation had the eff ...

in 1863, Willis's enslaver moved his plantation to Matagorda County, Texas. Yates, a free man at the time, convinced Willis's enslaver to re-enslave him so that he would not be separated from his wife and three children. Yates and his family relocated to

Galveston, Texas Galveston ( ) is a Gulf Coast of the United States, coastal resort town, resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island (Texas), Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a pop ...

, and were there on June 19, 1865, when General

Gordon Granger Gordon Granger (November 6, 1821 – January 10, 1876) was a career U.S. Army officer, and a Union (American Civil War), Union general during the American Civil War, where he distinguished himself at the Battle of Chickamauga. Granger is best re ...

issued

General Order No. 3 General Order No. 3 was an American legal decree issued in 1865 enforcing the Emancipation Proclamation to the residents of the U.S. state of Texas and freeing all remaining slaves in the state. The general order was issued by Union General ...

. Yates's enslavers presented the family with two options: Stay and work for free, or leave without resistance. Yates and his family chose to leave.

Freedom and move to Houston

They relocated to

Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, where Yates became a

drayman A drayman was historically the driver of a Lorry (horse-drawn), dray, a low, flat-bed wagon without sides, pulled generally by horses or mules that were used to transport all kinds of goods. Modern use The word "drayman" is used in List of ...

. As one of the first Black freedmen in the city, he helped establish Freedman's Town, now Houston's Fourth Ward. In 1869, less than five years after his emancipation, Yates purchased property on Andrews Street where he built and designed the first two-story house in Black Houston.

Ministry

On evenings and weekends, Yates preached throughout the community and conducted "horseback ministry" for Black communities within 100 miles of Houston. He began receiving attention from visiting missionaries for his literacy and ability to teach and preach. In January 1866, a group of freedmen, with help from missionaries from the First Baptist and German Baptist churches, built a structure that would become the first worship space of the Antioch Missionary Baptist Church. Yates was ordained in 1868 and named the first full-time preacher of the church, which was Houston's first Black Baptist church. There, he taught community members about personal finances, literacy, carpentry and other skills. Yates organized Houston Academy, now Booker T. Washington High School, in 1885 or 1886. He left Antioch in 1891 to establish the

Emancipation Park

In 1872, while Yates was still at Antioch Missionary Baptist, the church partnered with Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church in Houston to purchase ten acres of land on Dowling Street. The intent was to provide a space for the Black community to celebrate

Juneteenth Juneteenth is a federal holiday in the United States, federal holiday in the United States. It is celebrated annually on June 19 to commemorate the End of slavery in the United States, ending of slavery in the United States. The holiday's n ...

. Located on what was formerly Dowling Street (now Emancipation Avenue),

was the first public park in Texas.

Second marriage and death

After Harriet Yates died, Yates married Annie Freeman, on October 13, 1888. They had one child. Jack Yates died on December 22, 1897, and was first buried at

Olivewood Cemetery Olivewood Cemetery, in Houston, Texas, lies near a bend in White Oak Bayou, along the rail line to Chaney Junction, where the First and Sixth wards meet just northwest of downtown. The cemetery is an historic resting place for many freed sla ...

, but later reinterred at College Park Cemetery.

Yates High School Jack Yates Senior High School is a public high school located at 3650 Alabama Street, very near Texas Southern University, in the historic Third Ward in Houston, Texas. Yates High School handles grades nine through twelve and is part of the Hous ...

in Houston was named in Yates' honor in 1926.

The Jack Yates House

In 1994, Yates' home was moved from Andrews Street to Sam Houston Park in Houston and restored to its original 1870s configuration. The home was donated to Houston's Heritage Society by Yates' granddaughter, Martha Whiting. The Jack Yates House was first opened to the public in December 1996.