Jesse Edward Moorland (September 10, 1863 – April 30, 1940) was an American minister, community executive, civic leader and book collector. Born in

Coldwater, Ohio Coldwater is a village in Mercer County, Ohio, United States. The population was 4,774 at the 2020 census. History Coldwater was founded in 1838 and was originally called Buzzard's Glory, named after David Buzzard who operated a general store. ...

, he was the only child of a farming family. Moorland attended Northwestern Normal University in

Ada, Ohio Ada ( ) is a village in Hardin County, Ohio, United States, located about southwest of Toledo, Ohio, Toledo. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 5,334. It is the home of Ohio Northern University. History Followi ...

. Then he moved to

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, where he attended the Theological department of

Howard University Howard University is a private, historically black, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and accredited by the Mid ...

and earned his

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

in 1891. He was ordained a Congressional minister. That same year he was hired as secretary of the Washington D.C. branch of the

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It has nearly 90,000 staff, some 920,000 volunteers and 12,000 branches w ...

. Moorland devoted himself to black social organizations, such as the

National Afro-American League The National Afro-American League was formed on January 25, 1890, by Timothy Thomas Fortune. Preceding the foundation of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the organization dedicated itself to racial solidarity ...

in the 1890s, and later the National Health Circle for Colored People, as important for building community strength. In 1914, Kelly Miller, a leading African-American intellectual, persuaded Moorland to donate his large private library on blacks in Africa and in the United States as the foundation for a proposed "Negro-Americana Museum and Library" at Howard University. This collection formed the foundation of the

Moorland–Spingarn Research Center The Moorland–Spingarn Research Center (MSRC) in Washington, D.C., is located on the campus of Howard University on the first and ground floors of Founders Library. The MSRC is recognized as one of the world's largest and most comprehensive re ...

. In 1885 in Ohio Moorland married Lucy C Woodson, who was a granddaughter of Thomas and Jemima Woodson. Moorland was a member of

Alpha Phi Alpha Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. () is the oldest intercollegiate List of African-American fraternities, historically African American Fraternities and sororities, fraternity. It was initially a literary and social studies club organized in the ...

fraternity. Jesse Moorland died in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

at the age of 76. He co-founded the

Association for the Study of Negro Life and History The Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) is a learned society dedicated to the study and appreciation of African-American History. The association was founded in Chicago on September 9, 1915, during the Natio ...

(ASNLH) with

Carter G. Woodson Carter Godwin Woodson (December 19, 1875April 3, 1950) was an American historian, author, journalist, and the founder of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). He was one of the first scholars to study the ...

in 1915.

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* * African-American Christian clergy Howard University alumni People from Coldwater, Ohio 1863 births 1940 deaths Religious leaders from Ohio Ohio Northern University alumni American Congregationalist ministers Religious leaders from Washington, D.C. American book and manuscript collectors 20th-century African-American people {{Ohio-bio-stub