John H. Paynter (1862-1947) was an African American writer of poetry and nonfiction who wrote the book ''Fugitives of the Pearl'' (1930), a popular history of the largest known mass escape attempt of enslaved people in the United States. The story was based on his own 1916 short story first published in

The Journal of Negro History ''The Journal of African American History'', formerly ''The Journal of Negro History'' (1916–2001), is a quarterly academic journal covering African-American life and history. It was founded in 1916 by Carter G. Woodson. The journal is owned and ...

and then published as a serial in the Washington Tribune, written based on news accounts and oral histories from his own family. He was a descendant of the

Edmonson sisters Mary Edmonson (1832–1853) and Emily Edmonson (1835September 15, 1895), "two respectable young women of light complexion", were African Americans who became celebrity, celebrities in the Abolitionism in the United States, United States abolition ...

, three sisters who attempted to escape slavery on '' The Pearl'', and a grandson of John and Elizabeth Edmonson Brent, who were born slaves and purchased their own freedom before founding the John Wesley A.M.E. Zion Church at 14th and Corcoran streets NW in Washington, D.C. In his autobiographical ''Joining the Navy, or Abroad with Uncle Sam'', Paynter wrote of his experiences after enlisting as a

cabin boy A cabin boy or ship's boy is a boy or young man who waits on the officers and passengers of a ship, especially running errands for the captain. The modern merchant navy successor to the cabin boy is the steward's assistant. Duties Cabin boys ...

in the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...

in 1884, when there were limited opportunities for advancement for African Americans.

W.E.B. DuBois William Edward Burghardt Du Bois ( ; February 23, 1868 – August 27, 1963) was an American sociologist, socialist, historian, and Pan-Africanist civil rights activist. Born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, Du Bois grew up in a relativel ...

wrote a foreword to the book. Paynter was also a real estate investor and chair of the board of directors of Universal Development and Loan Co., which built

Suburban Gardens Suburban Gardens was the first and only major amusement park within Washington, D.C. Located at 50th and Hayes Streets, NE, in the Deanwood neighborhood near the National Training School for Women and Girls, Suburban Gardens opened in 1921 and was ...

, a seven-acre amusement park opened in 1921 in Washington D.C. Suburban Gardens admitted African Americans at a time when the Glen Echo Amusement Park in nearby Maryland was segregated.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Paynter, John H. African-American poets American male poets 1862 births American non-fiction writers 1947 deaths American male non-fiction writers 20th-century African-American writers African-American male writers