Lott Carey was born into slavery in Charles City County, Virginia.
Carey joined the united congregation of Richmond’s First Baptist Church in 1807. This was a church where Blacks and Whites co-worshiped. In 1813, Lott’s wife passed away. At the age of 33, Carey acquired his and his children’s freedom with $850 he had accumulated. In 1815, he helped found the Richmond African Baptist Missionary Society. Sending missionaries to Africa, the Society collaborated with the Triennial Baptist Convention and the American Colonization Society.
“I am an African. And, in this country, however meritorious my conduct and respectable my character, I cannot receive due to either. I wish to go to a country where I shall be estimated by my merits, not by my complexion. I feel bound to labor for my suffering race.”
Carey set out with his second wife and children from Norfolk to West Africa on January 16, 1821. Shortly after his arrival in Sierra Leone, his second wife passed away.
The American Colonization Society established Monrovia, Liberia, as a colony. This was for the resettlement of free people of color and free blacks from the United States. He established the first church in the colony, the Providence Baptist Church of Monrovia. He also started local schools and participated in colonial administration. He served as the colony’s acting governor from August 1828 until his death in November 1828.
Loving Christ - Living Christ 