ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, March 1, 1996 TAG: 9603010085
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: CHARLES CITY (AP)
SOURCE: BOBBIE HARVILLE\DAILY PRESS
The Rev. Ned Cary Jr. is working to perpetuate the legacy of an ancestor who helped create a settlement for former slaves.
Cary's great-great-great-grandfather, Lott Cary, was a founding father of Liberia in the 1820s. The nation on the west coast of Africa became a haven of hope for freed slaves from the United States. More than 175 years ago, Cary also founded Providence Baptist Church in Monrovia, the Liberian capital.
Lott Cary was born a slave in Charles City County in 1780. He bought his freedom and eventually established the African Missionary Society in 1815. The ordained minister sailed to Africa six years later to become the continent's first American missionary. Cary died defending Liberia in 1828.
Ned Cary and his wife, Juanita, recently traveled from their Toano home to Liberia for the 175th anniversary of the church Lott Cary founded. Representatives of sister churches in Liberia and other nations came together to remember Cary for his vision in establishing the church.
Ned Cary says the visit, his second to the country in two years, was inspirational and brought home the impact that his ancestor had upon a nation.
``I just enjoyed being there,'' says Cary, who has been a minister since 1987. ``It was an absolute thrill to walk into the old church that he established. And the people were just as thrilled to see me as I was to be there.''
Richard Bowman, a Charles City County historian, says Lott Cary was a pioneer in missionary work. That fact is acknowledged in the county's coat of arms. Incorporated in the design is a cross that represents the preacher, he says.
Ned Cary eventually hopes to build a museum at the Charles City site where Lott Cary was born. He founded the Lott Cary Historical Foundation in 1992 to help carry on the missionary's legacy.
``We want to build a replica of the old church in Charles City, and the basement part would be used as a cultural center,'' he says.
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