MORGAN'S HISTORY OF THE NEW JERSEY CONFERENCE Page 25
Was born at Newark, New Castle county, Del., November 13, 1833. His parents were slaves, and owned at the time by Alexander Crawford. At the age of nine years he was sold with his mother to a Mr. Vandegrift. He was sold by the pound, the price being eleven dollars per pound. He remained with Mr. Vandegrift until quite a large boy. He was then sold to Mr. Eikels. This man being a poor man and deeply in debt, was soon after sold out. Charles went back to Mr. Vandegrift, who then hired him out until he was a young man. He was converted and joined the M. E. Church. This so angered his master that he sold him a second time. This time out of the State to a trader, for the sum of fifteen hundred dollars. While the trader was waiting for the expiration of Charles's time, for which he had been hired, Charles heard of the sale, and, to use a cant phrase, took leg bail for security, and left for Canada by the "Underground Railroad." Stopping at the first station, Philadelphia, he was directed to Dr. C. Bias, by whom he was married to his present wife, then Miss Cathrine Grose, of Philadelphia, Prof. Chas. L. Reason, now principal of the Forty-first Street Colored School, New York, doing the honors as best man. From Philadelphia he was sent to New York City, and from there to Albany, N. Y., from there to Syracuse, N. Y. Here he was directed to the Rev. J. W. Lognen, who sent him and his wife to the country, where they remained until the following April, then left for Canada. They remained there five years and connected themselves with the A. M. E. Church. In 1859 he returned to the United States and settled in Syracuse, New York. There being no A. M. E. Church there, he joined the A. M. E. Zion Church by certificate. He became a class-leader, and in 1863 was licensed to preach. He was a lay delegate to a number of their conferences. In 1870 he united with the A. M. E. Church at Auburn, N. Y., under Rev. J. G. Mowbry. In 1872 he attended the A. M. E. Conference, at Weeksville, N. Y., where he was taken up by Bishop James A. Shorter and sent to the Rochester Mission. There being no church organization, he organized a society of twelve members and a Sabbath-school of
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