William Thacker was a white lynching victim, which accounts for the detailed documentary evidence of his life and death. Thacker was born on May 5th, 1859 in Lawrence, Kentucky. He was raised by Nathaniel and Lucrecia Thacker and was the eldest of 4 children. In 1881 Thacker married Molly Mary Prater. The couple had five […]
Robert H. Coffey was born in 1846 in Christian County, KY to Asa and Sidney Coffey. He lived in the 1st District of the county until the age of 14 when his parents moved him and his 7 siblings to the Second Township in Washington, IL. There they lived for a time until Robert moved […]
John Maxey was born in 1884 and raised in Frankfort, KY to John H. Maxey and his mother Cordelia Maxey. He had an older sister. Alice Maxey. The family lived in a rented home during Maxey’s childhood. His father was well-known and liked in the Frankfort community. John Maxey worked as an attache and a […]
Jimbo Fields and Clarence Garnett were African American teenagers who were born in Shelbyville, Kentucky. As their ages vary in different newspapers, Fields was estimated at sixteen years and Garnett of eighteen years at the time of the lynchings. As teenagers Fields and Garnett worked as day laborers, doing miscellaneous work for varying local businesses. […]
Silas Easter was born approximately in March 1883 in Bonnieville, Kentucky. According to the 1900 census, Silas Easter was the oldest son of H and Little Easter. Silas had two younger sisters, Elman and Mannie, who were 11 and 10 at the time of 1900 census. In 1901, Easter was approximately 18-years-old and worked as […]
There is no extent information about Ernest Dewley’s birth place, birth date, parents, education level, or type of work. Ernest Dewley was visiting a saloon on April 29th, 1902 in Brandenburg. He was kicked out by Frank Pickerel, the owner of a saloon for known reasons. Later that day, Dewley tried to shoot Pickerel at […]
Documented by Kayleigh Dayka James Mayes was a black man born to David and Frances Mayes in North, Washington County, Kentucky. This county is located in Central Kentucky, just one county over from Fayette County where Lexington is located. The 1880 census listed him as being born “about 1878” but the 1900 census listed him […]
Ernest Baker was an African American man born in October of 1879 to Pryn and Josephine Baker. He lived his life entirely in North Cadiz, Trigg County, Kentucky. Census records show that Baker could read and write and that he worked as a porter at Sam Smith’s Saloon. According to the information on findagrave.com, Baker […]
Benjamin “Booker” Brame was born in 1891. There is no extent census or biographical information about his birthplace, his family, or his education. On April 9, 1909, Brame, who was 18-years-old, was accused of insulting, attempting to assault, or assaulting of a white woman. The exact accusation differs according to the source. Ruth Gee appears […]
Thomas Brown was a 19-year-old young man. He was born in Kentucky in February 1883. His parents were John Brown and Bell Brown, who in 1902 were 37 years old and had been married for seventeen years. Thomas Brown also had one sibling, George Brown, who was 17 at the time of Thomas’s death. Thomas’s […]
