Manuscript Group 1321, Florence Spearing Randolph (1866 – 1951), African Methodist Episcopal Minister Papers, 1895 – 1960

Archives Documents, Manuscripts, Maps, & Photographs

Manuscript Group 1321, Florence Spearing Randolph (1866-1951), African Methodist Episcopal minister

Papers, 1895-1960

Call Number: MG 1321

Summary

Summary:

Papers, certificates, memorabilia, photographs, relating to the Rev. Florence Randolph, noted educator and churchwoman.  Mrs. Randolph was active in the founding of the Federation of Colored Women’s Clubs.

Gift of Mark and Lisa Johnson, 1990.

Biographical Note:

The Reverend Florence Randolph was born in Charleston, South Carolina of Christian parents; on the maternal side they were all Methodists, her father was Presbyterian.  Her grandmother on the maternal side was a city missionary though blind for 25 years.  Rev. Randolph enjoyed the advantages of the public school system and Amery Normal Institute of her home town – she also completed the dressmaker’s trade.  On coming to Jersey City in 1884, she met and married Hugh Randolph of Richmond, Virginia.  They had one child,  Mrs. Leah Viola Johnson.

Rev. Randolph united with the Monmouth Street African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) church, Jersey City and after serving as Sunday School teacher, missionary, class leader, and exhorter under Dr. E. George (Biddle?) was given local preacher’s license in 1897, during the pastorate of Rev. J. C. Semple.  Rev. Randolph served as supply pastor at Poughkeepsie, New York and at Little Zion, Varick Memorial, New York.  In 1901, she attended the Ecumenical Conference at London, England with the Zion delegation.  She also pastored at Pennington Street A.M.E. Zion Church, now Clinton Memorial Church, Newark.  After pastoring at Rossville, Staten Island for 2 years, Rev. Randolph at her own expense sailed for Africa in 1922, serving in Liberia and the Gold Coast for one and a half years.

Rev. Randolph was an Evangelist and spent years in Evangelist work throughout Zion.  In 1925, Bishop P. A. Wallace appointed her as a supply pastor to Summit, New Jersey, where Zion had on a small mission work.  Rev. Randolph served the point for 21 years and built the splendid red brick colonial church with parsonage and community house, and building up a splendid membership.  Rev. Randolph retired in 1946 after more than half a century of work to the A.M.E. Zion Church.

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