The man was known as Omeroh, Moro, or Omar Ibn Seid and caused quite a curiosity in Fayetteville back in the early 1800s.
The story goes that in 1810, John Owen — a man who later became governor of North Carolina — went to the Cumberland County jail and secured the release of a “strange-looking, peculiar-talking, dark-skinned man” who had been detained on suspicion of being a runaway slave. Story of the man had spread because of his writings on the jail wall.
When the owner showed up from Charleston, South Carolina, to claim the man, Owen managed to buy him. He started teaching him English to find out the man’s story.
He said he was a prince of the Foulah tribe on the Senegal River in Africa. He said he’d been captured by an enemy tribe and sold into slavery.
The Owens family believed the story and assigned Omeroh a cottage and servant. He was allowed to come and go, but he was not granted his freedom.
He had caused a stir with his writing from right to left and his unknown language, which was Arabic. He soon converted to Christianity from Islam, and asked for a Bible in his native language. (That Bible is at Davidson College now). Omeroh asked that Bibles be sent to his tribe and Owen sent them. There has been some dispute among scholars that Omeron completely forsake Islam.
In 1825, a Philadelphia journal, The Christian Advocate, published a short story about “Prince Moro.” Omeroh, who was educated in theology, math and business before being enslaved, wrote his autobiography and it was published in the American Historical Review.
When John Owen died in 1841, Omeroh went to live with John’s brother, General James Owen. Owen missed a chance to become President of the United States. He was offered the vice-presidential slot next to Whig nominee William Henry Harrison in 1839, but declined. Harrison died in office in 1841.
Omeroh died in 1841 and was buried in the Owen family cemetery.
Sources:
Dr. H.G. Jones. Scoundrels, Rogues and Heroes of the Old North State
Documenting the American South, UNC-Chapel Hill
Protestantism. I never thought about it until now… many slaves converted from Islam to Christianity… never thought about it until now. Thanks Michael!
Thanks for reading and I hadn’t thought about it either.
Another good one, Michael. Thanks!
Thanks for reading. I really wish I’d gotten to know Dr. Jones. He had a million stories.