Background
Perry, Rufus Lewis was born on March 11, 1834 in Smith County, Tennessee, United States. Son of Lewis and Maria Perry.
Perry, Rufus Lewis was born on March 11, 1834 in Smith County, Tennessee, United States. Son of Lewis and Maria Perry.
Graduate Kalamazoo (Michigan) Theological Seminary. Doctor of Philosophy (honorary), Kentucky State University, Louisville, 1887.
Escaped from slavery in Tennessee, 1852. Ordained pastor 2d Baptist Church, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1861, later pastor St. Catharine’s Church, Ontario, Canada, Buffalo, New York. Founder, pastor Messiah Baptist Church, Brooklyn, 1887.
Editor Sunbeam and People’s Journal. Co-editor American.
Married Charlotte Handy, 7 children.