Green flake

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markharr
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Green flake

Post by markharr »

After the church came out with their announcement yesterday a poster in the comments section of another site made a comment about how the Mormon church had slaves, and still had monuments to slavery. I asked him to cite an example of a Mormon monument to slavery and all he could come back with was Green Flake. I had to google Green Flake.

Biography

Green Flake was born a slave on the Jordan Flake Plantation in Madsburr, Anson County, North Carolina. At the age of ten, Green was given to Jordan Flake's son James as a wedding present. James & Agnes Flake, their three-year-old son William, and Green (along with their other slaves) moved from North Carolina to Mississippi a few years later. In the winter of 1843–1844, a stranger knocked on the door of the Flake home. The visitor was Benjamin L. Clapp, a Christian missionary from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Although skeptical at first, James & Agnes Flake were baptized a few weeks later. Their baptism brought immediate changes to the James Flake plantation. James began sharing his beliefs with his friends, acquaintances, and his slaves. Green came to believe the words of Flake, who was his master, and was baptized in the Mississippi River on April 7, 1844 at the age of sixteen.

Life in Nauvoo

Shortly after Green's baptism, James & Agnes Flake made the decision to leave their successful plantation and migrate North to Nauvoo, Illinois, in order to be closer to the main body of Latter-day Saints. Before the family left, James freed all of his slaves. Green, however, refused to leave the family. James in turn allowed him to remain with the Flakes, although he would keep his status as a slave. The Flake family, Green, and two other slaves moved from Mississippi to Nauvoo in 1844.

In Nauvoo, Green became very active in the church. William Jordan Flake, eldest son of James and Agnes, remembered "being taken to the top of the Nauvoo Temple by our Negro servant Green, and viewing the surrounding country for miles in every direction. Green assisted the Flakes in building a new brick home, and also worked on various church projects. At the time, the church accepted Green's labor as the Flake family's tithing. Popular legend says that for a time, Green Flake lived with Joseph Smith and acted as his bodyguard. According to histories, Green was "a big man, weighing over 200 pounds" and so definitely capable of the task. Scholars have since agreed that it is unlikely that he ever met Joseph Smith. However, Flake was not only present for but played a part in several key events in the church's history. He was a part of the first group of Latter-day Saints to leave Nauvoo for the West and participated in the initial establishment of Winter Quarters, Nebraska.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Flake

What a remarkable man. I wonder why you don't hear more of him in LDS history.

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Durzan
The Lord's Trusty Maverick
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Location: Standing between the Light and the Darkness.

Re: Green flake

Post by Durzan »

Technically, Green Flake was a slave. However, based on the circumstances, he wasn't treated like one. His owners gave him the opportunity to be set free and he chose to remain with them of his own free will. Therefore, he was a free man in all but name.

Thank you for sharing this... this was an awesome story.

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markharr
Level 34 Illuminated
Posts: 6523

Re: Green flake

Post by markharr »

I resurrected this old thread because they are currently working on a movie about Green Flake. It's half done and they are raising funds to finish it on kickstarter.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ma ... een-flake/

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