BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY : " CATO PERKINS " WAS AN AFRICAN AMERICAN SLAVE FROM CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA WHO BECAME A MISSIONARY TO SIERRA LEONE : GOES INTO THE " HALL OF BLACK GENIUS "

                      BLACK                 SOCIAL                HISTORY                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Cato Perkins was an African-American slave from Charleston, South Carolina who became a missionary to Sierra Leone.

He was enslaved by John Perkins. Cato Perkins self-emancipated by joining the British during the Siege of Charleston and he joined General Clinton in New York and worked as a carpenter there. Perkins was evacuated to Birchtown, Nova Scotia in 1783 and he is listed in the Book of Negroes. Upon arriving in Nova Scotia he was converted by John Marrant of the Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion, which was a Methodist splinter group. Perkins migrated toSierra Leone Company. Cato Perkins established the first Huntingdon's Connexion church, and later on other Nova Scotian settler preachers established churches in the Liberated African villages. Cato Perkins died in 1805 and his churches are the remnant of the Huntingdon's Connexion churches around the world.

Sierra Leone, where he led a strike of carpenters against the

Cato Perkins was a Huntingdonian Methodist preacher. The Huntingdonian church he founded in Sierra Leone is one of the only remaining churches of that faith remaining in the world today. He was ordained in 1786 by John Marrant as a traveling preacher of the faith. Marrant chose Perkins to lead the Nova Scotia Huntingdonians in Marrant's absence.

In 1790 Perkins took on the duty of chief pastor to black Huntingdonians in Nova Scotia. He was appointed by Marrant as he left for England, and carried it out after his death.

At the time of the Sierra Leone exodus almost Cato Perkins' entire congregation went to Sierra Leone. His congregation was perhaps one quarter of the Christian population of Nova Scotia who left for Sierra Leone. Perkins continued to preach while in Sierra Leone and also was involved in organizing missions to the native African populations.

During the rebellion of the Nova Scotians against the white English leaders at Sierra Leone almost all of the Huntingdonian population supported the rebels. Perkins was nominated by the blacks to travel to England with their petition of grievances. To avoid being suspected by the Colony's administration, it seems that Perkins probably had to risk passage on a slave ship. Unfortunately for him, his petition was rejected.

Perkins died in Sierra Leone in 1805. However, even to this day a Huntingdonian society exists in Sierra Leone, evidence of the success of Perkins' missionary efforts.