The St. John Guide. The Official Church Directory St. John A.M.E. Church.
Cleveland: B. Johnson Publishing Company, 1952. [40]pp. Original red pictorial wrappers, stapled. Mild wear. Light uniform toning to text. Very good plus. Item #4515
A very rare directory listing the members of the St. John A.M.E. Church in Cleveland, edited by Josephus F. Hicks. The editor's preface states that the work was produced "to present the individual groups of this church; the composition of each, a roster of the membership of those who have registered in the 1951 census and others who have submitted their names to be registered in this booklet." The text includes a portrait of the church minister, a "Historical Sketch" of the church, a group portrait of the work's "Sponsoring Group," rosters of church officials, committees, clubs, choirs, and other groups, a portrait of the editor, and an alphabetical listing of about a thousand members of the church with their addresses and telephone numbers (when they have a phone). As such, the work is tantamount to a directory of the African American community in the neighborhood around the St. John A.M.E. Church. The text is interspersed with advertisements for businesses owned by or sympathetic to the members of the Black community in Cleveland. OCLC records just one copy, at Emory.
Price: $350