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ARTICLE
SOURCE & DATE
Vallejo author uncovers the story of Bear Flag Revolt hero John Grider
John Grider arrived in California as a slave, but he died a free hero of the Bear Flag Revolt. "We have this idea that California was a free state ... (but) a lot of people came here enslaved," said Sharon McGriff-Payne of Vallejo... Read full article here
Times-Herald
by Chris Riley
Times-Herald Writer
9-18-2009
Napa Valley's African American Pioneers
An obscure and nearly forgotten part of our local cultural heritage is the history of blacks in Napa County.
From the mid-1800s through the early 1900s, Napa County was home to African-Americans whose influence is still felt today. Read full article here
Napa Valley Register
by Rebecca Yerger
Register Correspondent
3-1-2009
Local revelations Vallejo woman documents slavery, early black pioneers Sharon McGriff-Payne of Vallejo is passionate about her latest project: the recorded history of African-Americans in Solano County. She has been so successful in her quest that she unearthed unknown manumission papers in the Solano County Archives for Adam Willis, a slave who lived in Benicia. Read full article here
Historical Articles of Solano County Online Database
by Nancy Dingler
2-24-2007
Slavery in Gold Rush Days
Adam Willis was brought to California as a slave in 1846, gained his freedom nine years later, then searched the country using newspaper ads to find his family and build a home for them in Solano County. Read full article here
San Francisco Chronicle
by Jason B. Johnson
Chronicle Staff Writer
1-27-2007
