le. The men from Memphis and Haywood counties were more highly
educated than the others. They were free men of high class and up to
the standard of the whites who were sent to the legislature in those
days.

COLORED MEN IN OTHER POSITIONS

At one time the county government of Davidson County was run by three
Commissioners; one of these commissioners was a colored man, named
Randall Brown of limited education, but large experience and a large
amount of good common sense. He was very influential and highly
thought of by white and colored people.

Nashville city government during the days of reconstruction had among
its membership, perhaps, one-third colored members. These men were not
of the same calibre as the colored members of the legislature. They
were picked up in the different wards by their friends. They were
chosen for their popularity rather than for fitness for the work
before them.

Immediately following the reconstruction days, Josiah T. Settle was
elected Assistant Attorney General for Shelby county under General
Patterson who afterwards served as Governor of the State of Tennessee.
Mr. Settle had previously been a member of the Mississippi
Legislature.

In Knoxville men have served in the legislature of the city
government.

When they changed the form of government in Nashville, there was a
colored man a member of the Board of Aldermen. Two colored men were
elected to the council. As a result, two fire companies were given to
colored men. Mr. Charles Gowdey and Mr. J.C. Napier were the colored
members of the council. The first two brick school houses were erected
for colored children during their term. They were the Pearl High
School and the Meigs School. At that time the people of Nashville, the
Democrats especially, showed a very liberal spirit to the colored
people and divided the positions with them. Shorty after this with a
more liberal spirit, they erected the third brick school house in the
city of Nashville, The Napier School.

After things went out of the hands of the Republicans in Tennessee,
Capt. Sumner went down into Mississippi, entered politics and was
elected Sheriff of Holmes county. He became quite wealthy. His family
was of high standing. Owned property in Nashville and the descendants
still own it.

Settle and Cassells were free men. Keeble was owned by a very
distinguished Tennessee family named Keeble.

SCHOOLS FOR FREE NEGROS AND SLAVES

In Tennessee before the war t