and others, in New York City, in 1796. These fathers early
extended their work through New England, western New York, central and
western Pennsylvania. In 1833, their first church was founded in South
Washington, then known as the Island. It was established as the
Metropolitan Wesley African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, on D
Street, Southwest, Washington, D. C. The first pastor was Abraham
Cole, who took charge in 1833. The persons organizing this church were
originally members of the Ebenezer M. E. Church, located on D Street,
Southeast. They drew out of this organization because their pastor, a
white man, held slaves. The Wesley Metropolitan African Methodist
Episcopal Zion Church, its officers contend, was the first independent
church in the District of Columbia organized by colored people. The
first public school for the training of Negro youth was held in this
church. Hanson Brooks was the secretary of the first organization.[21]

The establishment of the Union Wesley, the second church of the
Zionites, in Washington, the progressive body, of which Dr. E. D. W.
Jones was pastor, was very interesting. This church was organized in
1848 by Bishop J. J. Clinton, who afterwards became a bright star in
the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. The organization took
place in the residence of Gasoway Waters in Georgetown.[22] He had
been sent to Georgetown as a missionary and started his labors in this
organization of a few persons determined to become independent of the
white Methodists.

They began the construction of a church with the help of such men and
women as Charles Lemon, Charly Wilson, Eliza Wilson, William Crusoe,
George Brown, Mary Brown, William Sewall, Margaret Waters, and Eliza
Johnson. After having been organized for a little while, they bought a
lot on the corner of what is now known as 28th and O Streets,
Georgetown.[23] Things seemed favorable in the beginning, but the
enemies of the church were busy those days putting temptation in the
path of the Negro and betraying him unto his enemies. Bondmen,
according to the slave code, were not allowed to meet or hold any kind
of meeting unless a white man was present. Nor were they allowed to be
out after ten o'clock at night without a pass, or to have two or more
congregate on the street at one time. If they did any of these things,
they thereby violated the sacred laws of bondage and suffered
imprisonment and persecution. Thus handicapped in their wo