Born into slavery and held by the Turnbull family, Jesse Crowell was a master craftsman who directed the construction of St. John's Episcopal Church. He supervised the preparation of timber from the forests as well as bricks made on site by fellow slaves. He personally carved the wood for the chancel rail and pulpit, creating his own design from the leaves of native trees. A devoted Christian, he became the church's sexton for the remainder of his life. When he died, Bishop Wm. Mercer Green, Sr. preached his funeral from the church, and Jesse became the only person of color ever buried in Greenfield Cemetery.