The Remarkable Plummer Family

Near Ingraham Street and 46th Avenue in the town of Edmonston, Adam Francis Plummer, a former slave at Riversdale, moved his family in 1870 to the house he built, Mount Rose. The ten-acre property adjoining Riversdale became a family enclave, with sons Henry Vinton, Nicholas Saunders, and Robert Francis building houses nearby. Born into slavery, the Plummers overcame many obstacles. Henry Vinton became the first Black chaplain, and therefore an officer, in the regular U.S. Army. Robert Francis was a professional pharmacist, and daughter Nellie Arnold was a school teacher. In praise to God for the deliverance of their family, the Plummers started the St. Paul Baptist Church, originally located in Bladensburg and now in Capitol Heights, where it is still thriving. Adam Francis Plummer's diary inspired daughter Nellie's self-financed book, Out of the Depths or Triumph of the Cross, originally published in 1927, which chronicles the family history. The family's story reflects the empowerment and success of an African American family despite the institution of slavery.

Edmonston, Maryland · United States