John F. Buchanan (Nov. 9, 1895-July 9, 1926). The son of Frank and Fannie L. Fleming, John F. Buchanan was born in Williamson County, Tennessee. It is unknown when he moved to Indiana,… Read More »John F. Buchanan
S. Henry Bundles Jr. (Feb. 15, 1927-Mar. 26, 2019). Born on Indianapolis’s southside into a community of African Americans who had migrated from Kentucky during the early 1900s, S. Henry Bundles Jr. graduated from… Read More »S. Henry Bundles Jr.
Mary Ellen Cable (Sept. 19, 1861 -Sept. 18, 1944). Mary Ellen Cable was born and raised in Leavenworth, Kansas. She graduated from Leavenworth Teachers’ Normal School in the 1870s. She taught elementary school… Read More »Mary Ellen Cable
Leroy Carr (Mar. 27, 1905-Apr. 28, 1935). The most popular male blues musician of his day, Leroy Carr was born in Nashville, Tennessee, and arrived in Indianapolis from Louisville in 1912. As… Read More »Leroy Carr
Julia May Carson (July 8, 1938-Dec. 15, 2007). Julia May Carson was the only child of an unwed mother. Born in Louisville, Kentucky, she moved to Indianapolis in 1939. Growing up in the… Read More »Julia May Carson
Oscar McKinley Charleston (Oct. 14, 1896-Oct. 6, 1954). Born in Indianapolis, Oscar McKinley Charleston was the seventh of eleven children. His father, Tom Charleston, worked in construction and in his youth had been… Read More »Oscar McKinley Charleston
James R. Coe (Mar. 20, 1921-Feb. 26, 2004). James R. Coe was born James R. West in Tompkinsville, Kentucky. William McKinley Coe adopted West upon marrying Coe’s mother Mary Lee Wilburn. The family… Read More »James R. Coe
Mattie Rice Coney (May 30, 1909-August 5, 1988). Mattie Rice Coney was an Indianapolis schoolteacher and Black civic leader who cofounded the Citizens Forum in July 1964. A Black self-help neighborhood association, the… Read More »Mattie Rice Coney
Harriette Bailey Conn (Sept. 22, 1922- Aug. 21, 1981). Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, Harriette Vesta Bailey Conn graduated from CRISPUS ATTUCKS HIGH and Talladega College, where she pledged Delta Sigma Theta sorority. Returning… Read More »Harriette Bailey Conn
Frances Berry Coston (Mar. 1, 1876-July 19, 1960) Frances Berry Coston was born in Rockhold, Kentucky, located in Whitley County on the southeastern border of the Commonwealth. She graduated from Berea College, which… Read More »Frances Berry Coston
