David R Chester

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• Name	David R Chester  [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]
  Born	11 Aug 1835 Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA [1, 3, 4, 6, 7]
  Gender	Male
  Name	David Chester [7]
  Residence	1 Jul 1863 Ward 6, Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA [7]  –  Marital Status: Unmarried
  Occupation	1869 Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA [5]  –  Listed as owner of Restaurant (Colored) State Capital Hotel.
  Residence	​ Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA [1]  –  Marital Status: Married. Janitor.
  Residence	1869 Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA [5]
  Residence	1870 Harrisburg Ward 3, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA [6]  –  Residence Post Office: Harrisburg
  Residence	1880 1039 Lombard, Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA [3]  –  Marital Status: Married. Living in the household of Sarah Davis and her daughter.
  Died	10 Dec 1889 Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA [1, 4]
  Buried	​ 201 South 30th, Penbrook, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA [1, 4, 8]
  	Lincoln Cemetery
  Notes	My Contribution: I co-founded the Brotherly Love Lodge, Grand United Order of Odd Fellows in Harrisburg. I was so politically influential that I even ran as an independent candidate for Harrisburg Mayor in 1872. In Philadelphia, I was the first person of color elected to the Common Council. I also played for the Harrisburg Monrovian baseball team in 1867 against the Philadelphia Pythians (whose roster included Octavius Catto). My Legacy: I continued my parents´ legacy as a successful restaurateur and activist in Harrisburg before moving to Philadelphia, where I made a significant impact on local politics. My work in co-founding the Brotherly Love Lodge continues to have relevance, as the Odd Fellows´ benevolent and socially engaged work leaves its mark on Harrisburg in a number of ways. My role as a political pioneer-a man of color who ran for and was elected to offices traditionally reserved for white men-continues to hold significance in a society where political roles are still assumed, primarily, by white men. About Me: ``While here he was quite prominent among colored men, being one of the founders of Brotherly Love Lodge, G. U. O. O. F., and attached to other secret orders.… On removing to Philadelphia, Mr. Chester was given charge of one of the public school buildings as custodian, and his influence was such that he was nominated for Common Council and elected by a large majority. He was the only colored man ever elected to this position in Philadelphia.´´ - Harrisburg Telegraph, December 11, 1889. Full Name: David R. Chester ° Birth Date: August 11, 1835 ° Death Date: December 10, 1889. Buried next to wife, Amelia Chester, in Lincoln Park Cemetery in Penbrook, Pennsylvania. ° Place of Birth: Harrisburg, Pennsylvania ° Sex: Male ° Race: Black (1850 and 1880 Federal Censuses) ° Places of Residence: 305 Chestnut Street, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (before 1879); 1041 Lombard Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1879-1889). ° Connection to the Old Eighth Ward: Resided near Eighth Ward; contributed to organizations and churches in the ward including the Odd Fellows Lodge. ° Family Members: Father: George Chester. Mother: Jane Chester. Siblings: Thomas Morris Chester, Eliza Chester Zedricks, and Harriet Chester Copley. Wife: Amelia L. Chester White. ° Education: Unknown. ° Occupations: Restaurateur (Harrisburg). School Custodian (Philadelphia). Common Council member (Philadelphia). ° Church Membership: Unknown-likely Wesley Union A.M.E. Zion Church. ° Activism: Brotherly Love Lodge No. 896, Grand United Order of Odd Fellows; Tuesday Night Club (Philadelphia); Old Reliable Club of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia). ° Connections: Thomas Morris Chester, Jane Chester, Amelia Chester, William H. Marshall, George Galbraith, and Eliza Chester Zedricks.
  Person ID	I16 SOALsearch
  Last Modified	1 Nov 2024

  
  
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  Father	George Chester (Age 74 years) b. 1785, Maryland, USA d. 17 Oct 1859, Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA (Age 74 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Mother	Jane Marie Morris (Age 92 years) b. 5 Jul 1801, 38 North Gay street, Baltimore, Independent Cities, Maryland, USA d. 19 Mar 1894, 305 Chestnut, Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA (Age 92 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Family ID	F3 Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 1	Amelia L Chester (Age 83 years) b. Jan 1838, Ohio, USA d. 5 Jan 1921, Montclair, Essex, New Jersey, USA (Age 83 years)
  Last Modified	1 Nov 2024
  Family ID	F2713 Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 2	Moriah Chester b. Abt 1844, Pennsylvania, USA
  Last Modified	1 Nov 2024
  Family ID	F7560 Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

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  Findagrave David R. Chester

  
  

• Sources

  [S70] Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., Death Certificates Index, 1803-1915, Ancestry.com, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2011;). [S74] U.S., Newspapers.com Obituary Index, 1800s-current, Ancestry.com, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc; Location: Lehi, UT, USA; Date: 2019;), Harrisburg Telegraph; Publication Date: 19 Mar 1894; Publication Place: Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA; URL: https://www.newspapers.com/image/44262632/?article=8adbf3a8-c81a-47a1-9b1d-e6b20045a6a5&focus=0.24806304,0.58390576,0.34999308,0.7791614&xid=3355. [S47] 1880 United States Federal Census, Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc; Location: Lehi, UT, USA; Date: 2010;), Year: 1880; Census Place: Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Roll: 1170; Page: 53D; Enumeration District: 117. [S3] U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current, Ancestry.com, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2012;). [S45] U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995, Ancestry.com, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2011;). [S62] 1870 United States Federal Census, Ancestry.com, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2009;), Year: 1870; Census Place: Harrisburg Ward 3, Dauphin, Pennsylvania; Roll: M593_1334; Page: 164A. [S84] U.S., Civil War Draft Registrations Records, 1863-1865, Ancestry.com, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2010;), National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington, D.C.; Consolidated Lists of Civil War Draft Registration Records (Provost Marshal General's Bureau; Consolidated Enrollment Lists, 1863-1865); Record Group: 110, Records of the Provost Marsha. [S4] Findagrave, (Location: Penbrook, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, USA; Date: 1885;), David R. Chester 10 Dec 1889. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/124330831/david-r-chester