Back in January, I was contacted by several members of the media asking for assistance with research pertaining to possible stories for the inauguration. I pitched in as best I could and became fascinated with Philip Reed (everyone else spells it Reid, but I believe he preferred Reed!). Reed was a slave -- originally from South Carolina, but freed in Washington, D.C. in 1862.
Those who really know their history know that he was instrumental in the creation of the Freedom statue that stands atop the U.S. Capitol. Here's a video that ABC ran on him around the time of the inauguration.
Although you can google your way to a fair bit of information about this, what you won't find is much about the man himself. I felt he deserved to be remembered, so did a little digging to find out more about his life. An article I wrote about him will be coming out in the next issue of Ancestry Magazine.
In the meantime, you can get a taste in today's The Post and Courier from Charleston, S.C., his home town.
I would be very grateful if you would share this with others because Philip Reed's story deserves to be told.
Thanks,
Megan
megan@honoringourancestors.com
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