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Edward David Bland was one of America’s few black lighthouse keepers. Born into slavery in 1848, he grew up to become a shoemaker. On December 18, 1872, he married Nancy Jones and the couple went on to have nine children. According to Wikipedia, Edward D. Bland served three terms in the Virginia House of Delegates and was known for helping to forge an alliance between African-American Republicans and the Readjuster Party. Later in life, he became a teacher and a minister. He died on February 13, 1927, and was buried in the Providence Cemetery, now known as the People’s Memorial Cemetery, in Petersburg, Virginia. Perhaps, the day will come when a U.S. Lighthouse Service Memorial Marker will be placed at his gravesite.
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