Those We Lost
Those We Lost — May 19
May
Honoring those we lost on May 19 — remembered for what they gave, and for what they left behind.
Mary Turner
Born c. 1899 — Died May 19, 1918
Field: Racial Terror / Lynching / Black Women’s History / Georgia
Mary Turner was lynched in Georgia after speaking out against the lynching of her husband, Hayes Turner. She was pregnant when she was murdered.
Why it matters: This is one of the most brutal and important May 19 entries. It must be handled with care, but it belongs in the archive because it exposes the gendered violence, terror, and silencing used against Black people who challenged lynching.
Jeremiah G. Hamilton
Born c. 1807 — Died May 19, 1875
Field: Finance / Wall Street / Black Wealth / 19th-Century Business
Jeremiah G. Hamilton was a Black financier and businessman in 19th-century New York, often described as Wall Street’s first Black millionaire.
Why it matters: Hamilton complicates the usual 19th-century Black history narrative. His life brings finance, wealth-building, race, capitalism, and power into the archive.
