THE FIGHT FOR BLACK MOBILITY: TRAVELING TO MID-CENTURY CONVENTIONS

LEO L. LLOYD

The 1850s were a turning point in the United States. It was a turbulent time for the African American community. With the acquisition of more land, the debates over slavery became louder. The Compromise of 1850 and Kansas-Nebraska Acts reignited these debates. In the year 1855 alone, four Colored Conventions were held in different locations. It is no surprise that so many individuals attended the 1855 National Colored Convention held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It brought about one hundred and twenty five delegates from the United States and Canada. These men and women were from all different walks of life.

Among these delegates was Leo L. Lloyd. Lloyd was not his birth name nor was Lloyd the type of man one would expect to find their way to such a conference. Over the years, Lloyd had employed multiple aliases, including Stuart and Baker.¹ Much of the information about Lloyd’s early life has been lost. However, it is suspected that Lloyd was born somewhere near the Ohio River as a slave in Kentucky. When Lloyd escaped slavery, he made his way East, eventually settling in the city of Boston, Massachusetts in the winter of 1855.² Lloyd started his career as a barber, but soon he was inspired by the text “Maffata Travels in South Africa.” The book gave Lloyd the idea to pose as an African prince.³

An ad announcing the publication of one of Leo Lloyd’s pieces.
“Will be Published, January 13, King Oobloo, of the Mountains.” The Liberator, 28 Sept. 1855. From Accessible Archives © 2016 Accessible Archives Inc.

In 1856, Lloyd began his new career as the supposed Prince of Nubia. Lloyd developed a gimmick. He would travel around, sometimes joined by a sidekick nicknamed “Shoe Bell.”⁴ Once he reached a new destination, he would tell his detailed story about life in Africa. He would speak at different establishments and present his mission of spreading Christianity and civilization to the people of Africa.

More often than not, Lloyd was able to convince people of his cause. In March of 1856, a man under the initials, J.A.F. wrote about Lloyd in The Liberator. J.A.F. describes his encounter with Mr. Lloyd when the latter visited his community in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, to spread his mission. J.A.F describes Lloyd as a very charismatic man who gave a heartfelt talk as the Prince of Nubia. He wanted to collect money in support of Africa. He talked of a fund he already had set up in a London Bank and explained donations from the people of Bridgewater could help. Lloyd further mentioned that he was a delegate at the Colored Men’s Convention in New York.⁵ In 1856, the publication, Provincial Freedman, exposed Leo L. Lloyd. The article “Beware of Impostors” describes Lloyd’s plot to use the antislavery movement for his own personal advancement. The author warns of this “small black man, of neat figures, short hair, bright eyes, and somewhat wirey walk” who was a master at taking other peoples writings and poetries and using them to his advantages.⁶ Lloyd took the time to dispel the allegations against his character, and The Liberator printed the editor’s correspondence with him (see clipping below titled “The ‘Prince of Nubia'”).

There is little record about Lloyd’s actions in either the Colored Men’s Convention or in the National Colored Convention. What little remains of his life record was the cons he pursued between the years 1855 and 1856 and the negative reactions his actions incited among Black leaders. As late as 1859, Lloyd was still engaged in the same deceitful career, and, throughout the 1850s, the editors of The Liberator took it upon themselves to expose him to the public whenever they heard about him.⁷

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Credits

Submitted by Alyssa Griffith

Revised and Edited by Samantha de Vera and Gwendolyn Meredith, University of Delaware

References