Ewing, Thomas H.
(born: 1856 - died: 1930)Reverend Thomas H. Ewing was born in Kentucky just prior to the Civil War. He left Paducah, KY, walking to Kansas City, MO before moving on to Nebraska, where he earned his medical degree, graduating with honors.
Ewing founded a private medical practice and later returned to Kansas City in 1887 to become pastor of the Vine Street Baptist Church. The church had a small, poor, divided congregation, and the church property was indebted. Ewing helped get the church back in good standing and built a larger church building.
He directed his congregation toward savings plans, organizing various financial clubs to help members get their own homes and invest in real estate. Vine Street Baptist Church became one of the largest African American Baptist churches in Kansas City, with more than 100 members owning their own homes. Ewing also followed his own advice: he owned farms and other properties in Oklahoma, Kansas, and Missouri. He was referred to as the wealthiest Colored Baptist minister in the entire West.
Thomas Ewing was the husband of Fannie Ewing, born in 1857 in Kentucky, according to the 1855 Kansas State Census Collection. The couple lived in Leavenworth with their 3-year old son.
For more see Take Up the Black Man's Burden, by C. E. Coulter; and "T. H. Ewing" in Who's Who Among the Colored Baptists of the United States, by S. W. Bacote.