Frances Datcher

Frances Datcher was the father of Samuel J. Datcher. Born in the early 1800s in Washington D.C., Frances was a free man from a very young age. As part of his lifelong goal to serve the black community in D.C. Frances joined the Freemason of the District of Columbia in 1823 where he worked his way up to the title of Master Mason alongside fellow abolitionists. In 1825, he and several other abolitionists petitioned the Freemasons to allow them to work in the Master's House in D.C. That same year, Frances was arrested under the accusation he was not a free man. It is only thanks to the testimony from John C. Calhoun that Francis was released. Francis continued his work for the rest of his life, defending and being a voice for the black community in Washington DC.