Since 1960 the Lang Syne Society of Portland has donated more than 20 historical plaques that celebrate people, places, and events that shaped Portland’s history. The most recent plaque was installed on Multnomah County’s Morrison Bridge at the corner of SW Naito Parkway and SW Harvey Milk St. and dedicated on September 18, 2021.
The plaque marks the spot where brothers Abner and Isaac Francis opened a clothing store in 1851. That humble store owned by two African American brothers tells us a lot about Oregon’s early racial history. It is a story of courage and people trying to overcome an unjust law. It helps fill in gaps in the early history of Portland that typically focus on the coin flip between two white developers that helped decide the city’s name.
The Francis brothers were freedmen born in New Jersey who moved to New York, where Abner worked as a tailor. Abner was a prominent abolitionist who wrote many letters to abolitionist Frederick Douglass that were published in Douglass’ North Star newspaper. In the 1850’s when many western states were first being settled by pioneers, there was a national debate about which states would permit slavery. Oregon’s territorial Constitution forbade slavery, but its 1849 Black Exclusion laws prohibited African Americans and several other ethnic groups from living in the territory.
When the Francis brothers traveled west via Panama and arrived in Portland in 1851, a justice of the territory’s Supreme Court ordered them to leave the territory based on their skin color. More than 200 Portland residents -- a good portion of the population in those days -- signed a petition asking that the brothers be allowed to stay. The territorial legislature debated what to do but took no action. So the brothers stayed and prospered for a while. Isaac died in 1856, but Abner and his wife Sydna remained in Portland until 1861, when they moved to Victoria, British Columbia, where Abner died in 1872. They were among Portland's earliest African American residents. The 1860 census reported just 16 African Americans living in Portland.
In Portland, the Francis brothers owned a store in one of the city’s first brick buildings, a two-story structure facing the river. They were said to be stylish and successful merchants. Historians believe that Abner and his wife emigrated to Canada due to the worsening racial climate in Oregon at the dawn of the Civil War. The main reason we know about Francis today is that he wrote many letters opposing slavery that were published in the early Black press.
At the plaque dedication ceremony historian Ken Hawkins spoke about the significance of the Francis brothers. “Their story shows that African Americans were part of Oregon’s history at a very early stage. Black people like Francis were searching for a place where people of African descent could pursue life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We stand on their shoulders. This is our opportunity to know better and do better.”
Among the 30 people who attended the dedication were a number of descendants of the more than 200 Portland residents that signed the petition in the 1850’s asking that the Francis brothers be allowed to stay.
Kimberly Moreland with the Oregon Black Pioneers also spoke at the dedication and as part of a webinar the day before. “Why do we honor A.H. Francis?,” she asked. “To show that people of African descent were part of the history of this city and state.”
To learn more about the Francis brothers, check out these links: