Throughout America’s history, African American men and women from Kent County have made sacrifices to the nation in joining the armed forces. Research undertaken for the Sumner Hall Veterans Project thus far reveals that over 1,700 Kent County African Americans have served in the military since the 18th century. If you know of a veteran whose information should be added here, or you see information that needs to be corrected, please let us know via this form.
Learn more about African American veterans from Kent County, including their contributions to the wars listed below, by clicking the following buttons. The database includes (when possible) the dates of the veterans’ birth and (when applicable) death, the area in Kent County where they lived, their rank, branch, major conflict(s) in which they served, where they may have served overseas, and any awards received. Links to external sites with primary sources are included for some entries (for example, copies of the service records for Civil War veterans that can be found in the online catalog of the National Archives). In addition, the Civil War database where possible includes information on whether the veteran was enslaved or free at the time of his enlistment. You may also use the search button at the top of the pages.
Complete List (Revolutionary War to the present day)
In addition, as part of the 2022 Legacy Day celebrations to honor African American veterans, a booklet was published by Sumner Hall that offers further details and discussion of the history of African Americans from Kent County in the military. Click below to download a PDF version of African American Veterans from Kent County.