Richard Etheridge Research Paper

Richard Etheridge was born into slavery on January 16th, 1842. Born on the banks of North Carolina, property of John B. Etheridge, his master. John Etheridge taught Richard how to read and write, which was illegal at the time. This ability of reading and writing helped Richard as he grew up and into his later years. Once the Civil War awarded freedom for slaves living on Roanoke Island Richard quickly joined the Second North Carolina Colored Volunteers. He was 21 at the time at which he joined the Union on the 28th of August, 1863, to help fight the South. Heavily respected by his fellow soldiers, Richard Etheridge was then appointed to be one of four sergeants in Company F. Etheridge spent three years serving in the Union army in Virginia. Later, after the war ended, Richard returned to his home at Roanoke Island. Where he returned to his old habits of searching the banks, fishing, and crabbing. Richard lived a majority of his life on the banks of North Carolina. Where his career of fishing, piloting boats, and searching beaches for the wrecks of ships caught in bad storms originated. …show more content…
The Career with the Pea Island Lifesavers started as a low ranking surfman. Eventually he rose up to the title keeper of Pea Island. Richard mainly received this position because of an LSS inspector by the name of Charles F. Shoemaker recommending him for the position. Charles recommended Richard with a letter summarizing reasons Richard should be appointed. Some of the reasons said things such as, and I quote, “Etheridge is thirty-eight years of age, of strong, robust physique, intelligent and able to read and write sufficiently well to keep the journal of the station.”Although there are many more explanations of why Richard should obtain the position of the keeper these are some of the most interesting. Therefore becoming the new keeper of the Pea Island

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