Afro-American Life Insurance Company Collection

Collection — Box: 1

Identifier: 2008.002

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

**Please Note: The University of North Florida Thomas G. Carpenter Special Collections and University Archives Afro-American Life Insurance Company Collection DOES NOT contain information on insurance policies or policyholders. Please contact the Florida Department of Financial Services through their website, https://www.myfloridacfo.com/, or call 1-877-693-5236 regarding any policy or insurance claim questions.**

The collection consists of printed materials which provide an overview of the Company's business history and activities in the early to mid-twentieth century.

Holdings include two issues of the in-house publication, "Pilot" (1962, 1964), and the Fiftieth Anniversary booklet, "Golden Anniversary, 1901-1951, Afro-American Life Insurance Co." A supplement to the newspaper, "The Pittsburgh Courier" (May 12, 1956), features the Company's new building in 1956.

Numerous images of company employees and administrators are shown in this 24 page supplement, as well as advertisements from other companies congratulating the Afro-American on the occasion of the opening of the new building.

Dates

Created: 1951 - 1965

Creator

Afro-American Life Insurance Company (Organization)

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research by appointment only. Please contact lib-special@unf.edu to schedule an appointment.

Conditions Governing Use

Materials in the collection may be subjected to copyright and are to be used for private study, scholarship, or research in accordance with the copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code). Use of reproductions of copyrighted works in excess of "fair use," may result in the user's liability for copyright infringement and be subject to the civil and criminal penalties of federal law. Visit the United States Copyright Office's website at http://www.copyright.gov/ for further information.

Biographical / Historical

The Afro-American Life Insurance Company was an historic Jacksonville, Florida, business founded in 1901 by Abraham Lincoln Lewis, Rev. E. J. Gregg, Rev. J. Milton Waldron, and others.

Initially called the Afro-American Industrial and Benefit Association, the new business was granted a charter by the State of Florida on March 1, 1901.

During the early twentieth century, it served as the leading financial center of the African American community in Jacksonville, which was reflected in the Company's name change in 1918 to the Afro-American Industrial Insurance Company.

Later re-named the Afro-American Life Insurance Company, it became part of the rich cultural fabric of African American life in Jacksonville and routinely sponsored charitable and educational activities.

With strong competition from other insurance companies in the mid-1900's, it began a gradual decline and closed in 1990.

Extent

4 folders

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The materials were donated to the Thomas G. Carpenter Library Special Collections by Kha M. Thomas, 2008-02

Related Materials

The Eartha M. M. White Collection at the Carpenter Library includes a number of publications relating to the Company: programs of events and activities, newsclippings, photographs, cards, receipt books, booklets, postcard. Electronic versions of some publications are available online as part of the Florida Heritage Collection:

Directory: 1901-1941, fortieth anniversary, Afro-American Life Insurance Co., Jacksonville, Florida. Jacksonville, Fla.: Afro-American Life Insurance Co., [1941?]

Calendar: Afro-American Industrial Insurance Co., Jacksonville, Florida, 1916.