Ambrose Gonzales

Black Border: Gullah Stories of the Carolina Coast Ambrose Gonzales

Publisher Marketing: Pioneering journalist Ambrose Gonzales originally published his vivid character sketches of former slaves living along the South Carolina coast in the State, the newspaper he founded with his brother Narcisco in 1891 and South Carolina's largest newspaper today. Gonzales's stories focus on the black dialect of the South Carolina low-country developed by isolated plantation field hands who seldom came into contact with their white owners. He captures their characteristic patois and creates an authentic record of African American stories and speech of the time. Contributor Bio:  Gonzales, Ambrose In 1891, Ambrose Gonzales (1857-1926) and his brother Narcisco founded what remains South Carolina's largest newspaper, "The State." The son of a father who was a Cuban revolutionary leader, and a mother who was the daughter of a South Carolina state senator and wealthy rice plantation owner, Ambrose grew up speaking the Gullah language with the slaves and freedmen who worked on the family's rice plantations. He is best remembered for his stories based on the Gullah dialect.