Lott Cary/Carey (1780-1828), African-American Baptist minister and medical practitioner, was born a slave in Charles City County, Virginia. Upon his conversion in 1807 Carey learned to read and write and became a lay preacher until he was officially licensed as a Baptist minister in 1813. In 1821 Carey travelled to Sierra Leone and the following year to Liberia as a missionary. Carey experienced much hardship in the ensuing years as a missionary in Liberia, including the loss of his wife. Nevertheless, he was able to establish a number of churches and schools before he was killed during a final conflict with a local tribe. Carey is remembered for his missionary zeal and for the instrumental role he played during the founding of Liberia.
For further reading see “Lott Cary: The Colonizing Missionary” Journal of Negro History 7 (1992): 380-418.