James R. Rosemond

James R. Rosemond (Jim McBee; 1 February 1820 – 1902) was an American Methodist Episcopal preacher who was a former slave.

[1] He was born in Greenville, South Carolina to Abraham and Peggy, and was eventually sold to entrepreneur Vardry McBee.

He became a leader in the local Methodist Episcopal, South church, and was licensed to preach on September 12, 1854.

As part of the Methodist Episcopal post-war outreach, he organized 50 churches for Black communities in the South, including the John Wesley Methodist Episcopal Church in Greenville in 1866.

[2][3] In 1867, he attended the Baker Theological Institute and was ordained a deacon.