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- Joseph W. Postlewaite was an American composer and organizer of bands and orchestras in the 1850s to 1880s. He was born in outstate Missouri in 1827 and came to St. Louis, Missouri, in 1848. Joseph was the son of Phyllis Benito, alias Felicité Crevier and the cousin of Julia Clamorgan, with whom he boarded in St. Louis in 1880. Joseph was married to Eliza Lee, who he met on a trip to Cincinnati, Ohio. Her father worked on the river, as did Joseph for a brief period. Postlewaite's racial heritage has been debated. He was included in "A History of Negro Musicians" with a brief entry and no documentation of his racial identity. In the St. Louis Census of 1850, Postlewaite is listed as a twenty-three year old "mulatto." However, Postlewaite did apply for a freedom bond in 1850, which suggests his ethnicity was African-American. Not much is known about Postlewaite's early life. When Postlewaite moved to St. Louis, Missouri was still a slave state, but slavery was declining in the city at that time. From 1850 to 1860, the overall population of St. Louis doubled in size, but the number of slaves decreased by almost half. The labor pool in St. Louis expanded with the arrival of European immigrants, and the need for slaves diminished. This affected free blacks as well, deteriorating their economic position. At that time, all "free colored" were required to post bond for a license to live in the state of Missouri. When Postlewaite arrived in St. Louis, at age twenty-one, as a free man, he applied for this bond. John B. Sarpy, a wealthy fur-trade executive signed the bond, though Postlewaite's relation with Sarpy's family is unknown. Postlewaite's bond is notable because most individuals signed their bonds with an X, but Postlewaite signed his bond himself, and with the signature of a cultured individual. Missouri was fairly lenient with regard to the education of black residents, a rarity for a slave state. The availability of limited education for black residents, along with the tradition of black musicians performing for white audiences allowed Postlewaite to achieve success as a black musician during this time. (en)
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- Joseph W. Postlewaite was an American composer and organizer of bands and orchestras in the 1850s to 1880s. He was born in outstate Missouri in 1827 and came to St. Louis, Missouri, in 1848. Joseph was the son of Phyllis Benito, alias Felicité Crevier and the cousin of Julia Clamorgan, with whom he boarded in St. Louis in 1880. Joseph was married to Eliza Lee, who he met on a trip to Cincinnati, Ohio. Her father worked on the river, as did Joseph for a brief period. Postlewaite's racial heritage has been debated. He was included in "A History of Negro Musicians" with a brief entry and no documentation of his racial identity. In the St. Louis Census of 1850, Postlewaite is listed as a twenty-three year old "mulatto." However, Postlewaite did apply for a freedom bond in 1850, which suggests (en)
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