Ross, Rev. S. L.--It was March 9, 1861, when the subject of this sketch was born of slave parents--Luckie and Emily Ross--near Rehoboth, Wilcox county, Ala. He had the advantage of a pious, Christian mother, and was hopefully converted at the age of 12 years, and united with the Pine Grove Baptist Church by baptism, Rev. Wallace Richardson, pastor, officiating. He was taught his “A B C’s” by his mother and grandfather. As soon as free schools opened he was placed in school, which were simply poor, _for schools in those days were kept, not taught_. In December, 1879, he was sent to Selma for the purpose of attending school. He united with the St. Philip Street Baptist Church--Rev. W. A. Burch, pastor. For a number of years he was clerk of the church and superintendent of the Sunday School. It was while he was superintendent of the Sunday School that Mr. Ross felt called to the gospel ministry, in order to a better preparation for which he entered (1883) the Alabama Baptist Normal and Theological School (now Selma University), where he spent a number of years. Having received a call to the pastorate of the Hamburg Baptist Church, near Marion, Mr. Ross was accordingly ordained March 31, 1889. Ordaining council: Revs. Charles L. Purce, president Selma University; R. T. Pollard, Sunday School Missionary; William Madison, J. H. Hunter and L. J. Green. Dr. C. O. Boothe and Rev. Charles L. Fisher were also present and participated. Rev. Ross was married to Miss Emily C. Boyd, of Selma, August 7, 1889. October 1, of the same year he resigned the Hamburg Church, the Forkland School, which he had taught for a number of years, to accept the principalship of the Eutaw public schools, Eutaw; Mt. Olive Baptist Church, Boligee, and Liberty Baptist Church, Blocton. Owing to her thorough training and long experience as instructress in the city schools of Selma, Mrs. Ross has contributed much to the success of her husband. Against the wishes of friends, patrons and churches he resigned his school of 350 pupils and the two churches named, to accept the position as treasurer and instructor in the State Colored Normal School, Normal, Ala. July 1, 1893, he severed his connection with that school and became pastor of the Steele Street Baptist Church, Huntsville. October 1 of the same year he resigned the pastorate of the Steele Street Church to take charge of the Sunday School Missionary work in the State under the American Baptist Publication Society, Philadelphia, Pa., which position he now holds.