Green Flake was one of the first African Americans to settle in Utah. He brought many talents, including hard work, farming, and construction, to the table. He was one of the first members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to move to Utah in 1847.
Flake arrived in Utah enslaved to James Flake and died a free man in 1903. He experienced both slavery and freedom during his life. No matter his circumstances, he worked alongside his wife and fellow community members to settle in Utah.
More of the Story
Sometime around 1828, Green Flake was born on the Jordan Flake plantation in North Carolina. Jordan Flake gave Green to his son James as a wedding present. Green chose to get baptized when the Flake family joined the LDS church in 1844. The Flakes then moved to Nauvoo, Illinois, and to Utah to join other church members. Green Flake was one of the first settlers of the Salt Lake Valley, where he got married, owned a farm, raised his children, and was buried in the Union Cemetery in Cottonwood Heights, Utah.
Westward!
Brigham Young arrived in Utah, and other members of the LDS church, including Green Flake and two other enslaved African Americans, Hark Lay, and Oscar Crosby. Crosby and Lay were among the first to enter the Salt Lake valley on July 22, 1847, two days before Brigham Young arrived. In fact, Flake was already planting crops in the valley when Young entered the valley on July 24th. Flake helped other Mormon immigrants farm the land, and he built a house for the Flake family, who moved to Utah in 1848.
Settling in the Salt Lake Valley
Sometime between 1850 and 1860, Flake gained his freedom. He married Martha Crosby, and together they raised two children and owned a farm in Union, Utah, which is south of Salt Lake City. He also had mining claims in Big Cottonwood Canyon.
Flake’s Legacy
Flake lived in Utah until 1896, when he moved to Gray’s Lake, Idaho, with his son, Abraham. He lived there until he died in 1903. His body was taken back to Utah, where he was buried next to his wife, Martha, in the Union Cemetery in Cottonwood Heights, Utah. Green Flake began his life enslaved and died a free man. He and his wife raised a family, farmed, and were active members of their communities. Flake made a difference between enslaved and free. He chose to contribute to his communities, embrace economic opportunities, and raise a family. His actions are an important part of Utah’s story.
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