Meg Coleman-Feely, Selah Eric Spruiell

Description

Selah Eric Spruiell grew up in the Weeksville neighborhood and is a longtime Brooklyn resident. Selah Eric Spruiell was born in Richmond, VA in 1952. His mother, Evelyn Rasbury, was the daughter of a prominent minister in Kingston, North Carolina named Levy Edgar Rasbury. Rev. Rasbury founded a college in Kingston, where Selah’s father, Rufus Galettie Spruiell, worked as a driver. It was at this college where Selah’s parents first met. His father eventually left North Carolina and enlisted in WWII. When the war was over, he was able to attend Morgan State College in Maryland, on the GI Bill. Selah’s mother was at Morgan State to train as a music teacher: she was also an opera singer, and was offered a scholarship to sing in Dusseldorf, Germany, but turned it down to marry Selah’s father in the late 1940s. After living for a time in Richmond and Hampton, VA, the Spruiells moved to Brooklyn in 1955. They first lived at 1501 Lincoln Place, between Buffalo and Rochester Avenues. In addition to Selah, his parents had two daughters, Denise and Tarin. Selah’s father also had eight children from other relationships. Selah attended PS 191, which was on Park Place between Buffalo and Ralph Avenues. Many of his friends lived in the Kingsborough Houses, and were members of Berean Baptist Church, so he became familiar with the area around the Hunterfly Road Houses. He remembers that his parents owned their home on Park Place. When Selah’s family came to Park Place...

Record Contributed By

Weeksville Heritage Center