Stephen Mulber who had been in that town for thirty years was in 1835 the leader of a group of thrifty free persons of color.

He had a brick dwelling, in which he lived, and other property in the city.

He made his living as a master mechanic employing a force of workmen to meet the increasing demand for his labor.[26] In Gallipolis, there was another group of this class of Negroes, who had permanently attached themselves to the town by the acquisition of property.

They were then able not only to provide for their families but were maintaining also a school and a church.[27] In Portsmouth, Ohio, despite the "Black Friday" upheaval of 1831, the Negroes settled down to the solution of the problems of their new environment and later showed in the accumulation of property evidences of actual progress.

Among the successful Negroes in Columbus was David Jenkins who acquired considerable property as a painter, glazier and paper hanger.[28] One Mr.Hill, of Chillicothe, was for several years its leading tanner and currier.[29] It was in Cincinnati, however, that the Negroes made most progress in the West.