Dr. John Stewart Rock

Born in Elsinboro, NJ, into a free black family, Rock exhibited a voracious appetite for knowledge. Until age 18, he studied in the school Salem Quakers founded for black students.  Rock became the head of the school in 1845, the first of his many professional advances. At the same time, he began studying medicine with several Salem physicians, entering into an apprenticeship to become a dentist with Dr. Samuel Harbert, whose office was located at 81 Market St. in Salem, NJ, across from Johnson Hall.