Dr. Carl Russell Gross was born on July 24, 1888 to Lena (Smith) and William Gross in Providence, Rhode Island. He graduated from Thayer Street Grammar School in 1903 and attended Providence Technical School until he had to leave in 1905 so he could work. From 1907-1909, Dr. Gross attended Howard Academy in Washington DC. He then attended Howard University School of Medicine, where he was Senior Class President, and graduated in 1913. Also, in 1913, Dr. Gross received his license to practice medicine by the State Department of Health of Rhode Island and opened his medical office in Providence. In 1917, he joined the Providence Medical Association and then served in the United States Army Medical Corps until 1919.
Dr. Gross was appointed to serve on the Tercentenary Committee of Rhode Island, a position he held from 1935-1936. It was through this committee where his interest in Black history in Rhode Island began. In 1939, he became a member of the board of the Crispus Attucks Association. Dr. Gross also began applying for positions at various hospital in Providence but insinuated he was turned down because of his race. In 1942, he resigned from the district draft board of medical examiners due to only being sent Black draftees. He was elected a fellow of the Rhode Island Medical Society in 1942 and was elected president of the John Hope Community Association. In 1950, Dr. Gross was appointed by Rhode Island Governor John. O. Pastore to serve on the Rhode Island Committee to the Mid-Century White House Conference on Children and Youth. He also became a member of the board of directors of the National Conference on Christians and Jews, Southern New England Region in 1958.
Dr. Gross was honored by the Irreproachable Beneficial Association in 1960, and in 1965 he was honored by the Northeastern Federation of Women’s Clubs along with U.S. Senator Clifford Case, U.S. Senator Edward Brooke, and U.S. Representative Gerald Ford. On June 6, 1970, Dr. Gross was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Humanities by Rhode Island College. He died on April 7, 1971 in Providence, Rhode Island.
The Dr. Carl Russell Gross papers pertain to Black history in Rhode Island. The collection includes six versions of an unpublished manuscript which Dr. Gross never finished that details the chronological history of Black history in Rhode Island from 1696-1971. The collection also includes subject files containing research material used for his book project. The manuscripts and subject files also contain short histories of various Black individuals and institutions in Rhode Island, including: The American Methodist Evangelical Zion Church, artists Edward Mitchell Bannister, educators Rose Butler Browne, and Josephine Silone Yates, The Congdon Street Baptist Church, attorney William Heathman, singer Madame Sissieretta Joyner Jones, The Northeastern Federation, and sculptress and artist Nancy Elizabeth Prophet.
Rhode Island College Special Collections does not hold copyright to materials in this collection. Researchers are advised to contact Rhode Island College Special Collections for questions regarding permissions to reproduce, distribute, or otherwise publish material from this collection. Although Rhode Island College has physical ownership of the collection, it does not hold literary rights. It is up to the researcher to determine the owners of the literary rights and to obtain any necessary permissions from them.
The collection is open for research by appointment.
Dr. Carl Russell Gross papers, MSS-0002, Special Collections, James P. Adams Library, Rhode Island College.
The collection has been arranged into the following series:
The collection was donated by Dr. Gross’s family in 1975. Dr. Gross’s niece, Christine Buchanan, was heavily involved in the donation.
The collection was initially arranged in 1975 by Alma McPherson, a Librarian of Utica Junior College in Utica, Mississippi. McPherson was on an internship at Rhode Island College Adams Library sponsored by an Association of College and Research Libraries grant through the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Michael Kohl, Assistant Librarian in Rhode Island College Special Collections described the collection, also in 1975. In 2022, Veronica Denison, Digital Archivist and Special Collections Librarian at Rhode Island College, re-described the collection using current archival standards, as well as re-boxed the collection.
Works used in preparation of inventory: Biographical information was taken from materials within the collection.
Howard University also has a collection of research materials on Black history in Rhode Island created by Dr. Gross:
Publications were removed from the collection when the collection was initially arranged and described in 1975. Two of the items were cataloged and added to the Rhode Island College Special Collections Book Collections, however there is no documentation for the other item. Please contact the Rhode Island College Special Collections for further information.
Select items have been digitized and are available on
This series contains six manuscript versions of an unpublished book Dr. Gross worked on relating to Black history in Rhode Island between 1696 and 1971. Each version of the manuscript has its own pagination although their contents are similar. The series also includes newspaper clippings, cartoons, pamphlets, and additional research among the manuscript pages. Note: While the manuscript pages have been digitized, as well as some supplemental documents related to the manuscripts, other materials in the folders with the manuscripts have not been digitized and are not available online.
The subject files contain research materials used in Dr. Gross’s draft manuscripts. Many of the files contain newspaper clippings, as well as historical narratives regarding the main subjects of the folders and biographical information of select individuals written by Dr. Gross. Note: Folder titles in quotes were original descriptions of materials described by Dr. Gross.