1914: Sylvia Newport (1828 to 1915) is an African American who lived in Sodus her entire life. In the early 1800's discriminatory traditions, onerous voting laws and outright racism created limited opportunity for men and women of color. Even so, by the time Wayne County was officially established in 1823, there were 102 free persons of color living in households headed by African Americans and another 34 in households headed by white people. Many served as religious leaders as early as the 1830s.