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Cheney Lively

Biography

United States

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Biography

Cheney Lively (c. 1790s–1858) (also spelled Chaney, Chany, China, or Chinny) was the first African-American property owner and permanent resident in Indianapolis, Indiana. Originally born into enslavement in Kentucky circa 1795, Lively was later bought (or possibly hired) by surveyor Alexander Ralston prior to 1814.

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Biography text · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source checked 2026-10-13

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