Encyclopedia article about the Pilgrim Health and Life Insurance Company which was founded in 1898 in Augusta and was the first insurance provider for African Americans in Georgia. A black-owned and -operated company, Pilgrim was one of the largest employers of African Americans in Augusta and issued tens of thousands of policies in the first decades of the twentieth century. The company was founded by African American young men Solomon W. Walker, his brother Thomas Walker, cousin Walter Hornsby, and former classmate James C. Collier. During a financial crisis in 1905, the company merged with several other local benevolent societies. The company also operated in Alabama, South Carolina, and Florida. It was purchased by Atlanta Life Insurance Company in 1990.

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Cite as: "Pilgrim Health and Life Insurance Company," New Georgia Encyclopedia. Retrieved [date]: http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org.

Forms part of the New Georgia Encyclopedia.