Absalom Jones' predilection for books and learning separated him from his peers at an early age. In his narrative he speaks on this "fondness," saying: "By this course I became singular, and escaped many evils, and also saved my money." 'The Priest,' and his didactic pursuits, would eventually land him amongst a cadre of seven men (among them Richard Allen, founder of AME Church -- the oldest independent Black institution in the United States) who founded the Free African Society of Philadelphia. This one society inspired many of the most original -- both public and secret -- societies that dominate the culture of America.