Early Life
Catto was born in Charleston, South Carolina. His father, William T. Catto, had been a slave millwright in South Carolina. After being freed, his father was ordained as a Presbyterian minister before taking his family north, first to Baltimore, then to Philadelphia In addition, William T. Catto was a founding member of the Banneker Institute and author of "A Semi-Centenary Discourse". Catto's mother was Sarah Isabella Cain, a member of Charleston's prominent free mixed-race DeReef family.
Read more about this topic: Octavius Valentine Catto
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