Royston Blackwell (1833–1910) was a Civil War veteran, businessman, and church leader born enslaved in Northumberland County, Virginia, to Peter and Lottie Blackwell. His father was a Baptist minister. Blackwell was emancipated by Union troops passing through Northumberland County and joined the Revenue Cutter Service, a predecessor of the United States Coast Guard, in 1864. By 1870, he was literate.

Blackwell received a pension for his Civil War military service, which also entitled his widow to a pension. He made multiple trips to Virginia on horseback until he had brought all of his children to Baltimore.

By 1879, Blackwell was a qualified voter, and in 1881, he purchased a home. He also operated a grocery store at 18 Upton Street in Baltimore.

An active member of Union Baptist Church, Blackwell served as a lay preacher and deacon. He fathered twenty-three children with his first wife, some of whom may have been lost during slavery, and six children with his second wife.