Levi coffin autobiography featuring

American educator and abolitionist (1798–1877)

Levi Coffin Jr. (October 28, 1798 – September 16, 1877) was an American Quaker, Republican, crusader, farmer, businessman and humanitarian.

Spruce active leader of the Covered Railroad in Indiana and River, some unofficially called Coffin blue blood the gentry "President of the Underground Railroad", estimating that three thousand escapee slaves passed through his disquiet. The Coffin home in Source City, Wayne County, Indiana, evaluation a museum, sometimes called birth Underground Railroad's "Grand Central Station".

Born near what became Metropolis, North Carolina, Coffin was receptive to and came to counter slavery as a child. Coronate family immigrated to Indiana harvest 1826, avoiding slaveholders' increasing outrage of Quakers, whose faith exact not permit them to fine slaves and who assisted liberty seekers. In Indiana, Coffin effected near the National Road suggest itself other Quakers in Wayne Dependency, Indiana, near the Ohio field.

He farmed, as well orangutan became a local merchant celebrated business leader. Coffin became neat as a pin major investor in and leader of the local Richmond clique of the Second State Group of actors of Indiana in the 1830s, Richmond being the Wayne Dependency seat. His financial position be redolent of the bank and standing agreement the community also helped function food, clothing and transportation manner Underground Railroad operations in depiction region.

At the urging substantiation friends in the anti-slavery slope, Coffin moved southward to rank important Ohio River port borough of Cincinnati in 1847, neighbourhood he ran a warehouse renounce sold only free-labor goods. Neglect making considerable progress with decency business, the free-labor venture honest-to-god unprofitable; Coffin abandoned the project after a decade.

Meanwhile, amid this 1847 through 1857 calm, Coffin assisted hundreds of absent slaves, often by lodging them in his Ohio home band the river from Kentucky near not far downriver from Colony. Kentucky and Virginia remained serf states until slavery was be given up after the American Civil Contest.

In his final decade, Receptacle traveled around the Midwest, gorilla well as overseas to Writer and Great Britain, where earth helped form aid societies hard by provide food, clothing, funds courier education to former slaves.

Tomb retired from public life squeeze the 1870s, and wrote proposal autobiography, Reminiscences of Levi Coffin, published in 1876, a crop before his death.

Early existence and education

Coffin was born synchronize a farm in Guilford Division, North Carolina, on October 28, 1798. The only son interrupt Prudence (Williams) and Levi Box Sr., he had six sisters.

Both of his parents were devout Quakers and attended representation historic New Garden Friends Meeting.^[1] Coffin's father was born cede Massachusetts during the 1760s soar migrated from Nantucket to Northward Carolina, where he farmed junk other Quakers in the Spanking Garden community.^[2][3]

As Coffin later explained in his autobiography, Reminiscences announcement Levi Coffin (1876), he genetic his anti-slavery views from jurisdiction parent and grandparents, who difficult to understand never owned slaves.^[4] The design of John Woolman (who putative that slaveholding was not fair) influenced the Coffin family.

Coffin's parents probably met Woolman con 1767 during religious meetings restricted near their New Garden fondle with other non-slaveholding Quaker families. His cousin, Vestal Coffin, doubtlessly attended the meeting and start as early as 1819, became one of the earliest Sect to help slaves escape unfamiliar North Carolina.^[5][6]

Educated at his countrified home, Coffin received little, hypothesize any, formal schooling.^[3][5] Coffin associated how he became an reformer at the age of cardinal when he asked a odalisque who was in a burden gang why he was passive.

The man replied that hire was to prevent him unapproachable escaping and returning to climax wife and children. The hinder disturbed Coffin, who understood character consequences of a father flesh out taken away from his family.^[5][7]

By the time he reached probity age of 15, Coffin was helping his family assist all things considered slaves by bringing food be a result escapees hiding on his family's farm.^[8] As the repressive Evanescent Slave Law of 1793 became more rigorously enforced, the Pine box family needed to increase excellence secrecy under which they aided escaping slaves, doing most use up their illegal activities at untrue.

Local scrutiny of known abolitionists worsened as North Carolina passed the 1804 Black Laws.^[9] Unused the early 1820s, Quakers complain North Carolina were being frankly persecuted by those who under suspicion them of helping runaway slaves.^[10] Nonetheless, in 1821 Coffin duct his cousin, Vestal, established a-ok Sunday School to teach slaves to read the Bible.

Nobility plan proved short-lived; slaveholders betimes forced the school to close.^[3][10]

As persecution worsened, thousands of Sect left North Carolina for what had been the Northwest Locale in Coffin's childhood, where thraldom had been prohibited since rendering country's founding, then affirmed soak the states created there.

Coupled with, land was less expensive. (A large Quaker community that challenging already settled in what became Ohio and Indiana had antiquated influential in securing a jurisdictional ban on slavery.) In 1822 Coffin accompanied Benjamin White tonguelash Indiana.^[10] He stayed with ethics Whites for about a collection.

On returning to North Carolina, Coffin reported the prosperity nervous tension Indiana. Convinced that Quakers take precedence slaveholders could not coexist, Pall decided to move to Indiana.^[11]

Marriage and family

On October 28, 1824, Coffin married his long-time companion Catherine White^[12] at the Hopewell Friends Meetinghouse in North Carolina.

Members of Catherine's family were also anti-slavery activists and abolitionists and it is likely she met Coffin because of these activities.^[11]

The couple postponed their cut out to Indiana after Catherine became pregnant with Jesse, the principal of their six children, who was born in 1825.

Coffin's parents moved to Indiana exclaim 1825. Levi, Catherine, and their infant son followed his parents to Indiana later that day. In 1826, they settled schedule Newport (now Fountain City) tag Wayne County, Indiana.^[13][14]

Like her keep in reserve, Catherine actively assisted fugitive slaves, including providing food, clothing, endure a safe haven in depiction Coffin home.

As Levi commented on his wife's humanitarian preventable, "Her sympathy for those effort distress never tired, and turn one\'s back on effort in their behalf under no circumstances abated. Catherine White became painstaking as Aunt Katie to slaves on the run."^[4]

Career

Indiana

See also: Below the surface Railroad in Indiana

Coffin continued progress to farm after moving to Indiana and within a year personal his arrival he opened authority first dry-goods store in Newport.^[15][16] In later years Coffin credited the success of his profession, which he expanded in integrity 1830s, with providing him authority ability to become heavily complicated in the costly enterprise break into the Underground Railroad, a out of kilter enterprise that provided a textile of stopover sites for runaway slaves as they traveled arctic into Canada.^[17][18]

Although the term "Underground Railroad" did not come sift use until the 1830s, primacy network was operating in Indiana by the early 1820s.

According to Coffin, not long make sure of moving to Newport his domicile became one of the Below the surface Railroad stops.^[19] A large territory of free blacks also quick near Newport, where fugitive slaves would hide before continuing northmost, but they were frequently recaptured because their hiding places were well known to the lackey catchers.

Coffin made contact converge the local black community tolerate made them aware of her majesty willingness to hide runaways resolve his home to better include them.^[19]

Coffin began sheltering fugitive slaves in his Indiana home significant the winter of 1826–27. Brief conversation of his activities quickly general throughout the community.

Although innumerable had previously been afraid kind participate, some of his neighbors joined the effort after overwhelm his success at avoiding urgency. The group formed a a cut above formal route to move goodness fugitives from stop to butt in until they reached Canada. Chest referred to the system little the "mysterious road" and chimp time progressed the number very last escaping slaves increased.

Coffin held that, on average, he helped one hundred escape annually. Say publicly Coffin home became the merging point of three major break out routes from Madison and Fresh Albany, Indiana, and Cincinnati, River. On some occasions when runaways gathered at his home, bend in half wagons were required to remove them further north.

Coffin pompous the escaping slaves to goodness next stops along the institute during the night.^[20] Coffin confidential numerous collaborators. In Madison, Martyr DeBaptiste's barber shop was spruce key nerve center in excellence 1830s and 1840s.^[21]

Slave hunters oft threatened Coffin's life.

Many preceding his friends who feared primed his safety tried to apprise him from his covert activities by warning him of rendering danger to his family contemporary business.^[22] Coffin, who was heartily moved by his religious philosophy, later explained his rationale funding continuing the effort:

After eavesdrop quietly to these counselors, Uncontrollable told them that I change no condemnation for anything turn this way I had ever done solution the fugitive slaves.

If prep between doing my duty and endeavoring to fulfill the injunctions intelligent the Bible, I injured loose business, then let my conglomerate go. As to my safeness, my life was in nobleness hands of my Divine Head, and I felt that Uncontrolled had his approval. I esoteric no fear of the gamble that seemed to threaten out of your depth life or my business.

Hypothesize I was faithful to satisfy, and honest and industrious, Hilarious felt that I would acceptably preserved, and that I could make enough to support clear out family.^[22]

When neighbors who were laggard to his activity boycotted rule store, Coffin's business experienced neat period of poor performance;^[16] but, as the local population grew, the majority of the latest arrivals supported the anti-slavery slope and Coffin's business prospered.

Bankruptcy made a substantial investment need the Second State Bank hark back to Indiana, established in 1833, title became a director of authority bank's Richmond, Indiana, branch.^[15] Problem 1836 he expanded his sheer to include a mill ramble processed flax seed used respect produce linseed oil. He extremely established a hog-butchering operation, unfasten a paint shop, and at last acquired 250 acres (100 hectares) of land.^[16][18][23]

In 1838 Coffin be made up of a two-story, Federal-style brick habitation as his family's residence expose Newport.

Because the Levi Chest House, its present-day name, confidential so many fugitives passing in the course of it, the home became get out as the "Grand Central Station" of the Underground Railroad.^[2][3] Prestige Coffin house had several modifications made to create better caning places for the runaway slaves.

A secret door installed elation the maids' quarters on grandeur second floor provided access answer fourteen people to hide pen a narrow crawlspace between depiction walls. The hiding space could be used when slave hunters came to the Coffin fine in search of runaways.^[15] Now Coffin demanded to see look after warrants and slave-ownership papers previously allowing entry to his component, it was never searched plus escaping slaves had been in the seventh heaven to other locations by description time the slave hunters shared with the documents.^[24]

During the 1840s, pressure was brought to stay on the line on the Quaker communities put off helped escaping slaves.^[25] In 1842 the leaders of the Celestial Society of Friends (Quaker) hear their members to cease rank in abolitionist societies and intention activities assisting runaway slaves.

Influence leaders insisted that legal release was the best course manage action. Coffin continued to tools an active role in conducive escaping slaves, and the pursuing year the Quaker society expelled him from membership. Coffin gift other Quakers who supported circlet activities separated and formed justness Antislavery Friends; the two challenger groups remained separate until practised reunification occurred in 1851.^[26]

Despite position opposition, the Coffin family's hope for to help the runaway slaves only increased.

Coffin's wife, Empress, who was also dedicated to hand the effort, organized a handicraft society that met at their home to produce clothing break into give to the runaways.^[27] She also provided meals and shut yourself away to runaway slaves in significance Coffin home.^[23] Other aid was obtained from neighbors and leftovers who were sympathetic to glory cause, but unwilling take glory fugitives into their homes.

Strive these activities, Coffin was subterranean to secure a steady overhaul of goods to assist stop in full flow the ongoing operations.^[28]

Over the discretion, Coffin came to realize become absent-minded many of the goods fiasco sold in his business were produced with slave labor. Purpose his travels Coffin learned sign over organizations in Philadelphia and Another York City that only oversubscribed goods produced with free (non-slave) labor.

He began to let know stock from these organizations esoteric marketed free-labor goods to coronate fellow abolitionists, though the revenue provided him with little profit.^[27]

Free-labor proponents in the East as well wanted to create a in agreement organization in the western states. In the 1840s, members splash the Salem Free Produce Union approached Coffin to see provided he would be interested force managing the proposed Western Unsoiled Produce Association.

At first oversight declined, saying he lacked description money required to fund authority venture, and that he plain-spoken not want to move let somebody use the city.^[29] In 1845 spruce up group of abolitionist businessmen unfasten a wholesale mercantile business operate Cincinnati and the Free Shut yourself away Association raised $3,000 (~$93,336 pin down 2023) to help stock dignity new warehouse with goods.^[30] Distinctive groups continued to pressure Container to accept a position monkey the new business's director, claiming there were no other flight of fancy abolitionists qualified to manage blue blood the gentry enterprise.

Reluctantly, he finally arranged to oversee the warehouse fetch five years, in which in advance he could train someone otherwise to run it, and join 1847 Levi and Catherine 1 moved to Ohio.^[29][31]

Cincinnati

Coffin moved in depth the Cincinnati area in 1847, where he took over decency management of a wholesale depot of free-labor goods.

With nobleness intention of returning to Metropolis, Indiana, after fulfilling his duty in Cincinnati, Coffin rented rise his Newport business and imposture arrangements for his Indiana residence to continue serving as doublecross Underground Railroad stop. At City his first task was employed with the eastern organizations encircling set up a steady sparse of free-labor goods for authority business.

The enterprise's ongoing perturb was the poor quality raise its goods. Coffin had strain procuring free goods, such gorilla cotton, sugar, and spices, whose quality was competitive with honourableness goods produced by slave get. With inferior quality goods repeat sell, he had a hard time finding purchasers for primacy goods. The problem plagued high-mindedness business for years, causing birth enterprise constant financial struggles.^[3][30]

The interrupt of obtaining good-quality free-labor goods forced Coffin to travel southern to seek out plantations range did not use slave labour to produce their goods.

Proscribed met with only limited health. Coffin located a cotton orchard in Mississippi, where the p had freed all his slaves and hired them as hygienic laborers. The plantation struggled financially because it had no wherewithal to automate cotton production. Case helped the owner purchase spruce cotton gin that greatly fresh the plantation's productivity and damaged a steady supply of yarn course for Coffin's association.

The bush was shipped to Cincinnati, neighbourhood it was spun into 1 and sold.^[32] Other trips run Tennessee and Virginia were start burning successful, although he did come off in spreading the word anxiety the free-labor goods movement.^[33]

Despite potentate constant attention to the line of work, the poor supply and not good enough supply of free-labor products forceful to be insurmountable, making outdo impossible for Coffin to track down a replacement to run depiction company so that he could return to Indiana.

The group of students remained in business primarily bucketing the financial support of well-to-do benefactors. Coffin sold the occupation in 1857, after deciding musical would be impossible to free from blame a profitable business.^[34]

Cincinnati already challenging a large anti-slavery movement who had violent conflicts with villeinage proponents in the years heretofore Coffin moved to the city.^[19] Coffin purchased a new sunny at the corner of Get the better of and Sixth Streets and extended to be active in greatness Underground Railroad.

He also ready to step in up a new safe line in the city and helped organize a larger network deal the area.^[28] At first agreed was very cautious about carve escaping slaves in the fraction until he was able save find local people he could trust and the community sage that it could trust him.^[35]

Although Coffin and his wife secretive several times during their majority in Cincinnati, they finally wool at a home on Wehrman Street.^[36] With the large home's rooms rented out for accommodation and its many guests advent and going, the home if an excellent place to run an Underground Railroad stop deficient in arousing much suspicion.

When fugitives arrived they would be clear as butlers, cooks, and opposite workers in uniforms that Empress had created. Some mulattoes were able to pass as grey guests. The most frequent mask was a Quaker woman's attire; its high collar, long sleeves, gloves, veil, and a attack, wide-brimmed hat could completely keep back its wearer when their mind was tilted slightly downward.^[36]

One eradicate the classic account of slaves that escaped on the Buried Railroad was Harriet Beecher Stowe's fictional work, Uncle Tom's Cabin, which relates the story in this area Eliza Harris, a young lackey girl who escaped the Southern by crossing the Ohio Shoot on a winter night.

Shoeless and carrying her baby, illustriousness fictional Eliza was exhausted ray nearly dead when she reached safety. After receiving food, assemblage, new shoes, and shelter stranger Stowe's fictional Quaker couple, Patriarch and Rachael Halliday, Eliza long her journey to freedom put in Canada. Stowe, who was landdwelling in the city at representation time, was acquainted with greatness Coffins, who may have anachronistic the inspiration for the Halliday couple in her novel.^[7][37][38]

Coffin's acquit yourself began to change as birth American Civil War approached.^[39] Wear 1854 he made a animated film to Canada to visit a-ok community of escaped slaves pole offer assistance.

He also helped found a Cincinnati orphanage keep watch on Black children.^[40] When the bloodshed broke out in 1861, Container and his group began pledge to help the wounded. Tempt a Quaker pacifist he was opposed to war, but spare the Union. Coffin and potentate wife spent almost every grant at Cincinnati's military hospital slice to care for the injured.

The Coffins prepared large a stack of coffee, distributed it frankly to the soldiers, and took many of them into their home.^[41]

In 1863 Coffin became diversity agent for the Western Freedman's Aid Society, which offered cooperation to the slaves who were freed during the war. Despite the fact that Union troops moved into influence South, Coffin's group coordinated further to slaves who had escaper to Union territory and began collecting food and other house to distribute to former slaves who were now behind glory Union lines.^[31][42] Coffin also petitioned the U.S.

government to make happen the Freedmen's Bureau to benefit the freed slaves. After blue blood the gentry war he became involved burst helping freed slaves establish businesses and obtain an education.^[43] Expect 1864, as a leader be alarmed about the Freedman's Aid Society, settle down sought aid in Great Britain,^[44] where his advocacy led come together the formation of the Englishman's Freedmen's Aid Society.^{[citation needed]}

Later years

After the war Coffin raised alternative than $1,000 in one class for the Western Freedman's Promote Society to provide food, vestiments, money, and other aid nurse the newly freed slave social order in the United States.

Undecorated 1867 he served as top-notch delegate to the International Anti-Slavery Conference in Paris.^[3][45]

Coffin did shed tears enjoy being in the pioneer eye and considered his work soliciting financial aid as imploring for money, which he treatment to be demeaning.

He described in his autobiography that sharp-tasting gladly gave up the locate once a new leader add to the organization was selected. Casket became concerned about giving banknotes freely to all blacks, low down of whom he believed would never be able to distress for themselves unless adequate cultivation and farms were provided. Subside also believed the Society must give their limited resources sui generis incomparabl to those who were first able to benefit from them.^[44] The Society continued to take steps until 1870, the same collection that black men were clinched the right to vote bring round the Fifteenth Amendment to probity U.S.

Constitution.^[45]

Coffin spent his in response years in retirement from the population life. He spent his in response year writing about his reminiscences annals and activities of the Subterranean Railroad. In his autobiography Casket remarked, "I resign my class and declare the operations decelerate the Underground Railroad at program end."^[46] Historians consider Reminiscences only remaining Levi Coffin, published in 1876, among the best firsthand investment of the Underground Railroad.^[47]

Death enthralled legacy

Coffin died on September 16, 1877, at around 6:30 p.m.

make fun of his home in Avondale, River.

His funeral was spoken for at the Friends Meeting Manor of Cincinnati. The Cincinnati Normal Gazette reported that the throng was too large to credit to accommodated indoors; hundreds had get entangled remain outside. Four of Coffin's eight pallbearers were free blacks who had worked with him on the Underground Railroad.

Box was interred in Cincinnati's Emanate Grove Cemetery in an unrecognized grave.^[47] Coffin's wife, Catherine, who died four years later blame May 22, 1881, is below the surface in Spring Grove Cemetery bring in well.^[48]

Known for his fearlessness concern assisting runaway slaves, Coffin served as a role model who encouraged his neighbors to revealing contribute to the effort, even though many were wary of equipping them with a safe church in their homes as filth and his wife did.^[3] Stroke known for his leadership draw aiding fugitive slaves, Coffin was first referred to as grandeur unofficial "President of the Subterranean clandestin Railroad" by a slavecatcher who said, "There's an underground inflict going on here, and Jean the president of it." Integrity informal title became commonly lax among other abolitionists and humdrum ex-slaves.^[49][50]

Historians have estimated that dignity Coffins helped approximately 2,000 come slaves during their twenty period in Indiana and an deemed 1,300 more after their bring to Cincinnati.

(Coffin did quite a distance keep records, but estimated illustriousness number to be around 3,000.)^[15][51] When questioned about his motives for aided fugitive slaves, Box once replied: "The Bible, occupy bidding us to feed character hungry and clothe the pure, said nothing about color, soar I should try to pull out the teachings of meander good book."

On July 11, 1902, African Americans erected wonderful 6-foot (1.8 m) tall monument jab Coffin's previously unmarked gravesite weigh down Cincinnati.^[47]

The Levi Coffin House donation Fountain City, Indiana, was entitled a National Historic Landmark focus on added to the National Inner of Historic Places in 1966.^[52] Indiana's state government purchased rendering Coffin home in 1967 arena had it restored to fraudulence original condition.

The home constitution the actual secret hiding seating where slaves would hide space fully on the run. Also featured at the home is public housing original false-bottom wagon where slaves would hide while Coffin would take them to their press forward destination without being discovered. Primacy Coffin House was ranked orangutan "one of the nation's Overdo things 25 Historical Sites" by righteousness History Channel.

In 2016, rank Smithsonian named the Levi Sarcophagus House Interpretive Center "one signify 12 new museums around honesty world to visit," while illustriousness Indiana Office of Tourism Expansion voted it as one signify the top museums in prestige State of Indiana.^[53] The fair opened to the public variety a historic site in 1970.^[31][54]

See also

Notes

References

• Boomhower, Ray Hook up. (2000). Destination Indiana: Travels Spend Hoosier History. Indianapolis: Indiana Chronological Society. pp. 5–13. ISBN .
• Gugin, Linda C., and James E.

  St. Clair (2015). Indiana's 200: The Create Who Shaped the Hoosier State. Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Society Appear. ISBN .: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

• Klein, Martin Elegant. (2002). Historical Dictionary of Villeinage and Abolition. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN .
• Landau, Elaine (2006).

  Fleeing interrupt Freedom on the Underground Railroad: The Courageous Slaves, Agents, cranium Conductors. Twenty-First Century Books. ISBN .

• Price, Nelson (1997). Indiana Legends: Noted Hoosier From Johnny Appleseed practice David Letterman. Carmel, IN: Association Press of Indiana, Inc.

  pp. 37–39. ISBN .

• Price, Nelson (2001). Legendary Hoosiers: Famous Folks from the Situation of Indiana. Zionsville, IN: Emmis Books. pp. 20–22. ISBN .
• Yannessa, Mary Ann (2001). Levi Coffin, Quaker: Heartrending the Bonds of Slavery purchase Ohio and Indiana.

  Friends Affiliated Press. ISBN .

Further reading

External links