{"id":82433,"date":"2022-01-11T13:05:43","date_gmt":"2022-01-11T18:05:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.genealogybank.com\/?p=82433"},"modified":"2022-06-20T14:11:19","modified_gmt":"2022-06-20T18:11:19","slug":"brave-abolitionists-on-new-englands-underground-railroad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/brave-abolitionists-on-new-englands-underground-railroad.html","title":{"rendered":"Brave Abolitionists on New England\u2019s Underground Railroad"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction:<\/em><\/strong> In this article, Melissa Davenport Berry searches old newspapers to learn about two brothers, William and Francis Jackson, who helped fugitive slaves on the Underground Railroad in Massachusetts. Melissa is a genealogist who has a blog, AnceStory Archives<\/a>, and a Facebook group, New England Family Genealogy and History<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

The Underground Railroad was not an actual railroad \u2013 it was a flourishing system of routes, safe houses and sympathizers in the 19th<\/sup> century that helped slaves escape the South and head north to free states and Canada. It was active in New England and elsewhere. Providing this kind of aid was dangerous work because fugitive slave laws made it illegal to provide support to escaped slaves.<\/p>\n

\"Photo:<\/a>
Photo: International Underground Railroad Memorial in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Credit: Mikerussell; Wikimedia Commons.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You can find a goldmine of stories on the Underground Railroad in a collection of old newspapers, such as GenealogyBank\u2019s Historical Newspaper Archives<\/a>. I begin with a Boston Herald<\/em> article that centers around the Boston families who helped run the Underground Railroad and provide a way to freedom.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
Boston Herald (Boston, Massachusetts), 3 March 1971, page 31<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

According to this article:<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cFugitive slaves came [into New England] by boat and overland, with the water routes bringing them in to Providence, Fall River, New Bedford, Wareham, East Dennis, Plymouth, Boston, Salem, and Newburyport.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe land travelers might go up through the Connecticut Valley, stopping at such places as Springfield, Northampton, Amherst, Deerfield, and Greenfield before passing into Vermont and on to Canada.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom coastal areas, the main passage probably was through Boston, Brookline, Newton, Sudbury or Concord, and on to Leominster, and Fitchburg, where they could pick up the tracks or even board trains of the Fitchburg Railroad.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Two brothers, William and Francis Jackson, sons of Major Timothy Jackson and Sarah Winchester, were among the abolitionists who performed the hazardous work of helping fugitive slaves. The belief is the Jackson brothers inherited a trailblazer spirit from their courageous father, who fought first at Lexington and Concord, then throughout the Revolutionary War, including heroic adventures onboard privateers and other war ships. His exploits made him a legend, and his experiences made him a true freedom seeker.<\/p>\n

\"Photo:<\/a>
Photo: William Jackson. Courtesy of the Newton Historical Society, Newton, Massachusetts.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

William Jackson (1783-1855) ran an Underground Railroad station in Newton, Massachusetts, at his home located on Washington Street \u2013 now the headquarters of the Newton Historical Society. According to this article:<\/p>\n

\u201cWilliam was a candlemaker and, though he and his second wife were caring for 17 children, he cheerfully offered shelter, food and clothing to fugitive slaves\u2026 [His] daughter Ellen said in later years that the whole family was \u2018thoroughly impregnated\u2019 with the idea of helping fugitives and that the door was \u2018ever open\u2019 with a warm welcome to those needing assistance.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Francis Jackson (1789-1861) helped fugitives, raised money, and served as the treasurer of the ani-slavery Boston Vigilance Committee. Francis\u2019 skill as a businessman greatly contributed to the financing of the anti-slavery cause. Helping to save slaves was, in his own words, \u201cMy system of theology, my religion, my atonement.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Photo:<\/a>
Photo: Francis Jackson, c. 1850. Credit: Boston Public Library; Wikimedia Commons.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The famous orator and abolitionist Wendall Phillips described Francis as a man of \u201ciron will and woman\u2019s tenderness.\u201d Francis\u2019 generous nature and moral sentiment would never extinguish in him. I found the contents of his will published in the Lowell Daily Citizen and News<\/em>, which clearly demonstrates his faithfulness and is worthy of mention:<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026a large amount of his property has been bequeathed directly to persons who have long been his coadjutors in the anti-slavery cause, and for the advancement of the cause of freedom. He gives $100 each [$3,158 today] to [9 people are named] as a token of esteem for their fidelity to moral principle and their devotion to the cause of human freedom\u2026 He also names a board of trustees, of whom Wendell Phillips is president, to receive funds designated in the will to be used to create a public sentiment in favor of putting an end to negro slavery.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

He made this statement in his will:<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
Lowell Daily Citizen and News (Lowell, Massachusetts), 28 November 1861, page 2<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Stay tuned for more.<\/p>\n

Related Article:<\/strong><\/p>\n