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Ancestry World Tree Project: SidYoung

Family

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Sid

Young Family

Entries:

3 34

Updated: Thu Jul

4

6:17:492 2

Contact:

Cecilia Young tli?

Index

IDescendancy | Register | Pedigree |

Ahnentafel

| Download GEDCOiN

ID :

124

Name:

Jesse PU H

. t M

Birth: Abt 1774 in South Carolina '

Death: Abt 1842 in Waynesville,Warren,Ohio

Ancest ra l F i le

IDNO:

34

LDS Baptism: status: Submitted

Endowment: status: Submitted

^PRIMARY: Y

Sealing Child: status: Submitted

Note

lone record has Jesse bom in S.C.. One record is found in the hands of Emily

P. Young. Lue Park 26730 HWY. 20 East Bend, Or 97701 gave us another record.

Another source has the hirthdate of Jesse as

25

Jan

1751,

Frederick Co

Va

[email protected] submitted Jesse pugh to ancestry.com

http://awt.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?TI=^0 DB=GEDIND PROX='-l F0='PUGH Fl=JESSE.

[email protected]

http://userdh.rootsweh.com/landrecords/cgi-hin/landrecord.cgi?main_id=1259591 datahase=Land

20Records retum_to=http://userdh.rootsweh.com/landrecords/ suhmitter_id=

Land Record

record for JESSE

PUGH

Name: JESSE PUGH

Date: 13

Nov

1822 Location: OH,

Document

: 1253 Serial :

OH0740

.2^

SALE Acres: 160.0000 Meridian or Watershed: 1ST PRINCIPAL Parcel: Township 2 N, Range \ t

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view

Doris Ross Johnston's Our Texas Family

Entries: 29842 Updated: Fri Jun 7 17:13:20 2002 Contact: Doris Ross Johnston Home Page: OurTi

A Work in Progress ~ what you see is all I know, except for living people; if you don't see the pare

into

our

family, it's

useless

to

ask

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Ancestry World

Tree Project:

Sid

Young

Family Page 2of6

ID: 6853

Reference Number: 6853

Name: Elizabeth Pugh

Sex: F

CheingeDate: 24 JUN 2000

Birth:

ABT

792

Death: BEF

822

Father: Jesse Pugh b: 1763

Mother: Elizabeth Taylor b: 30APR 1762in Frederick Co. VA

Our Texas Family

AboutUs IContactUs | AffiliateProgram | PrivacyStatement

Copyright ?

1998-

2002 MyFamily.com Inc.and its subsidiaries

All use and access to Ancestiy.com subject to license

Crabtree

Entries: 532Updated: SatAug25 12:15:59 2001 Contact: LuellaWebb

:86 879

ID: 4 379352

Name: El izabeth

PUGH

Given

Name: El izabeth

Surname: Pugh

Sex:

F

Birth: 4 May 1819inNear Waynesville WarrenCounty Ohio

Death: 2 Jun 1901 in Colville Stevens Co. Washington

Father: Jesse PUGH b: 25 Jan 1750/51 in Frederich Virginia

Mother:

Elizabeth

TAYLOR

Marriage

1

Joseph

YOUNG

b:

14

Dec

1823

inNear

Waynesville Warren County

Ohio

Married: 16Aug 1842 inWarren County Ohio

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LeeRoy E. Bowen

Entries: 938 Updated:ThuNov 1521:16:142001 Contact: LeeRoyBowen

ANCESTRY :592838

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AncestryWorldTree Project: Sid YoungFamily Page 3 of 6

ID:

129813318

Name:

Elizabeth PUGH

Given

Name:

Elizabeth

Surname: Pugh

Sex: F

Birth: 4

MAY

1819 in Wainsville Warren Ohio

Death: 2 JUN 1901 in Colville,Stevens,Washington

Burial: Pleasant Grove Ut Ut

LDS Baptism: 26 JUL 1869

Endowment : 8 JAN

1872

Note: Ances t ra l

File

Number : 2JSD TL

Father: Jesse PUGH b: AB T

1782

in Ohio

Mother:

Elizabeth

TAYLOR b: ABT 1787 in Ohio

Marriage 1 Joseph Charles YOUNG b: 4 DEC 1823 inWainsvilleOhio

Children

Charles

YOUNG

b: 3

JU N

1844

in

Wainsville Warren Ohio

Mary Ellen YOUNG b: DEC 1845 in Wainsville,Warren,Ohio

SophiaYOUNG b: JUL 1847 inWainsville,OH,Ohio

Sarah Elizabeth YOUNG b: DEC 1848 in Wainsville Warren Ohio

Rachel Ann YOUNG b: 4 FEB 1851 in Rush County,Rush,lndiana

LeRoy YOUNG b: 17JUL 1852 in Unorg. Terr. ln,Rush,Indiana

James Madison

YOUNG b: 11 MAR 1854 in Jackson Illinois

Peter

YOUNG

b: 23

MAR

1857 in ,Jackson,lllinois

William

Friend

YOUNG

b: 4 MAY 1859

in Jackson Co. lL Ohio

Eugene YOUNG b: 4 OCT 1862 in ,Jackson,lllinois

Josephine YOUNG b: 4 OCT 1862 in,Jackson,Illinois

Marriage 2 Joseph C YOUNG b: 14DEC 1823 inNear Waynesville,Warren,OH

Married: 18 AUG 1842 in Waynesville,Warren,OH

Sealing Spouse: 8 JAN 1872

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to

normal

view

Families of Paul Forstad and Peggy Tygart

Entries: 15862 Updated: Sun Feb 24 14:22:27 2002 Contact: Paul Forstad

ANCESTRY :1932384

ID :1158 4

N am e: E l izabe th P U G H

Sex: F

Birth: 4 MAY 1819 in Waynesville, Warren Co., Ohio

Death: 2

JUN

1901 in Colville, Stevens Co., Washington

Burial: JUN 1901 Pleasant Grove Cemetery, Pleasant Grove, Utah Co., Utah

Father:

Jesse PUGH b: 1782 in

Ohio

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,Ancestry

World Tree Project: Sid

Young

Family Page 4of6

Mother: Elizabeth TAYLOR b: 1787 in Ohio

Marriage 1Joseph

Charles

YOUNG b:4

DEC 1823

inWaynesville, Warren

Co., Ohio

Children

Sophia

Louise YOUNG b:

JUL 1847

inWainsville,Warren Co.,

Ohio

H e le n Y O U NG

R et ur n t o n or ma l v ie w

^My Germanic and Scotish Ancestors~~

Entries: 22358 Updated: TueMay28 18:11:35 2002Contact: Philipcampbell

ANCESTRY

PHILIP

CAMPBELL

My

Ancestors, some goes

back

tothe l s

and

others

only

tothe

1700 s. Any

info on

any

names

appricaited

ID:118158

Name: Elizabeth Pugh

Sex: F

Birth: 4 MAY 1819 in Waynesville,Warren Co.,Ohio

Death: 2 JUN 1901 in Colville,Stevens Co.,Washington

Burial: JUN 1901 Pleasant Grove Cemetery,Pleasant Grove,Utah Co.,Utah

_RIN:315 1

ChangeDate: 23MAY 2002 at 06:29:58

Father: Jesse Pugh b: 1782 in Ohio

Mother: Elizabeth Taylor b: 1787 in Ohio

Marriage 1Joseph Charles Young b: 4

DEC

1823 in

Waynesville,Warren

Co.,Ohio

1

Children

Sophia Louise

Young

b: JUL 1847 in Wainsville,Warren Co.,Ohio

Helen

Young

Sources :

Title:

GEDCOM

File : 1932384.ged

Author: Paul Anthony Forstad

Abbrev: Paul Anthony Forstad

Abbrev: GEDCOM File : 1932384.ged

Note :

4183 Apple Ridge Rd.

Sedalia

MO

65301

Date: 24

FEB 2 2

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^Ancestry World Tree Project: Sid Young Family Page 5 of 6

Campbells Clappers LaFevers Beights Augustines Waldrons van Zandts Reeshs Eaks di Grai

2

C/7Gwge

29 JUN 2002 at 07:04:44

Father: Ellis PUGH b: 21 JAN 1749 in Bushriver Newberry Sc

Mother: Phoebe

COPPACK

b: OCX 1750 in

Bush

River Newberry Sc

Father : E lh s P U GH

Mother :

Phoebe

OPPO K

Marriage 1 Elizabeth_TAYLOR b: 1776 in South Carolina

Married: 1800 in Bush River Newberry S C

Sealing Spouse:

Children

1 Leroy PUGH b: 1801 in south Carolina

2 Hannah PUGH b: 1805 in

South

Carolina

3 Rebecca

PUGH

b: 1807 in South Carolina

4 Cathenne_ PU_GH b: 1811 in South Carolina

5 4 Madha PUGH b: Abt 1812 in Warren Ohio

6

Levi PUGH

b: 1813

in

Warren Ohio

7 Elizabeth PUGH b: 4 MAY 1819 in Waynesville Warren Co Ohio

Marriage 2 MaryMoLford WOODRUFF b: 1794 in NewJersey

Married: 1822 in Ohio

Sealing Spouse:

Children

1 Samuel PUGH b: 15 MAY 1826 in Wayne Warren Ohio

2 James_PUGH b: Abt 1828 in Wayne Warren Ohio

3

Jesse PUGH

b: 4 APR 1831 in Warren Ohio

4 David PUGH b: 28 FEB 1823 in Warren Ohio

5 Casey. PUGH b: APR 1833 in Warren Ohio

6 Saiali PUGH b: Abt 1835 in Warren Ohio

7 Joseph PUGH b: 1836 in Ohio

8 PUGH b: Abt 838 in Ohio

Sources

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.Ancestry World Tree Project: Sid Young Family Page 6 of 6

1. Title:

1880 census

A bb re v: 1 88 0 c en su s

Text: Census Place: Pleasant Grove Utah Utah

Source:

FHL Film

1255339 National Archives Film

T9 1339 Page 306D

Relation Sex Marr Race Age Birthplace

Joseph YOUNG

Self

M M W 56 OHIO

Occ:

Carpenter

Fa:

PENN.

Mo:

PENN.

Elizabeth

YOU

Wife F M W

61

OHIO

Occ: Keeping House Fa: PENN. Mo: PENN.

Martha

Y O U N G

Wife

F M W 41

ILLINOIS

Occ: Keeping House Fa: ILL. Mo: ILL.

Lenora

L.

YOU D au F S W 5 U T A H

Occ:

A t

Home Fa: OHIO

Mo:

ILLINOIS

Joseph KELLY SSon M S W 17 ILLINOIS

Occ:

A t

H o m e Fa: OHIO Mo: OHIO

Page: FHL Film 1255339

Note: has birth state as penn

Text: Census Place: Pleasant

Grove Utah

Utah

Source: FHL Film 1255339 National Archives Film T9-1339 Page 306D

Relation Sex Marr Race Age Birthplace

Joseph YOUNG Self M M W 56 OHIO

Occ: Carpenter Fa: PENN. Mo: PENN.

Elizabeth YOUNG Wife F M W 61

OHIO

Occ: Keeping House Fa: PENN. Mo: PENN.

Martha YOUNG Wife

F M W 41

ILLINOIS

Occ: Keeping House Fa: ILL. Mo: ILL.

Lenora L.

Y O UN G D au

F S W 5

UTAH

Occ: At Home Fa: OHIO Mo:

ILLINOIS

JosephKELLY SSonM S W 17ILLINOIS

Occ: At Home

Fa :

OHIO Mo: OHIO

2. Repository:

Name: Family History Library

Salt Lake City, Utah 84150 USA

Title: Ancestral File R)

Author:

The Church

of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Publication; Copyright c)

1987

June 1998 data as of 5 January 1998

Abbrev: Ancestral File R)

Index IDescendancy | Register| Pedigree | Ahnentafe | Download

G_ED_CO]>

^ Printer Friendly Version @Se^ch Ancestry ^ Search AWT ^ Join Ances

Corporate info

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9/14/2004


7/35

S U C H

A

G L A R IN G I N CO N S IS T EN C Y

The Unitarian Laity

and Anti-Slavery

in A n t e b e l l u m incinn t i

By

W a l t e r P.

H e r z

Director of Let Freedom Ring

F i rs t U n i ta r ia n C h u r ch

o fC in c in n a ti

r r

5 T

i M

.

kj FI f|.UilUiLU.Ciuj|^

Editorial

Review

Committee:

Fritz Casey-Leininger, Ph.D.

Edwin

Rider

Rev.

S h a r on D i tt m a r

Rev. Morris Hudgins

Supported in part by

grants

from

^

Ohio

umanities

ouncil

T h e

F un d f or Unitarian Universalism

Looking west from Vine Street along Fourth Street inthe niid 1830s. The smaller church was the home of

the

Unitarian congregation.

CincinnatiHistorical Society

^Yl^C^njEOCLBaAKY

381 OLD STAGIC B .

WAYNESVILLE

OHIO

45068

WAYNESVILLE

513/897 4826

513/897 4826


8/35

fel ir


9/35

INTRODUCTION

In the Spring of 1829 a group of Cincinnati Unitar

ianswho had beenmeeting in private homes for several

months decided, with the encouragement

of

theAmerican

UnitarianAssociation,to establisha church. They bought

the property on the southeast comer

of

Fourth and Race

Streets that May, incorporated on January 21,1830 as

First Congregational Church

of

Cincinnati, dedicated

their new building five months later and engaged a

minister. It was the first Unitarian Church in the West,

and the building remained its home throughout the

antebellum era.

The thirty-three members who signed the covenant

that month were all first generation immigrants from

New

England, the Mid-Atlantic States and Great Britain.

The men were predominantly lawyers, merchants and

entrepreneurs who had been drawn to Cincinnati by the

opportunity to participate in the rapidly growing City's

economic leadership of the West. As the membership

increased to

over

300 by the 1850s, the congregation

included a disproportionate share

of

Cincinnati's civic

leaders whose attitudes and actions were significant

indicators of the City's response to leading issues of the

day.

Increasingly during the antebellum, slavery was the

overriding issue that affected every aspect

of

Cincinnati's

life business, professional, political, social, cultural

andreligious. In a previousp per TheUnitarian Clergy

and Anti-Slavery in Antebellum Cincinnati, we focused

on our clergy's preaching and writings about the institu

tion of slavery.In this paper wewill examine the attitudes

and actions of the Church's laity in regard to three basic

facets of the anti-slaverymovementcolonization,

abolitionismand theUndergroundRailroad.Our goal is

to more fully appreciate this defining era of Cincinnati's

past so we can better understand the City's present, and

hence work more effectively for its future. As South

Carolina historian Charles Joyner said: Memory without

hope is unbearable, and hope withoutmemoryis impos

sible.

ANTI-SLAVERY CONTEXT

FUNDAMENTALS

Appreciation

of

First Congregational Church mem

bers

attitudes

and

a ct ion sas wel l a s t ho s e o f

Cincinnatians in generalrequires knowledge

of

certain

fmidamentals o f

th e

national

and

local

contexts

of

which

they were a part. Here are a few of the most important

on s

The

Coloniza t ion Movement :

The Amer ican

Coloni

zation Society was foimded in 1816 by evangelical

ministers in the North and Southem politicians who

agreed on the moral and practical desirability

of

gradual

voluntary emancipation

of

all slaves. However, the

founders also shared the strongly held opinion that free

v . . ry.

. -i '- V

Viewof Cincinnati from Kentucky in

1840

(Cincinnati Historical Society)


10/35

MARY L

COOK

PUBLIC UBRAIY

381

OLD

STAGE

RD

WAYNESmLE

l

45068

513 897 4826


11/35

AfricanAmericans were incapableof livingsuccessfully

inwhite society, eitherbecausetheywereiimately

inferior or because theywould take many generations

of

development to catch up. Their solution to this fear

of

inundationby freeAfricanAmericanswas to purchase

land in

Africa^named

Liberia and ship them all there,

with initial financial help, to civilize the heathen.The

movement grew rapidly and by 1830 had chapters

throughout the nation. Free AfricanAmericans almost

universally, and vigorously, rejected the entire concept.

Though some slave-owners gave lip service and money

to the ACS program, very few emancipated any slaves;

and while evangelical adherents generally regarded

slavery as an evil, others usedmembership in the organi

zation as a cover, i.e., seeming to be anti-slavery while

actually doing nothing to end it. The Cincinnati chapter

of theAmerican Colonization Society flourished in the

late

1820s

and

1830s,

with

theNorth.TheOhiochapterof the

A.A.S.

was organized

in 1835,andat its first anniversary meetingestablished

Cinciimati as its permanent headquarters. Three members

of

First CongregationalChurch served on the Executive

Committee in 1836.

Cincinnati

White

Population: It is generally as

sumed that antebellum Cinciimati was pro South because

somany of its white citizens were migrants from south-

em states, particularlyVirginia andKentuclQ . However,

this was not the case in the 1820s. The publisher of the

1825 Cinciimati City Directory asked every white head

of

household listedwhere he/shewas bom. Of the 2,414

people, 40 were bom in the Mid Atlantic States, 18 in

New England, 16 in the South, 10 in Great Britain,

7 in Ireland, 5 in other European countries, 2 in

Ohio and 2 unknown. Among those from the South,

half came from Maryland and only 12 from Kentucky..

It is not likely the percent

f rom t he Sout h increased

during the antebelliun.

The most dramatic growth

came f rom German and

Irish immigration along

with a continuing influx

from New England, the

Mid-Atlantic States and

other European countries.

Cincinnati'sAfrican

American Population: In

1825 African

Americans

were

5

Cinciimati s

population. Mostweremanumitted, andotherswerestill

payingfor their freedom. Almostall were fromVirginia

or Kentucky, havingbeenattractedby Cinciimati's

proximitycombinedwith its growingneed for laborers.

Sogreatwas theattractionof jobs just acrossthe river

from slavery that by 1829AfricanAmericansconstituted

10 of theCity's populationof just under24,000people,

and white labor was increasingly bitter over the competi

tion for jobs. This greatlyconcemed the white power

structure, most ofwhose members were also leaders

of

the American Colonization Society. So it was decided to

enforce the hitherto largely ignored 1804Ohio law, as

amended in 1807,stating that noAfricanAmericancould

settle inOhio unless he posted a 500 bond signed by

two bondsmen who guaranteed his good behavior and

support. Theannoimcementwaspostedpublicly on July

1standcompliancedemandedwithinthirtydays. The

African American leaders complained loudly, but the best

theycouldget was an additional 30 days to

comply.

By

more than

100

members

including virtually all the

City's political, business

and religious leaders, with

several members First

Congregational Church

among its most prominent

participants.

Abolitionism: The

immediate an d

universal

abolishment of slavery did

not ex is t as a national

movement in September

of

1829whenDavidWalker's Appeal.. .to the Colored

Citizens

of

theWorldwas published.A freeAfrican

AmericanwhomigratedfromCharlestonto Boston and

ran a second-hand clothing store.Walker's 76 page

indictment

of

slavery,in the strongest possible language,

was addressed to al lAfricanAmericans. It

exhorted

them

to resist colonization and, as Americans, claim the

freedom promisedin the Declaration of Independence. It

quickly wentthrough threeprintings andwas

found

all

over the coimtry, includingthe Southwhere it provoked

offers

of

3,000 for Walker's head and 10,000 for

bringing himto theSouth alive. Walker's Appeal inspired

WilliamLloydGarrisonto leavehis editorialpositionfor

a colonizationist paperinBaltimore, returnto Bostonand

fulfill his dream

of

publishing an anti-slavery newspaper.

His first issue

of

The Liberator, published on January 31,

1831, launched the abolitionist movement. Two years

later hisAmericanAnti-SlaverySocietywas locked in a

struggle forpowerwith the colonizationists throughout

In 1829 the white power structure de

cided to enforce a hitherto largely ig

nored law stating that noAfricanAmeri

can could settle in Ohio unless he posted

a

500

bond. Within two years half of

Cincinnati's AfricanAmerican popula

tion

was

gone.

page 3


12/35

fe i SSSfn


13/35

the end

of

August, amid increasingly violent attacks by

whites, more than 1,000African Americans

had

left

Cincinnati for land they purchased near York, Ontario

with the help ofmoney donated by Quakers and other

sympathetic whites from Pennsylvania and New York.

There was no City Directory in 1830, but the one for

1831 reported 1,194 African Americans, or 4

of

the

population, a percent not exceeded again until the next

century

Cincinnati s Economy: The Cincinnati power struc

ture had achieved its purpose of reassuring the South that

the City was a good place to transact business. It was

dependent on trade with the southern states for its pros

perity, and remained so until the Civil War. The river

traffic f rom Cinc inna t i to

New

Or le an s a nd t he cities

between carried machinery of all kinds, pork, grains,

whiskey, clothing and other goods to the South; and they

retumed laden with cotton, sugar, molasses and imports

from Europe. Manufacturing the river boats was itself

one

of

Cincinnati s largest businesses. Many members

of

First Congregational Church were deeply involved in the

southem trade as business owners/managers, financiers

and attomeys. Further, during the summer months

Cincinnati teemed with vacationing plantation owners

and their families, many bringing personal slaves with

them. They filled hotels, patronized restaurants and

stores, and attended the theaters. The political and

business

leaders

of Cincinnati

were

determined

to

maintain this very profitable and friendly relationship.

They regarded abolitionist meetings and newspapers, as

well as other public anti-slavery activities, as unaccept

able

T DONALDSON FAMILY

When the thirty-three original members

of

First

CongregationalChurchsigned its covenant in 1830, six

were Donaldsons. The two oldest sons emigrated from

Wales to Clermont County in 1816. When they had

established themselves

on

a

farm

in th e

New

Richmond

area, their parents and four younger siblings joined them

in 1821. By 1829 Christian, (then 34) and William (then

31) had started a successful hardware and cutlery import

ing business in Cincinnati, located for many years at 18

Main St. Their mother, Anna Margaretta, and their two

sisters joined them, their father having died in 1824.They

lived on Race St between Th ird and Four th and

a few

years later moved to a house at Sixth and \dne. 25 year

old Thomas, the youngest son, remained on the farm in

New

Richmond; and the oldest, Francis,

retumed

to the

family estate in Wales.

Anna

Margaretta

Donaldson

(1767-1844)

This picture

is a

reproduction

of an

unattributed drawing in History

ofClaremont

County, Ohio by Louis H. Evarts (Lippincott,

Phila.

1880

Anna Margaretta Donaldson, who was 63 in 1830,

had

become a Unitarian and an anti-slavery advocate in

England, and her children were like-minded. Christian

and William were foimdingmembers of the OhioAnti-

Slavery Society in 1835; and either or both served on its

executive committee for the next decade. The family

moved to a home onMt. Ephraim (now Mt.Auburn) next

to the Avondale Road (now Sycamore/Auburn Ave.) one

of the routes

taken

north

from

downtown by fugitive

slaves, many

of

whom the family is said to have hidden

and then helped on their way. Anna Margaretta died at 77

in 1844, after which William returned to England. Then

Christianmoved back to Clermont County and joined

forces with his brother Thomas, who was a prominent

abolitionist and participant in the Underground Railroad.

Both were active in the Ohio Anti-Slavery Society until

the Civ il

War

We wil l

encounter

members of this

re

markable family again.


14/35

MAIY

L COOK PlJEf

JC

381 OLD STAGE HiS

WAYNESVIIXE OBiO 4^068

513/897 4826


15/35

OT R EARLY

ANTI SLAVERY

MEMBERS

Two other early members

of

the Churchwere in

volved significantly inAnti-slavery work: John R. Child

and Thomas Maylin. Child arrived in Cincinnati from

Massachusetts early enough to sign the covenant in 1830.

He was a relat ive

ofDavid Lee

Child, the

Boston attor

ney and abolitionist husband

of

writerLydia Maria Child,

one

of

the William Lloyd Garrison s most effective

supporters. Child went into the pork packing business,

later going into partnership with his brother-in-law,

Joseph Rawson, another member

of

the Church. Pork

packers were frequently cited by Levi Coffin as one

of

his most reliable sources

of

financial support for the

UndergroundRailroad. In light

of this circumstantial

evidence, the statements made by descendants

of

Child

that he helped fugitive slaves were probably based on

fact.

Maylinwas an English immigrant about whom we

know very little.He first

appearedin theCincinnati

City Directory in 1836listed

as a school teacher.

That

sameyear hewas onthe

executive committee

of th e

OhioAnti-SlaverySociety,

and remained in that position

until at least 1840.The

records are

not

c le ar a s to

when hejoined First

Con

gregationalChurch,but we

do know that startingin 1835he wasa prolificcontributor

to theWestemMessenger, a magazinefeaturing articleson

moral

philosophy

theology

government

andcommunal

societies aswellas poetryand literary criticism. Itwas

published monthly from1835 1841 andeditedbythe

Unitarian ministers in Louisville and

Cincinnati.

Contribu

tors includedmostof the prominent Transcendentalists,

including suchBostonUnitarians asRalph

Waldo

Emerson,

TheodoreParker,MargaretFullerand BronsonAlcott.

Slavery was the subject of some articles during the

first fewyears,but oppositionto -isms of all varieties

became a burning issue. Consequently, starting in mid

1837 the editors rejected all articles on creedsor

isms including abolitionism.When he was asked to re-

subscribe that July,Maylin declined in a letter protesting

themagazine s appearance of neutralityon the slavery

question, stating: I feel ashamed and mortified that a

professed advocate of broadandgenerous viewsof

Christianity .. .shouldbe chargeablewith sucha glaring

inconsistency, as to supporta systembuilt upon a flagrant

violation

of

that Law

of

Love [and ] vindicate the ac

knowledgedoppressor against the oppressed.

T 1836 RIOT

During the early 1830s the struggle between the

colonizationists and abolitionists took place in northem

Ohio, particularly inWestem Reserve and Oberlin

Colleges, lead by the charismatic Theodore DwightWeld

from upper New York State. The actionmoved to south-

em Ohiowhen Lane Theological Seminary in Cincinnati

recruited Rev.LymanBeecher as its president in 1832

and Weld enrolled as a student the following year. The

latter sought to convert his fellow students to abolition

ism, and organized a series ofdebates on slavery in 1834

that radicalized all but a few of the students on the issue,

creating a furor in Cincinnati. Most of the students

resigned when the Lane Board

of

Trustees insisted the

discussion o f

abolition

must cease. Some r e

mained in Cincinnati to

start

schools fo r

African

American

children, bu t the

majoritymoved en masse

to Oberlin College after it

promised to admit women

and Afncan

Americans

on

a basis

of

equality with

white

men. We ld

worked

full time as an agent

of

the

American Anti-Slavery

Society organizing chapters throughout Ohio.

On a missionary trip to the South for theA.C.S in

1832^he was then

a colonizationist

Weld met

th e

slave-owning lawyer James Bimey in Huntsville,AL and

recruited him to serve as agent for the Society in the

Southwest. By 1835Bimey recognized the futility of the

colonization movement, and was convinced by his

correspondencewithWeldto emancipatehis slavesand

publish an abolitionistnewspaper.Intense hostility

precluded his starting such a publication in Huntsville or

in his home town, Danville, KY., so he and Weld decided

on Cincinnati, which

was

still in a turmoil

over

the Lane

Seminarydebates.Wordgot out and threats ofviolence

were delivered as a warning against starting the paper.

So, with the advice and help of Christian andWilliam

Donaldson, Bimey started publication of the Philanthro

pist in the relative safety ofNew Richmond on January 1,

1836, with the editor commuting by boat from his home

in Cincinnati. As early as January 22nd a widely reported

In declining to resubscribe,Maylin wrote

that he

was

ashamed

and mortified

that

a magazinethat professedto advocate

Qiristianity shotild be chaigeablewith

such a glaringinconsistency as not to

oppose slavery.

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meetingof500 anti-abolitionists, lead byMayor Samuel

Davies, postmaster and Methodist ministerWilliam

Burke and former U.S. Senator Jacob Bumet, took place

in Cincinnati; and Bimey was again warnedto keep his

paper out of the City or suffer the consequences. By

April, circulation was doing well and Bimey was fed up

with th e arduous

commute. i

The

execut ive

com

mittee o f t he Oh io An ti -

Slavery Societyvoted to

assume hnancialrespon-

sibil ity for the Philan-

thropist and move to

Cincinnati as

its ofUcial m

publication.Three

of

the v

eight men on the com- f

mittee

were members

o f

First Congregational

ChurchChris t ian

and

WilliamDonaldson,

and

Thomas

The th e

ov

down a

occu-

pied by Afhcan Ameri-

cans to general public

applause

After

that

the

Hr ^fl|

City remained calm un-

til mid July. Then, with-

out warning, the shop of

Achilles Pugh, printer of

the Philanthropist, was Timothy Walker

1802-1856)

ransacked by

agroup of Widely

recognized

for his

scholarship, writing

and

twenty

men

on

the

night

teaching,

Walker elevated

Cincinnati

to a national

ofJuly 12th.

They were

centerof legal thinking. is1837

book

Introduc-

lead by

five

prominent tion toAmerican /.aw was the standard text for

business

men,

all bom in generations of first-year law students. Cincinnati

the northeast, and Historical Society).

headed by Joseph Gra-

hama Pennsylva-

nianowner

of

a large paper mill. These five tore up the

already printednext issueof thepaper anddismantled the

press,takingsmallpartswiththem. Theothersstoodguard

while the city watch observedthe affairand did not inter

fere.Thenext daya handbill writtenby Grahamwas widely

posted in the City. Under the headlineABOLITIONISTS

BEWARE,it threatened that ifthe paper wasre-established

Theplan ismatured to eradicate an evilwhicheveryciti

zen feels is undermining his business and property. This

failed to intimidate the A.A.S.which gave Pugh a 2,000

guarantee. He repaired his press and three days after the

raid thenew issuewasonthe street.Handbillsandnewspa

perarticleswarnedof dire consequencestocome,withspe

cific

threats

addressed to the Donaldson

brothers

an d Rees

Price, another abolitionist immigrant from England.

A public meeting of

, about 1,000 people was

|||Bj||^^ held

at the Lower

Market House on July

23 rd t o d ec id e whe th e r

Cincinnatians wi l l

permit the publication or

distribution o fAbolition

Hjk

papers

in

this City. The

iPr

resolutions adopted

clearly stated that

nothing short of absolute

discontinuance o f th e

Philanthropist could

a

to

Lower

Marke t Hous e Commi t-

tee

o f

thirteen men was

k

appointed

to

carry out

rthe

will

of th m ting

t i n cluded th ree mem

bers of First Congrega

t iona l Church: Thomas

Bakewell, owner of

a

foundry employing

'

about twenty

men;

1802-1856)

William Greene, a

scholarship, writing and prominent attomey and

Cincinnati

to

a national secretary of the Cincin-

s

1837 book

Introduc- natiWaterworks; and

the standard text for Timothy Walker, a fast

iw students. (Cincinnati

rising attomey who had

founded the C inc inna ti

Law Schoo l in 1833

with his partner, Ed

ward King. All three were members of the American

Colonization Society.Walkerwas the secretary

of

the

Lower Market House Committee (which also included

Jacob Bumet, Nicholas Longworth, John Foote and other

leaders bom

in

the Northeast).

A week ofnegotiations merely hardened the firmly

held convictions of

both

sides, and action was taken the

evening of July 30th.A mobwas organizedunder the

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office e a rl ie r t h at m o n th . T w o a d di ti on a l l e ad e rs we re

added: John Clark, a tailor from Connecticut; and Joseph

Talbot, a carpenter from Virginia. The latter is the only

Southem-bom person I ve found who was involved in a

leadership role during the entire affair.After receiving

careful instructions, the mob reassembled at

7th and

Main where Pugh s shop was located. The presses were

torn down and the office totally dismantled. The rioters

proceeded to Pugh s home where they searched unsuc

cessfully for further supplies

of

ink and paper to destroy.

Then they went on to the Donaldson home at Sixth and

Vine where they were faced down by the redoubtable 69-

year-old Anna Margarettawhile her sons escaped out the

rear entrance; and then to Bimey s home nearby where

they found only his young

son. A f te r t h e rioters

removed all the furnishings

f ro m t he h om e

ofDr .

I s aac

Colby, another prominent

abolitionist, Graham

prevented further damage

to homes by redirecting

them

back

to Pugh s shop.

They removed the presses

and dragged them into the

river. F u r t h e r a c t io n

that

night was directed at a

seemier neighborhood with

interracial

brothels

wh i c h

were destroyed.The Mayor then advised the rioters they

had done enough for one night and to go home for some

rest, which most did.

Although the next two days saw additionalmob action,

volunteerorganizations keptmattersunder controluntil a

ia w

and order meeting was calledat the CourtHouse over

whichWilliam

urice

andJosephGrahampresided.They

expressed their dis pprov l ofmobsandtheirsupport in

establishing civicpeace, therebyendingthe 1836riot.It had

beenorganizedandmanagedby northemandforeignbom

communityleaderswhoweremembersof theAmerican

ColonizationSociety; it was directed against theOhioAnti-

SlaverySocietyin a concertedeffortto destroythe organi

zation and eliminate abolitionism in Cincinnati. Ironically,

the City s AfricanAmericanswere bystanders in this battle

ofwhites over their future as American

citizens.

ThePhilanthropistwas againback in publicationin a

matter ofdays.Circumstantialevidenceindicatesthiswas

probablydueto thesupport

of

a newmember

of

First

CongregationalChurch,J.A. James,a NewJerseynative.

He and his brother started a stereotypingbusiness in 1833,

andby 1835had establisheda largeprintingsupplyhouse

located a t

O n e

B ak er Street in t h e m i d d le of

downtowiL

They carried presses, inks, type fonts and paper as well as

making stereotypes.As we will see later, James was an

abolitionistand was in a position to re-equip Pugh s shop

quickly after each raid.As a member

of

the Church, he

certainlyknew theDonaldsonsandMaylin,providinghim

with every opportunityto leamwhat was needed to get the

Philanthropistup and running.

EVERY

HUR H

OOR I S LO SE

In the 1837Aimual Report

of

the Ohio Anti-Slavery

Society a briefsection on the Churches in Cincinnati

states: Every church door is closed to abolitionists. We

m a ke n o c om m en t. H e re i s

The rioters tore down Pugh s presses and

dismantled his

office,

then

searched

his

home unsuccessfullyfor further supplies

to destroy. Then they went on to the

D o n a l d s o n h o m e

a t Sixth a n d

Vine

where they were faced down by the

redoubtable 69-year-old Anna while her

sons escaped out the rear entrance.

the fact, the

naked

fact,

that in the year

of

our Lord

1837,

in

Cincinnati,

in

the

heart of a christian[sic]

republic wont to boast

of

its mental independence,

and

of

the purity

of

its

principles

of

civil and

religious liberty, not a

ch u r ch

c a n b e

o b t a i ne d f o r

the purpose

of

explaining

the full meaning of these

principles..Most

ch u r ch es

d i d n t e v e n

respond to the Society s requests to use their facilities for

meetings, and those few that did were negative.

The Trustees of First Congregational Church re

ceived a letter dated

June 26 1840

from the executive

committee

of

the Ohio Anti-Slavery Society containing

just such a request. Two

of

the eight signatories were

ChristianDonaldson and Thomas Maylin. This may not

h av e b ee n t he first t i me th e B o ar d h a d b e en a sk ed t o

address this particular issue, but it was the first ofwhich

we have any record. However, it should be noted that

Christian Donaldson had resigned from the church in

February

of

1836 over the public support church mem

bers gave to the effort that January to silence the Philan

thropist. He was persuaded to reconsiderby a very

contriteWilliam Greene. Ordinarily, the Trustees would

vote and respond quickly to this sort

of

request, but this

one was so controversial they asked the renters

of

pews

to consider it and decide the issue. The evident strength

o fa number of the written votes indicates it

wa s

a stormy

meeting. Forty-three men voted, i.e., those in whose

names the pews were rented; and the result was twelve

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Yea's, thirty Nay's and one 'indifferent.'

Among the Yea's were the expected ones such as

William Donaldson, ThomasMaylin, John R. Child and

the Rev.William Henry Channing. But there were also

some unexpected ones: William Greene, Timothy Walker

and Benjamin Umer, all of whom changed their views

since t he 1 83 6 riot; an d

Edmund

Dexter, Cincinnati s

most successful Whiskey

importer and rectifier. An d n

there w er e tw o n e w e r

m e m -

bers

of

th e

church; J. A.

James about whom

we

have

already spoken; and Massa-

-j

yf

/v'j f ^

flight to freedom. This was certainly true in First Congre

gational Church. This was the problem: In Cincinnati,

anti-abolitionism was socially correct and economically

beneficial. Aiding fugitive slaves was legally and eco

nomically suicidal, particularly for the members of an

urban congregation of successful and very visible finan

ciers, business owners and professionals. The former

attitude was displayed

publicly for all to see, while

X

y

y the

latter was kept scrupu-

\ lously pnvate.

O th er

factors

t o c o ns i de r

// X y- in helping ascertain the

.. participation of the Unitarian

Underground

'ry. Railroad

were:

1). The

> unreported contributions of

? women, who not only

^ j

participated in sewing

circles

yZ

^ .

and

other

seemingly innocent

groups that gave

matenal

C -

0^~

help

to the

cause

but also

performed countless situ-

ationaland frequently

courageous-acts of

kind

y fh/rC yiiiiomy //y.

ness for

fugitive slaves m

54^ / ...A ^

dire need;

2 The most

likely

^ ''' y

participation

ofmen in the

p Underground Railroad was

in v es to r s

w h o s e f in a n-

^ \

cial

contributionsgiven

in

r ' confidence, and often by

well-known public anti-

1^ abolitionistswere essential

First Congregat ional to its success; and 3) The

ows

members

voted previous two factors necessi-

and on e ' indifferent' tate virtually complete

0 Anti-Slavery Sod- relianceon circumstantial

Por

meetings. evidence and family tradition

in writing this section. The

cases of

t h e D o n al d so n s a t

their homeonMt. Ephraim,JohnR.Child and Richard

B. Field are such examples already presented. Weshall

now look at three more in greater detail.

THE

U N I T A R I A N THREESOME

This section actually involves four men. However,

on e of them

wa s not a Unitarian; b ut h e s the one

wh o

ties the stories together, i.e., Levi Coffin, the Quaker

'President'

of

the Underground Railroad. Fugitive slaves

sd4^.

ch u s etts - b o m R i c ha r d B .

Field, wh o in 1840 w as c o-

owner of the New England

Bakery on Fifth Street

b e t w e e n

V i ne

an d

R ac e. H i s

partner was Edward Harwood

who left a few years later to

go into the wholesale chemi

ca l

business. H a r wo o d w a s

an

a r d en t a b o li t io n i st

w h o

b e c a m e L e v i

C o f fi n s m o s t

visible a n d trusted

U n d e r

ground Railroad ally. Field's

d e s c en d e n ts s t a te d

h e

w as

involved in helping fugitive

slaves, and his association

with

H a r w o o d lends

so me

credibility to their claim.

-^ 9

/ /

y-t.-. i

. v.

i A

This 1840 record of First Congregational

Church (Unitarian) shows members voted

12 yeas,

30

nays and one 'indifferent'

not to le t th e Ohio Anti-Slavery Soci

ety use its facilities for meetings.

SOME FACTORS

IN

U N D E R G R O U N D

RAILROAD j[.^jg 1g4Q [-ecord

voteon the OhioAnti-Slavery not tO le t th e C

Society's request was prob- ety use Its faciiitle

ably indicative ofthe

general

'

unpopularity of abolitionism

in Cincinnati at the

timeif

anything, it

ma y

over-state

abolitionist strength. It is likely that even in 1861 a

majority of theUnitarian congregationas well as of

both

Cincinnati and the entire

North

was against the

total and immediate abolition of slavery. But the

majority's rejection of abolitionism in the 1840s and 50s

was not indicative of northern whites' general repudia

tion of the institution of slavery; nor did it convey their

demonstrated willingness to assist fugitive slaves in their


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Alphonso T a f t 1 8 1 0 - 1 8 9 1 )

Among

Taft s

most important cases was his

s u c c e s s f u l

f ns

of

th

McMicken will

thereby enabling this large

bequest to

help

firmlyestablish th e University of Cincinnati as

a leader in municipally sponsored college edu

cation . Cincinnati Historical Society)

had been coming through Cincinnati for decades before

Coffin arrived in 1847. The assistance provided them was

given overwhelmingly by the members of three African

American congregations, i.e., those

of

the BethelA.M.E.

Church later namedAllen Temple)founded in 1824,

UnionBaptist

Chiurch foxmded

in

1835

and ZionBaptist

Church

founded

in 1840.

Th eir reso u rces were limited

but largely overcome with courage, ingenuity and the

assistance of individual whites. However, the rapidly

growing numberof fugitives in the

184 s

increased the

need

for more financial resources, reliable battlefield

intelligence and better communications. Providing these,

with a degree of organization and remarkableinspira

tional leadership, was the crucialcontribution of Levi

Coffin wh o

moved

to Cincinnati in 1847, having already

made an outstanding record of Underground Railroad

success in Indiana. His commitment to preserving the

anonymityof investors and others for whom publicity

c o u ld h a ve

mean t

social and/or fi nanc i al rui n w as a bs o

lutehe was totally trustworthy.

T h e

Threesome: T h e three m en

i n v ol v e d a r e

Alphonso Taft, George Hoadly and Peter H. Clark. I will

first give a brief biography of each, and then relate

specific Underground Railroad stories with circumstantial

evidence involving one or more of them and associating

al l three

with

L e v i C o ffi n .

Alphonso Taft

was

bo m in V er mo nt in 1810. He

arrived in Cincinnati in 1842 following graduation from

Yale College and its law school, having first scouted the

West and selecting the City as the place with the most

opportunity for an ambitious young attorney. Taft was an

exceptionally able lawyer and a tacitum man

of

conserva

tive personal tastes. He was also a religious liberal and a

political progressive, exemplified by his firm adherence

to Unitarianism he was an active member

of

First

Congregational Church until his death); and by his

abandoning the Whigs over the slavery issue and being

one of the founders of the Republican Party in 1855 56

in Cincinnati, the State and Nationally. He regarded

slavery as an evil that should be abolished. Despite his

known abolitionism, Taft was not viewed as a r ad ic al an d

George Hoadly 1826-1902)

He an d T a f t w e r e tw o o f t he t hr ee Cincinnati

delegates

to

th e February

1856

meeting in

Pittsburgh

that

initiated organization of th e

Republican Party. Both left their original par

ties over the

issue of slavery. Cincinnati His

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remained highly respected throughout the community.

His first wife, Fanny Phelps, died in 1852 leaving him

with two s on s ; he m ar ri ed L ou is e To rr ey in 1853 who

gave him three more sonsthe first of

whom

was

William Howard Taft in 1857and a daughter. In 1864

Taft was elected to the Hamilton County Superior Court

and re-elected in 1868; was a leading candidate for the

Republican nomination for governor on two occasions;

served as Secretary ofWar and Attorney General in the

last years ofGrant s second administration; and finally

served as Minister to Austria-Hungary and then Russia.

The Taft

h om e o n

Mt. Aubu rn was no

more t h an

h l

a

mile up the road from the house the Donaldson family

l e ft abou t

th e

s ame t im e t he Tafts moved in . H e d ied in

1891.

George Hoadly was

bom

in Connecticut in 1824

where his father served as mayor of

New

Haven. The

family soon moved to Cleveland where his father also

served as mayor for many years. Hoadly graduated from

Westem Reserve College and Harvard Law School. Then,

following a probationary year in Zanesville, he came to

Cincinnati in 1848 andjoined

Salmon R Chase s law

firm where he was made a partner the following year.

That year he also joined First Congregational Church

where

he

remained

an

active

member until

he

left Cincin

nati in 1887. His brilliance as an attomey lead to his

election as City Solicitor in 1855. He was appointed to

the Superior Court in 1859 and elected to the reconsti

tuted Hamilton County Superior Court in 1863. He

resigned in 1866 after twice refusing appointment to the

Ohio Supreme Court, the first time tuming down his

former mentor Governor Chase. He became perhaps the

most successful corporate attomey in Cincinnati and was

for twenty years a professor at Cincinnati Law School. A

Democrat until 1855, Hoadly broke with that party over

the slavery issue and was associated with Taft in found

ing the Republican Party. He had cut his anti-slavery

teeth assisting Chase defend fugitive slaves and was a

firm abolitionist. Hoadly returned to the Democratic

Party over the tariffissue in 1876. He was subsequently

elected

Govemor ofOhio

as a strong advocate

of

African

American civil rights. After failing to win a second term

Hoadly moved to New York where he practiced corporate

law very successfully until his death in 1902. He was said

to have commented late in his life that his greatest

satisfaction as a lawyer was realized from his defense of

fugitive slaves early in his career.

Peter H. Clark was bom in

Cincinnati

in 1829 the

so n

o a mulatto

manumitted

slave

and

hi s

mulatto

wife.

H i s mo th e r

died

whe n h e w as a t od dl er a nd h e wa s

Peter H. Clark

1829-1925

s importance as an anti-slavery activist, edu

cator

and

politician ha s

gone

largely

unrecog

nized by generations of historians. He

was

not

ig no red by his

contemporaries

in Cincinnati,

Ohio or th e Nation. Cincinnati Historical So

ciety)

brought up by a loving step-mother in a close-knit family.

His father was a very successful barber who owned his

place of business on Broadway. Colored public schools

were not available yet, so he was educated in private

schools financed and staffed by

African

Americans

and

abolitionist

whites;

and

he

received an excellent educa

t ion for that time.

When

colored public schools were

authorized by state law in 1849largely due to the

lobbying

of

his uncle John 1. GainesClark was the first

teacher hired. In August of 1853 he was fired from his

job as an infidel because he stated at a public meeting he

admired the writings

of

Thomas Paine, and later admitted

he

was

a Deist.

He tumed

to full-time abolitionist writing

and speaking, at first in Ohio and then for national

audiences, before being rehired as a teacher in 1857. He


26/35


27/35

became an active Republicanwhen the party was

founded and undoubtedlybecame well acquainted with

Taft and Hoadly,particularly when the outspokenly

abolitionist Rev. Moncure Conway assumed the pulpit

of

First Congregational Church in mid 1856, and soon

thereafter exalted Thomas Paine in public lectures.

Although he did not

join

the church formally until 1868,

Peter H. Clark was a Unitarian in thought and had

associated with at least two very important members

of

the congregation for over a decade by then. The story

of

Clark s largely ignored, but remarkable, career as aboli

tionist, educator and political activist is too lengthy to

include more than a few highlights in this paper. Sufhce

it to say here, his relationships with Taft, Hoadly and

First Congregational

Church were a highly

important factor in his life

an d

work until

1887,

when

both he and Hoadly left

Cincinnati.

Clark s

father

d ie d i n

1849

P e te r w a s elected a Trustee

the Asylum, a position he held for more than thirty years,

most

of

them as secretary

of

the Board. He and Levi

Coffin became c l o se c o l la b o rat o rs i n t he affairs both

the Asylum and, almost certainly, the Underground

Railroad.

C of tin

n e v e r m e n ti o n ed

C la rk s n a me i n

connection with the latter because he would likely have

been fired from his teachingjob. With his position as a

teacher, his history

of

assisting fugitive slaves and his

association

with

Levi Coffin, Peter H.

Clark

was

in

his

early twenties, already

known among

Underground

Railroad activists as a man to call in an emergency.

In mid August

of

1853 George Washington

McQuerry, a bright 28 year old mulatto who had lived in

Troy, Ohio north

of

Dayton) for four years,

had a steady jo b and a

loving wife and children,

was fingered as a fugitive

slave by a white informer

w h o

w ro t e

hi s o w n e r in

Washington County,

Kentucky. The owner

c am e w i th

an officer,

identified McQuerry, and

h a d h im t ak e n i nt o t he

custody by the Deputy

U.S. Marshal in Dayton.

He was put in irons and brought to Cincinnati. The party

arrived in the late evening and took quarters for the night

a t t he G ai t H ou se hotel. W or d th e

situation leaked

out

and a cr owd

Af r ican Amer icans collected b ut w as

restrained by the police. A steward in the hotel sent for

Peter H. Clark w ho w as informed th e circumstances.

Clark knew that

if

nothing were done the prisoner would

quicklybe put in the hands of the U.S. Commissioner in

Cincinnati charged with enforcing the Fugitive Slave

Law

of

1850 in the area and he would be immediately

retumed to Kentucky. U.S. Supreme Court Justice John

McLean was in Cincinnati riding circuit and Clark

immediately headed for his home in Avondale. He woke

the Judge in the wee hours

of

the morning and secured a

signed Writ of Habaeus Corpus demanding that

McQuerry and those who held him in custody appear in

Federal District Court at 10 a.m. that morning to show

cause why they deprived McQuerry

of

his liberty.After

intense legal wrangling between the Federal Judge and

the U.S. Commissioner, the Writ wa s enforced. The

trial^with

James Bimey and John Joliffe as McQuerry s

very able defense team that was paid through Coffin s

The

McQuerry

Case

Pe t e r H . C l ar k w a s

raised

in the

Bethel

A.M.E

C h u r c h w h e r e assistance to

fugitive slaves was an

every day activity in which

all participated, including

members of his family. His uncle, John I. Gaines, oper

ated a wholesale produce and grocery business on the

waterfrontthat waspatronizedby river boat stewards

al l b u t a

fe w

o f t h em w e re Afiican Americans^who

informed him

of

any fugitive slaves on their boats who

needed help. His aunt Evelina was married to John

Woodson,a master carpenter who employed ten hands

and was head of the church Sunday school. His sister

Ann married the noted abolitionist speaker Gideon Q.

Langstonolderbrother of the more famousCharles

and John M.

angston^who

owned one

of

the largest

livery stables in Cincinnati. Abolitionism and assisting

fugitive slaveswere integralto Clark s life from his

earliest years.

His father w as o ne o f th e founders o f th e

Cincinnati

Colored OrphanAsylumin 1844-45. Prominentwhite

founders included Salmon P.Chase, who did the legal

work, and Christian Donaldson, who raised the money as

founding Treasurer A few yearslater the Coffinsmoved

to Cincinnati and took an interest in the Asylum, actually

runningit withoutchargefor a few years in the early

1850s when money was very tight. A few years after

T h e U.S. m a r s ha l s b r o ke i n to the Vine

Streetroom and recapturedtheir quarry in

a bloodyfightduring which one marshal

was severely stabbedand a slaveshot and

wounded. The

slaves

w e re r us he d b ac k t o

their owner in Covingtoiv by which time

ihe w o u n d e d one h a d

died.

page 11


28/35


29/35

flmd-raising effortswas on the issue

of

whether or not

McQuerry was still a slave under the law. At the end

of

the lengthy arguments, JudgeMcLean, who was not in

sympathy with the Fugitive Slave Act, nevertheless felt

boimdby the law to rule against McQueny, who was

promptly returned to his owner in Kentucky. Peter H.

Clark had done all that could be

done^but

sadly it

wasn't enough.

The onne l l y ase

On June 13,1857 two fugitive

slaves^a

man and

wife missing for a week were traced to room 18 on the

sixth floor

of

a building on Vine Street just north

of

Fourth

The

U S

marshals broke

into

t he r oo m a nd

recaptured their quarry in a bloody fight during which

one

of

the Marshals was severely stabbed and the male

slave

shot

and wounded The slaves

were

rushed b ack to

their owner in Covington by which time the wounded one

had

died

The rooms^for there was another room behind

Room 18 were the office

of

William M. Connelly, a

writer for the Daily Commercial who had previously

publishedan abolitionistpaper Hewas out whenthe raid

took place, so an intensive effort to apprehend him for

harboring fugitive slaveswas initiated. Connelly got

wind of it and absconded

to New

York where

he

secured

a job on the Sun.

A number

of

issues were raised in the newspaper

articles reportingon thiswell publicized case. For

example,it was routinelynoted thebuildingwas owned

byAlphonso Taft, with the corollaryquestionas to

whether he knewwhatwas going on in his property; the

couplehad been livinginRoom18for a weekand itwas

wonderedhow it was possible for them to avoid discov

ery for that longwithoutothershavingabettedConnelly;

and there was speculation it was a regular station on the

Underground Railroadexistingunder the verynosesof

the authorities. After several months Connelly was

arrested inNew Yorkand brought back for trial. Levi

Coffin arranged bond for his release imtil trial, and

engaged

his

defense

team,

former

judge J.B.

Stallo

and

ex-govemor ThomasCorwin. He publicly mentioned

several

of

the bondsmen, including some familiar names,

followedby and others. The otherswereundoubtedly

prominentmenwhose names werekeptconfidential for

goodreasonperhaps men suchas Taftand oadly ( So

discreet

was

Coffin

he did not even

mention Taft

in

connection with the location of the incident years later in

his Reminiscences.)

Inthedays

building

up to thetrialtherewas

speculation

regarding the

evidence

thatmightbe

presented

OnMay5,

1858,the daythe trialopened,theEnquirerstated It is the

prosecutiondesigntomakeverycuriousrevelationswith

regard to the UndergroundRailroad.. .As we learn that

many

of

its directors, officers and conductors aremen

of

positionin ourmidst, theprogress

of

the trialwillbe

watched with no little interest. In the event, no such

revelationsoccurred,perhapsbecauseStanleyMatthews,

theprosecutor,wason very good professionaltermswith

both StalloandTaftas well as respectful

of

Coffin.

Cormelly was judged guilty, sentenced to twenty days

in jail and fined ten dollars. Admirers ensured his comfort

and good eating in the token confinement

of

jail; he was

visited by a parade of congratulatorymidwestemUnitar

ians who were meeting in Cincirmati, and alsoby a large

group ofMethodists who were also assembled in town.

Upon his release he was in great demand as a speaker.

The Connelly case was a spectacular example

of

the

attitudinal paradox in late 1850sCincirmati:A very

substantial majority

of

its citizens were unwilling to serve

as slave catchers for the South;

but

at the same time, they

adamantly rejected abolitionism as a means

of

ending the

'peculiar institution.'

The

ouse in Wa l n u t

il l s

OnMarch

31 1860

Peter H. Clark paid 800 in cash

for the house at 1119Kemper Road(nowYaleAve.), one

block east

of

MontgomeryPike (now GilbertAvenue), in

WalnutHills. The only known use made of his property

was, withClark's permission, for the organizational

meetings

of

Brown's ChapelA.M.B.Church held in its

living room in 1862.Clark sold the house for 600 on

April 5,1864, taking a twenty-five percent loss on the

investment. Since Clark taught at the WesternDistrict

School on Court Streetbetween Mound

and John

on th e

west side

of

downtown where he and his family lived at

225GeorgeStreet,the house couldhardlyhavebeen for

u se a s

theirhome

Inasmuch as

he and

hi s

wife had

tw o

very young childrenand a third on the way,it seems

improbablehe couldhave affordedsucha speculative

investmentor would even

have had

the cash

to

make it.

And it's very unlikely he was in a position to take a loss

of

200.Why did he buy the house and fromwhom did

he

get

the money?

In the mid 19thcentury,Montgomery Pike was one

of themajor arteriesnorth from downtown, and the first

African American community one would encoimteron it

was Walnut Hills. In fact, this was where Levi Coffin

occasionallyhid fugitive slaves.The volume

of

fugitives

from slavery increased greatly during the last few years

of

the antebellum. It seems likely that Coffin suggested to

page

12


30/35


31/35

Clark the desirability

of

a safe house conveniently

located inWalnutHills for the regular use

of

fugitive

slaves being conducted from Cincinnati to points North.

Hemay even have suggested that they seek the funds for

purchasing such a house from his wealthy Unitarian

fnends; and further, that he buy the house in his name to

avoid any possibility

of

negative publicity about the

donors. Clark would certainly have agreed enthusiasti

cally with such a plan.

The Tafts and the Hoadlys had been close fnends for

many years. Also included in this social circle were

fellow

c h u r c h m e m b e r s

William G o o dm a n a n d L e m e r

B

Harrison

an d

t he i r wi ve s G o o dm a n w a s

founde r

an d

president

of

theWashington InsuranceCompany; and

Harrison was owner

of

a very successful wholesale

grocery business for which hemadeyearlybuying trips

to sugar plantations in Louisiana where he saw slavery at

work G o o dm a n a n d H a rr i so n w e re adherents ofMoncure

Conway,the outspokenlyabolitionistminister of First

Congregational Church,andwerecloset abolitionists. It

would have presented few,

if

any,problems for Clark to

describe the need for the houseprobably through Taft

or Hoadly and to get the money in cash. This would

only have beenpossiblebecausebothClarkandCoffin

were known to be trustworthy and reliably discreet. I

believe this is why and how the house was bought, and

then sold in 1864 when it was no longer necessary to

conceal fugitiveslaves.The proceedswouldundoubtedly

have been returned to the donors, who probably reckoned

the lossas a smallprice to pay for helping correct such a

glaring inconsistency.

Cod a

TheColoredOrphanAsylumwas atNinth andPlum

from

1845

until it m o ve d t o Avondale

in

1866

onto a

largetractpurchased bywealthy whitedonors In 867

Levi Co ffin retired fro m h is

work

at

t he Fr eedmen s

Bureau and built a retirement house on a piece

of

the

ColoredOrphanAsylum snew propertysold to himby

its Board

of

Trustees, with PeterH. Clark most likely

involved as the behind-the-scenes arranger. Coffin died

there in 1877 shortly after completing his Reminiscences.

Peter H. Clark was one of four AfiicanAmerican pall

bearers at his

funeral^and

he gave the only address at

the graveside ceremony.

C O N C L U S I O N

Thispapertellswhatwe nowknowabouttheanti-

slavery attitudes andactions of lay

members

of First

CongregationalChurchof Cincinnati. Weare confident

there are a great many more stories yet to be discovered.

The congregation s records are voluminous and

we re

still combing them for clues wemay have overlooked.

Complete as our records are, at least compared to those

of

many churches, there are some significant gaps^years

when records were lost, correspondence not saved or

material damaged and discarded. But we are continuing

our efforts to complete our memory as a means

of

empowering hope for the future^the hope ofabolishing

forever the glaring inconsistency.

ib l iography

This bibliography includes only the most important

readily accessible resources documenting this presenta

tion. In the interest ofmaking the paper easily accessible

to the general reader, I have not included the coimtless

newspaper, book andjoumal references I ve consulted.

The life and career

of

Peter H. Clark are the subject

of

a

book currently being co-authored by the writer

of

this

paper andMary Frederickson,Associate Professor

of

History at Miami University. It will be the first ever

written about this curiously neglected major figure of

Ohio s history.

First Unitarian Church Records, in the Cincinnati Histori

cal Society Library

SesquicentennialHistoryofFirstUnitarianChurchof

Cincinnati by E.S. Lutton (available onmicrofiche at

the Cincinnati Hamilton County Public Library)

Gentlemen

of

Property and Standing:Anti-Abolition

Mobs in JacksonianAmerica by Leonard Richards

Reminiscences

of

Levi Coffin by Levi Coffin

Historyof ClermontandBrownCounties,Ohio,Vol II,

Biographical by ByronWilliams(for theDonaldson

family)

Cincinnati, Queen City

of

theWest 1819-1838by Daniel

aron

InfluenceTranscendingMere Numbers:TheUnitarians

inNineteenth century Cincinnati byWalterP.Herz, in

QueenCityHeritage:The Joumal of the Cincinnati

Historical Society,volume 51, No.4,Winter 1993.

CentennialHistoryof CincinnatiandRepresentative

Citizens by Charles Theodore Greve, Vol. 1.

page 13


32/35

513 897 2826


33/35

v;?

t f^

BIBLE AND FAMILY

RECORD

Name

of Family

P r e s en t

Owner

Pu b l i s h e d

PUGH

Warren County Historical

Society

Stereotyped by E < J

White New

York

for The American Bible Socie ty 1829,

Smal l l e a t h e r

bound.

Azarlah

Pugh was born on the 27th

day

of

12 mo

181

^a^_C. Pugh

10th

June 1811

Ux Bartemious Pugh

in the yr of our

Lord

184A

I Frances M Pugh in the yr of our Lord 1845, the 20 of Feb

Joanna

Pugh

in the yr of our

Lord

1847, 7th of l


34/35

PA; DIED OCTOBER 31, 1876HAMIL

N COUNTY,OHIO; BURIED SECTIONH, LOT 5, MIAMI CEMETERY,

EN COUNTY, OHIO.

SCOPALCHURCHHISTORY; ACHILLESPUOH OF WAYNESVULE

A ROOMWHEREBOTH THEVERY

SMALL

CATHOLIC ANDBHS-

(HIOUPS

WORSHIPPED

IN 1870.

Aynontj

the

pioneer orintcrs

v/as

Achilles Pu-Vi

la-rcx

.

I^nnsylvania u ker

.ho

Em.S

18m

ThM?

t

^t-rated

to

Anerloa with TVilUam Fwm

i

efforlntli ^

I 36 he be-

an prlntint a

paper

called

The

Philanthropist for the Ohio Anti-

Slavery

Society,

headed by

Janes

0.

Birney.

and profitable trade relations with

the

South .

Birney.s

h.ananitarianisn

rpiburjetL, PP .

arched

to

ublic meetint.,

presided

over by Mayor Samuel V.. Davies

and

declared that

no

abolition paper

should be

pubUsher;r

distributed in the tovm .

puoxisnea

or

^'i Jitinc

Quaker; ho

defiantly

uphold

his

;ht8 of free speech and a free press. Astout'principle

however,

tas

not

always

stood

up

well

before

a

stout

moL

'

broke 'th a crowd Jamed its

way

into Pugh s shop,

roke the press, and scjattered the type.

Push s p ress

again put out The

Wilanthropist. On Saturday night, July 30. tireless Tiril-

antos gathered the wildest mob

in

the annals

of early

cin-

c nnati.again crashed into Pugh s shop at Seventh.and

Streets,

showered

the

type into the

streets,

tore down the nress

and sacked

the

office. ft.rts of the

press

;ere

laurdrag-

'

ged down Hain Street

and

tossed into

the

Ohio River.

The righteous mob had made

all

provisions to uohold the

orilt: ? r,

Brpendent men upSld^

nufc

Ih \

brought along

tar

and

feathers,

fe^f^

something

about

Achilles

Pugh that desdained tar and

eathers, and he

was

simply ordered to leave

town.

For a

time Pugh published

the

paper

at

Springboro, T/arren

County, bringing

the

abominable sheet down the canal to

T afterward he re-established his shop here.

In k8'79 the firm of pugh Printers was

incorporated

as the

A

H.

Pugh

Printing

Company. Now

the corporation,

under

direc

tion of Achilles

H. Pugh 111, grandson

of the

founder,

has a

f?

Strcet(1905),

where

nearly

150 workers

re employed, and labels

and

commercial printing of hll kinds

produced*


35/35

OM IVLb t

BY BARRY

BALS

Egmv

a ti mv

FTiea

A

Bold

Printer

Did you ever

hear

of

Achilles Pug^No? Mr.

Pugh

fi

CDa^inailjobprinter

hack

In the 1830's, a

humble

man

and

h on es t, who

set

hi s

by hand and

hump^

his shoulders feed

in g a

Job

press t lm

oper

ated by foot power.

Bom

in

Chester*County,

Pennsylvania. March

10,

1805, Mr. I^gh came

with

his parents to Cadiz,

Ohio,

when

four and a t

17 got a

Job

as prin ter s

devil In the

shop

of

ttie Cadiz Infor

mant,

t t e local weekly

newspaper,

m 1827

he

went

to Philadelphia

where

he

teamed

more about

print

ing.

Mr.

Pugh came

to

Cin

cinnati hi

1830

an d go t

a

Job

as man ag er o f the Evan

gelist, a religious periodical,

and s o w it h a way t o m ak e

a

better

living waa

married

in 1832 1 o Anna Mar i ah

Davis,

daughter of

John

Davis, of

Bedford Coimty,

Virginia.

A

few

years

later

he gained a partnership hi

th e Job

printing

business of

Morgan

8e

Sanxay,

Sevoith

and Main Sts., Cincinnati.

The

city

had a lo t of Job

s hop s ,

competition

was

keen and

th e

sledding was

s low.

EBE

LONG a bi g printing

Job came

along an d

Mr.

Pugh was elatedthe Phi

lanthropis t ,

a

newspaper

started in

1835

by

th e

execu

t ive commit tee

o f

th e Ohio

Ant i-S lavery Society,

i tself

organized

only

tha t year.

A

few

numbe r s

h a d

been

printed

at

New ihchmohd

b ut th e

committee

wanted

th e

paper p ri nt ed In Cin

c inna t i for r e a sms of I ts

own . Any how th e

circula

tion

field was

larger

there.

Cincinnati Ihen was a

strong pro^lavery

town

and

Mr. Pugh s

partners

refused

the

Job

on

th e grounds

that

th e newspaper 's doctr ines i

were

no t the i r own. Mr.

Pugh took

th e

Job anyhow

and

opened a little

shop

of

his own back of

his

home

on

Wa ln ut S tr ee t between

Sixth ahd Seventh Sts.

Re d idn t

ca re a hoo t

whether

th e Negro

remained

ens laved o r whether he

slipped

hi s

chains and

went

free,

so long as

the society

paid

It s

printing

bills and

boldly said

so .

On th e

other

hand, explained

th e

printer , If slavery cannot

stand d i s c u s s i o n , then

slavery Is wrong. Therefore

as a p ri nt er I t is the

line

o f m y business to

prin t

this

paper , c ha rg ing

Documents

Pugh Achilles (1)