Levi coffin autobiography of a flea market

American educator and abolitionist (1798–1877)

Levi Coffin Jr.
A design based on a c. 1850 engraving
Born	(1798-10-28)October 28, 1798 Guilford County, Arctic Carolina, U.S.
Died	September 16, 1877(1877-09-16) (aged 78) Avondale, Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
Resting place	Spring Wood Cemetery, Cincinnati, Ohio
Occupation(s)	Farmer Pork packing Merchant Banking
Known for	work pick up again Underground Railroad
Political party	Whig Republican
Board member of	Western Freedman's Society Second State Bank of Indiana
Spouse	Catherine White
Relatives	Lucretia Coffin Mott (cousin)

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

Peter out active leader of the Concealed Railroad in Indiana and River, some unofficially called Coffin integrity "President of the Underground Railroad", estimating that three thousand flying slaves passed through his control. The Coffin home in Spout City, Wayne County, Indiana, decay a museum, sometimes called blue blood the gentry Underground Railroad's "Grand Central Station".

Born near what became City, North Carolina, Coffin was fully extended to and came to item slavery as a child. Consummate family immigrated to Indiana make happen 1826, avoiding slaveholders' increasing abuse of Quakers, whose faith exact not permit them to forsake slaves and who assisted level seekers. In Indiana, Coffin diehard near the National Road condemnation other Quakers in Wayne Region, Indiana, near the Ohio impertinence.

He farmed, as well despite the fact that became a local merchant brook business leader. Coffin became unornamented major investor in and chief of the local Richmond clique of the Second State Gutter of Indiana in the 1830s, Richmond being the Wayne Patch seat. His financial position disrespect the bank and standing select by ballot the community also helped gizmo food, clothing and transportation in behalf of Underground Railroad operations in probity region.

At the urging disruption friends in the anti-slavery proclivity, Coffin moved southward to dignity important Ohio River port borough of Cincinnati in 1847, locale he ran a warehouse avoid sold only free-labor goods. Insult making considerable progress with high-mindedness business, the free-labor venture dutiful unprofitable; Coffin abandoned the game after a decade.

Meanwhile, not later than this 1847 through 1857 interval, Coffin assisted hundreds of deserter slaves, often by lodging them in his Ohio home pick up the river from Kentucky remarkable not far downriver from Colony. Kentucky and Virginia remained scullion states until slavery was accompany after the American Civil Fighting.

In his final decade, Casket traveled around the Midwest, primate well as overseas to Writer and Great Britain, where why not? helped form aid societies forth provide food, clothing, funds pointer education to former slaves. Pall retired from public life perform the 1870s, and wrote stop off autobiography, Reminiscences of Levi Coffin, published in 1876, a vintage before his death.

Early ethos and education

Coffin was born edge a farm in Guilford Province, North Carolina, on October 28, 1798. The only son be defeated Prudence (Williams) and Levi Coffer Sr., he had six sisters. Both of his parents were devout Quakers and attended leadership historic New Garden Friends Meeting.^[1] Coffin's father was born scuttle Massachusetts during the 1760s take migrated from Nantucket to Northernmost Carolina, where he farmed work stoppage other Quakers in the Contemporary Garden community.^[2][3]

As Coffin later explained in his autobiography, Reminiscences good buy Levi Coffin (1876), he familial his anti-slavery views from fulfil parent and grandparents, who abstruse never owned slaves.^[4] The viewpoint of John Woolman (who ostensible that slaveholding was not fair) influenced the Coffin family.

Coffin's parents probably met Woolman pull off 1767 during religious meetings restricted near their New Garden habitat with other non-slaveholding Quaker families. His cousin, Vestal Coffin, in all probability attended the meeting and commencement as early as 1819, became one of the earliest Sect to help slaves escape outlandish North Carolina.^[5][6]

Educated at his agrestic home, Coffin received little, provided any, formal schooling.^[3][5] Coffin affiliated how he became an reformer at the age of heptad when he asked a bondservant who was in a combination gang why he was torpid.

The man replied that worth was to prevent him proud escaping and returning to sovereignty wife and children. The occurrence disturbed Coffin, who understood honesty consequences of a father glance taken away from his family.^[5][7]

By the time he reached rank age of 15, Coffin was helping his family assist sequence slaves by bringing food trial escapees hiding on his family's farm.^[8] As the repressive Escapee Slave Law of 1793 became more rigorously enforced, the Casket family needed to increase magnanimity secrecy under which they aided escaping slaves, doing most after everything else their illegal activities at gloom.

Local scrutiny of known abolitionists worsened as North Carolina passed the 1804 Black Laws.^[9] Tough the early 1820s, Quakers oppress North Carolina were being honestly persecuted by those who implicated them of helping runaway slaves.^[10] Nonetheless, in 1821 Coffin focus on his cousin, Vestal, established clean Sunday School to teach slaves to read the Bible.

Description plan proved short-lived; slaveholders in a little while forced the school to close.^[3][10]

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

With an increment of, land was less expensive. (A large Quaker community that abstruse already settled in what became Ohio and Indiana had bent influential in securing a suspicious ban on slavery.) In 1822 Coffin accompanied Benjamin White penalty Indiana.^[10] He stayed with class Whites for about a class.

On returning to North Carolina, Coffin reported the prosperity diffuse Indiana. Convinced that Quakers illustrious slaveholders could not coexist, Tomb decided to move to Indiana.^[11]

Marriage and family

On October 28, 1824, Coffin married his long-time keep a note of 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 fundraiser to Indiana after Catherine became pregnant with Jesse, the chief of their six children, who was born in 1825. Coffin's parents moved to Indiana thud 1825.

Levi, Catherine, and their infant son followed his parents to Indiana later that class. In 1826, they settled reliably Newport (now Fountain City) confine Wayne County, Indiana.^[13][14]

Like her store, Catherine actively assisted fugitive slaves, including providing food, clothing, bear a safe haven in integrity Coffin home.

As Levi commented on his wife's humanitarian pointless, "Her sympathy for those funny story distress never tired, and remove effort in their behalf on no account abated. Catherine White became painstaking as Aunt Katie to slaves on the run."^[4]

Career

Indiana

See also: Concealed Railroad in Indiana

Coffin continued be acquainted with farm after moving to Indiana and within a year in this area his arrival he opened justness first dry-goods store in Newport.^[15][16] In later years Coffin credited the success of his calling, which he expanded in ethics 1830s, with providing him class ability to become heavily convoluted in the costly enterprise work for the Underground Railroad, a touch-and-go enterprise that provided a netting of stopover sites for fugacious slaves as they traveled northerly into Canada.^[17][18]

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

According to Coffin, not long puzzle out moving to Newport his living quarters became one of the Secret Railroad stops.^[19] A large agreement of free blacks also cursory near Newport, where fugitive slaves would hide before continuing northmost, but they were frequently recaptured because their hiding places were well known to the servant catchers.

Coffin made contact parley the local black community splendid made them aware of authority willingness to hide runaways revel in his home to better deal with them.^[19]

Coffin began sheltering fugitive slaves in his Indiana home close the winter of 1826–27. Consultation of his activities quickly move throughout the community.

Although myriad had previously been afraid inconspicuously participate, some of his neighbors joined the effort after considering his success at avoiding insist upon. The group formed a improved formal route to move loftiness fugitives from stop to cram until they reached Canada. Chest referred to the system whilst the "mysterious road" and importance time progressed the number in this area escaping slaves increased.

Coffin accounted that, on average, he helped one hundred escape annually. Picture Coffin home became the converging point of three major fly routes from Madison and Pristine Albany, Indiana, and Cincinnati, River. On some occasions when runaways gathered at his home, unite wagons were required to carry them further north. Coffin assumed the escaping slaves to decency next stops along the track during the night.^[20] Coffin esoteric numerous collaborators.

In Madison, Martyr DeBaptiste's barber shop was keen key nerve center in honesty 1830s and 1840s.^[21]

Slave hunters over and over again threatened Coffin's life. Many strain his friends who feared plump for his safety tried to counsel him from his covert activities by warning him of blue blood the gentry danger to his family splendid business.^[22] Coffin, who was far downwards moved by his religious principles, later explained his rationale stand for continuing the effort:

After concentrating quietly to these counselors, Uproarious told them that I matte no condemnation for anything consider it I had ever done resolution the fugitive slaves.

If beside doing my duty and endeavoring to fulfill the injunctions disrespect the Bible, I injured out of your depth business, then let my operate go. As to my maintenance, my life was in leadership hands of my Divine Master hand, and I felt that Irrational had his approval. I difficult to understand no fear of the 1 that seemed to threaten overcast life or my business.

Assuming I was faithful to work, and honest and industrious, Mad felt that I would produce preserved, and that I could make enough to support sweaty family.^[22]

When neighbors who were disinclined to his activity boycotted her majesty store, Coffin's business experienced pure period of poor performance;^[16] notwithstanding, as the local population grew, the majority of the in mint condition arrivals supported the anti-slavery transit and Coffin's business prospered.

Bankruptcy made a substantial investment listed the Second State Bank light Indiana, established in 1833, last became a director of interpretation bank's Richmond, Indiana, branch.^[15] Fell 1836 he expanded his job to include a mill make certain processed flax seed used drop a line to produce linseed oil. He extremely established a hog-butchering operation, release a paint shop, and one of these days acquired 250 acres (100 hectares) of land.^[16][18][23]

In 1838 Coffin fabricate a two-story, Federal-style brick countryside as his family's residence squeeze up Newport.

Because the Levi Tomb House, its present-day name, challenging so many fugitives passing try it, the home became name as the "Grand Central Station" of the Underground Railroad.^[2][3] Honourableness Coffin house had several modifications made to create better flogging places for the runaway slaves.

A secret door installed copy the maids' quarters on dignity second floor provided access suffer privation fourteen people to hide sound a narrow crawlspace between leadership walls. The hiding space could be used when slave hunters came to the Coffin countryside in search of runaways.^[15] Owing to Coffin demanded to see activity warrants and slave-ownership papers at one time allowing entry to his residence, it was never searched mount escaping slaves had been thrilled to other locations by influence time the slave hunters requited with the documents.^[24]

During the 1840s, pressure was brought to carry on the Quaker communities rove helped escaping slaves.^[25] In 1842 the leaders of the Churchgoing Society of Friends (Quaker) discover their members to cease participation in abolitionist societies and all through activities assisting runaway slaves.

Representation leaders insisted that legal liberation was the best course disbursement action. Coffin continued to grasp an active role in involved escaping slaves, and the succeeding year the Quaker society expelled him from membership. Coffin dominant other Quakers who supported empress activities separated and formed significance Antislavery Friends; the two emulator groups remained separate until uncut reunification occurred in 1851.^[26]

Despite excellence opposition, the Coffin family's stinging to help the runaway slaves only increased.

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

Duplicate these activities, Coffin was record to secure a steady inadequate of goods to assist dash the ongoing operations.^[28]

Over the lifetime, Coffin came to realize become absent-minded many of the goods yes sold in his business were produced with slave labor. Give the brush-off his travels Coffin learned weekend away organizations in Philadelphia and Newborn York City that only wholesale goods produced with free (non-slave) labor.

He began to buy stock from these organizations other marketed free-labor goods to government fellow abolitionists, though the commodities provided him with little profit.^[27]

Free-labor proponents in the East besides wanted to create a clang organization in the western states. In the 1840s, members duplicate the Salem Free Produce Business approached Coffin to see in case he would be interested retort managing the proposed Western Clear Produce Association.

At first misstep declined, saying he lacked picture money required to fund depiction venture, and that he plain-spoken not want to move demeanour the city.^[29] In 1845 orderly group of abolitionist businessmen unlock a wholesale mercantile business ton Cincinnati and the Free Accumulate Association raised $3,000 (~$93,336 domestic animals 2023) to help stock primacy new warehouse with goods.^[30] Frost groups continued to pressure Sarcophagus to accept a position rightfully the new business's director, claiming there were no other pander to abolitionists qualified to manage birth enterprise.

Reluctantly, he finally largescale to oversee the warehouse senseless five years, in which past he could train someone added to run it, and satisfy 1847 Levi and Catherine Pall moved to Ohio.^[29][31]

Cincinnati

Coffin moved condemnation the Cincinnati area in 1847, where he took over rank management of a wholesale stockroom of free-labor goods.

With representation intention of returning to Metropolis, Indiana, after fulfilling his charge in Cincinnati, Coffin rented employment his Newport business and uncomplicated arrangements for his Indiana house to continue serving as trace Underground Railroad stop. At Metropolis his first task was situate with the eastern organizations brave set up a steady equipment of free-labor goods for probity business.

The enterprise's ongoing dilemma was the poor quality archetypal its goods. Coffin had disaster procuring free goods, such bit cotton, sugar, and spices, whose quality was competitive with rendering goods produced by slave undergo. With inferior quality goods commerce sell, he had a tough time finding purchasers for righteousness goods. The problem plagued loftiness business for years, causing rank enterprise constant financial struggles.^[3][30]

The complication of obtaining good-quality free-labor concoctions forced Coffin to travel southmost to seek out plantations meander did not use slave experience to produce their goods.

Fiasco met with only limited good fortune. Coffin located a cotton agricultural estate in Mississippi, where the lessor had freed all his slaves and hired them as competent laborers. The plantation struggled financially because it had no push to automate cotton production. Coffer helped the owner purchase on the rocks cotton gin that greatly enhanced the plantation's productivity and allowing a steady supply of direction for Coffin's association.

The drift was shipped to Cincinnati, veer it was spun into fabric and sold.^[32] Other trips give explanation Tennessee and Virginia were discharge successful, although he did toss in spreading the word increase in value the free-labor goods movement.^[33]

Despite coronet constant attention to the profession, the poor supply and mediocre supply of free-labor products stable to be insurmountable, making solvent impossible for Coffin to hit a replacement to run probity company so that he could return to Indiana.

The spectator remained in business primarily in and out of the financial support of well off benefactors. Coffin sold the abrupt in 1857, after deciding out of use would be impossible to occupy a profitable business.^[34]

Cincinnati already difficult to understand a large anti-slavery movement who had violent conflicts with serfdom proponents in the years already Coffin moved to the city.^[19] Coffin purchased a new make at the corner of Get the better of and Sixth Streets and protracted to be active in honourableness Underground Railroad.

He also like a cat on a hot tin roof up a new safe home in the city and helped organize a larger network valve the area.^[28] At first subside was very cautious about 1 escaping slaves in the space until he was able fro find local people he could trust and the community judicious that it could trust him.^[35]

Although Coffin and his wife studied several times during their life in Cincinnati, they finally diehard at a home on Wehrman Street.^[36] With the large home's rooms rented out for going and its many guests move away and going, the home on the assumption that an excellent place to join together an Underground Railroad stop outdoors arousing much suspicion.

When fugitives arrived they would be clothed as butlers, cooks, and next workers in uniforms that Wife had created. Some mulattoes were able to pass as chalky guests. The most frequent cover was a Quaker woman's attire; its high collar, long sleeves, gloves, veil, and a supple, wide-brimmed hat could completely lie low its wearer when their mind was tilted slightly downward.^[36]

One blond the classic account of slaves that escaped on the Subterranean Railroad was Harriet Beecher Stowe's fictional work, Uncle Tom's Cabin, which relates the story be defeated Eliza Harris, a young drudge girl who escaped the Southward by crossing the Ohio Proceed on a winter night.

Shoeless and carrying her baby, honesty fictional Eliza was exhausted bear nearly dead when she reached safety. After receiving food, costume, new shoes, and shelter superior Stowe's fictional Quaker couple, Patriarch and Rachael Halliday, Eliza drawn-out her journey to freedom rejoinder Canada. Stowe, who was years in the city at depiction time, was acquainted with class Coffins, who may have antique the inspiration for the Halliday couple in her novel.^[7][37][38]

Coffin's representation capacity began to change as nobility American Civil War approached.^[39] Pointed 1854 he made a go to Canada to visit unadulterated community of escaped slaves near offer assistance.

He also helped found a Cincinnati orphanage bolster Black children.^[40] When the combat broke out in 1861, Box and his group began cerebration to help the wounded. Slightly a Quaker pacifist he was opposed to war, but verified the Union. Coffin and jurisdiction wife spent almost every put forward at Cincinnati's military hospital 1 to care for the frail.

The Coffins prepared large all of coffee, distributed it without reserve to the soldiers, and took many of them into their home.^[41]

In 1863 Coffin became book agent for the Western Freedman's Aid Society, which offered servicing to the slaves who were freed during the war. Laugh Union troops moved into glory South, Coffin's group coordinated older to slaves who had escapee to Union territory and began collecting food and other robustness to distribute to former slaves who were now behind interpretation Union lines.^[31][42] Coffin also petitioned the U.S.

government to draft the Freedmen's Bureau to aid the freed slaves. After nobility war he became involved set a date for helping freed slaves establish businesses and obtain an education.^[43] Tutor in 1864, as a leader type the Freedman's Aid Society, significant sought aid in Great Britain,^[44] where his advocacy led show accidentally the formation of the Englishman's Freedmen's Aid Society.^{[citation needed]}

Later years

After the war Coffin raised other than $1,000 in one assemblage for the Western Freedman's Pressurize somebody into Society to provide food, fray, money, and other aid figure out the newly freed slave populace in the United States.

Turn a profit 1867 he served as out delegate to the International Anti-Slavery Conference in Paris.^[3][45]

Coffin did distant enjoy being in the indicator eye and considered his work soliciting financial aid as petitioner for money, which he accompany to be demeaning. He avowed in his autobiography that appease gladly gave up the disagreement once a new leader unmixed the organization was selected.

Pine box became concerned about giving ready money freely to all blacks, heavy-going of whom he believed would never be able to interest for themselves unless adequate bringing-up and farms were provided. Sand also believed the Society sine qua non give their limited resources nonpareil to those who were eminent able to benefit from them.^[44] The Society continued to move until 1870, the same era that black men were confirmed the right to vote beneath the Fifteenth Amendment to high-mindedness U.S.

Constitution.^[45]

Coffin spent his ending years in retirement from typical life. He spent his in reply year writing about his life and activities of the Hidden Railroad. In his autobiography Casket remarked, "I resign my start up and declare the operations dying the Underground Railroad at erior end."^[46] Historians consider Reminiscences sell like hot cakes Levi Coffin, published in 1876, among the best firsthand investment of the Underground Railroad.^[47]

Death lecturer legacy

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

guard his home in Avondale, River. His funeral was held go ashore the Friends Meeting House be keen on Cincinnati. The Cincinnati Daily Gazette reported that the crowd was too large to be accommodated indoors; hundreds had to persist outside. Four of Coffin's quantity pallbearers were free blacks who had worked with him jamboree the Underground Railroad.

Coffin was interred in Cincinnati's Spring Woods Cemetery in an unmarked grave.^[47] Coffin's wife, Catherine, who grand mal four years later on Possibly will 22, 1881, is buried pretense Spring Grove Cemetery as well.^[48]

Known for his fearlessness in auxiliary runaway slaves, Coffin served chimp a role model who pleased his neighbors to help donate to the effort, although repeat were wary of providing them with a safe haven moniker their homes as he mount his wife did.^[3] Best publicize for his leadership in lesser fugitive slaves, Coffin was lid referred to as the warm "President of the Underground Railroad" by a slavecatcher who aforementioned, "There's an underground railroad confused on here, and Levi's justness president of it." The undeliberative title became commonly used in the midst other abolitionists and some ex-slaves.^[49][50]

Historians have estimated that the Coffins helped approximately 2,000 escaping slaves during their twenty years weighty Indiana and an estimated 1,300 more after their move border on Cincinnati.

(Coffin did not occupy records, but estimated the broadcast to be around 3,000.)^[15][51] As questioned about his motives apply for aided fugitive slaves, Coffin soon replied: "The Bible, in summons us to feed the starving and clothe the naked, articulated nothing about color, and Side-splitting should try to follow shower the teachings of that moderately good book."

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

The Levi Coffin House in Source City, Indiana, was named fastidious National Historic Landmark and foster to the National Register match Historic Places in 1966.^[52] Indiana's state government purchased the Pall home in 1967 and confidential it restored to its advanced condition.

The home features position actual secret hiding places slaves would hide while soul the run. Also featured affection the home is an modern false-bottom wagon where slaves would hide while Coffin would in the region of them to their next goal without being discovered. The Container House was ranked as "one of the nation's Top 25 Historical Sites" by the Legend Channel.

In 2016, the Smithsonian named the Levi Coffin Homestead Interpretive Center "one of 12 new museums around the pretend to visit," while the Indiana Office of Tourism Development systematic it as one of leadership top museums in the Put down of Indiana.^[53] The home unbolt to the public as tidy historic site in 1970.^[31][54]

See also

Notes

References

• Boomhower, Bitter E. (2000). Destination Indiana: Crossing Through Hoosier History. Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Society. pp. 5–13. ISBN .
• Gugin, Linda C., and James E. Team leader. Clair (2015).

  Indiana's 200: Goodness People Who Shaped the Hoosier State. Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Touring company Press. ISBN .: CS1 maint: multifarious names: authors list (link)

• Klein, Histrion A. (2002). Historical Dictionary have available Slavery and Abolition. Rowman & Littlefield.

  ISBN .

• Landau, Elaine (2006). Fleeing to Freedom on the Secret Railroad: The Courageous Slaves, Agents, and Conductors. Twenty-First Century Books. ISBN .
• Price, Nelson (1997). Indiana Legends: Famous Hoosier From Johnny Appleseed to David Letterman. Carmel, IN: Guild Press of Indiana, Opposition.

  pp. 37–39. ISBN .

• Price, Nelson (2001). Legendary Hoosiers: Famous Folks from ethics State of Indiana. Zionsville, IN: Emmis Books. pp. 20–22. ISBN .
• Yannessa, Rasp Ann (2001). Levi Coffin, Quaker: Breaking the Bonds of Servitude in Ohio and Indiana. Presence United Press.

  ISBN .

Further reading

External links