Black Lives Matter: American Abolitionists in My Family Tree

This may be a little late in the game, but here I go....

I am a very white person...my heritage is primarily German and English decent. I have seen on the news and on social media that, as a white person, some people expect me to apologize for my white ancestors and how they owned slaves. Fun fact- Not all white families owned slaves. Not all white families believed in slavery. This is where my family falls into place...my ancestors were Quakers. They didn't believe in slavery. They believed in equality for all- race, gender, etc. So, as a white person whose ancestors had nothing to do with the ownership of any man, I cannot apologize. I can certainly empathize and on top of that, I can tell you how members in my family fought against slavery.

~Thomas Garrett Jr. (1789-1871) 

Thomas was a blacksmith who was open about his work as a stationmaster on the Underground Railroad at his home in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. He was never arrested.

Thomas Garrett married two of my cousins- 

1. Margaret Sharpless (1793-1827)

     -my 4th cousin, 8x removed

2. Rachel Mendenhall (1792-1868)

    -my 4th cousin, 8x removed 

Margaret & Rachel were 3rd cousins- I wonder if they knew each other, knew they were related? :) 

You can read more about Thomas and his abolition work here.

The Garrett Home in Upper Darby
227 Shipley Street

Thomas Garrett's first wife- Margaret Sharpless (1793-1827).

They had 5 children together: Ellwood, Sarah, Anna, Henry & Margaret.

Thomas Garrett's second wife- Rachel Mendenhall (1792-1868). They had 1 son named Eli.

Friends Meeting House Burial Ground
Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware

~Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896)

Harriet was an American abolitionist and author. Her books depicted the harsh conditions for slaves, which angrily fueled the South and 'energized' anti-slavery in the North.

Harriet married Calvin Ellis Stowe (1802-1886), her literary agent. He was also a biblical scholar and advocate for public education. 

You can read more about Harriet here.

Harriet's final resting place is in Phillips 

Academy Cemetery in Hartford, Connecticut. 

She is my 6th cousin, 7x removed.

~John Brown (1800-1859)

John Brown was an American abolitionist who both freed and escaped slaves along the route of the Underground Railroad. He created the League of Gileadites, a group to protect black citizens from slave hunters. Unfortunately, his story ends tragically- he was executed by hanging at the age of 59 after captured during the failed raid on Harper's Ferry. He was married to Emeline Freeman (1800-1878) & had 2 children who died young- Emeline F. (1825-1825) & Abijah W. (1826-1834). You can read more about John here.

John Brown's final resting place is in Jewett City Cemetery in Jewett City, Connecticut (lot 253). He shares a gravestone with his wife and 2 children. 

He is my 6th cousin, 6x removed.