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.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 36: Thomas Garrett (1789-1871)

Thomas Garrett - husband of my 4th cousin, 8x removed (x2!!)

Born: 21 Aug 1789 Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania

Parents: Thomas Garrett (1748-1839) & 
               Sarah Price (1759-1839)


Best known for: Being an abolitionist prior to the Civil War and a Station Master on the Underground Railroad- freed hundreds of slaves.

Family: 

Thomas married 2 times and both women were my 4th cousin, 8x removed!!!!

1. Margaret "Mary" Sharpless (1793-1827) on 14 Oct 1813. They had 5 Children:

1. Ellwood Garrett (1815-1910)
2. Sarah Sharpless Garrett (1819-1853)
3. Anna Garrett (1822-1853)
4. Henry Garrett (1824-1903)
5. Margaret Malin Garrett (1827-1863)

2. Rachel Mendenhall (1792-1868) on 08 Jan 1830.
They had 1 son: 

1. Eli Garrett (1830-1886)


Abolitionist: 

Thomas grew up in Drexel Hill, PA- A Quaker community. Quakers didn't believe in slavery- they believed all persons- despite race or gender- were equal.

Home where Thomas grew up

In 1813, when Thomas was married to Margaret, one of their free black servants was kidnapped and taken to Maryland to be sold. Thomas went after her, rescued her and brought her home. In 1820, he joined the Pennsylvania Abolitionist Society to promote abolition of slavery. 

Before the American Civil War, Thomas helped and freed many black slaves. He was a conductor on the Underground Railroad and was open about everything. He never had any secret rooms in his home. The authorities knew, but it wasn't until 1848 that he and John Hunn were found guilty of helping escaped slaves. Thomas was fined $4500. A lien was put on his house until the fine was paid, but Thomas was so beloved by so many friends that they helped him pay the fine and he continued to help slaves. 

It was about 1857 when Thomas helped Harriett Tubman rescue her parents from slavery- her parents who weren't slaves at all, but free people.

In Jan 1860, a resolution was offered in the Maryland Legislature proposing a reward for the arrest of Thomas Garrett, of Wilmington, for "Stealing" slaves but he was never arrested. 

In 1870, when black Americans were givne the right to vote, Garrett was carried on the shoulders of his supporters through the streets of Wilmington. 

Thomas Garrett died on 25 Jan 1871, at the age of 81 years old .He was buried in the Friends Meeting House Burial Ground in Wilmington, New Castle, Delaware. 

On January 25, 2002, Mayor Raymond Shay of Upper Darby Township proclaimed this day as Thomas Garrett Jr. Day.

One person at a time... Abigail

Even though I have a lot of people in my family tree, I also have a lot of "holes" that need more research. Over the next few months, I am going to attempt to patch up those holes by doing research one person at a time- starting at the beginning of the list.


Today's person: Abigail 

Before research:
All I knew about Abigail was that she was married to Gilbert Garrett, their son was William Garrett (b. 28 Feb 1801). William Garrett married Anna Mendenhall (1806-?)- my 2nd cousin, 7x removed.

After research:

Abigail Gilbert
b. 10 Feb 1771  in Pasquotank County, North Carolina
d. bef 1810

Her birth record is recorded in the U.S. Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy, Vol I-VI, 1607-1943 and in the U.S. Quaker Meeting Records, 1681-1994 for the Symons Creek Monthly Meeting.

m. Gilbert Garrett (abt 1770-?) in 1797. 

Parents- Jeremiah Gilbert (1740-1820) & Miriam Overman (1748-1781)

Siblings: 
Nathan Gilbert     1769-1781
Josiah Gilbert        1773-1839
Mary Gilbert        1775-1776
Thomas Gilbert    1779-1849


Abigail's 2x great grandfather- Joseph Gilbert (1629-1980) came to America from Bridgewater, England.
Abigail's 2x great grandfather- Jacob OVerman (1652-1715) came to America from Saxony, Germany.