Early+Abolitionism+in+Geneseo

**Early Abolitionist Beginnings in Geneseo** Original Author: Julie Paxton, ENG206 SP10 Revision Author:  Caught up in religious fervor, several families in Genesee County, New York left the civilized east to bring religion and education to the “far west” territory (Geneseo Annual Publication, 2010). Braving weather, rugged land, and miles of unknown dangers, the first five pioneer families arrived in Geneseo, Illinois in 1836, with three more families arriving the following year. The first eight families to settle in Geneseo included: Cromwell K. and Catherine Bartlett and their seven children, William C. Bartlett and his wife and six children, Elisha and Eliza Cone and four children, Reuben and Harriet Cone and two children, Harry & Lucy Manville and six children, and Rufus Hubbard and his wife and five children (Geneseo Publication, 2010). Religious life (Congregational and Presbyterian) was central to their reason for developing a new colony, along with their belief in the abolition of slavery and prohibition of alcohol. Together, they created the First Congregational Church, with the stated belief “that the holding of their fellow man in bondage or slavery is a sin and hence are willing to do what they can to break every yoke” (Geneseo Publication, 2010). It is with religious zeal that these families worked to aid fugitive slaves on their way to freedom by the underground railroad.  Geneseo had many known stations on the underground railroad. Though some of the buildings have been torn down or are inaccessible due to private ownership, several buildings are still standing that have open ties to the history of the underground railroad. The building that now houses the Geneseo Historical Museum at the southwest corner of State and Second Streets, the Hanson home at 8 Maplewood Court and The Cellar Restaurant (formerly “Geneseo House”) remain intact as reminders of the abolitionist presence of the early settlers.  The Geneseo Historical Society building is Italianate with asymmetrical entrances and tall, narrow windows and a double-door front entrance with stained glass lintels above. The exterior brick was painted white prior to 1859 and a front veranda has had several styles of posts over the years (Geneseo Republic, 1993). The home was originally built in1865 by George Richards (who arrived just after the first settlers in 1940) as two houses, with two separate entrances. Richards also built Geneseo House, but lived in the north home on State Street for 10 years. Later, Brothers Hiram and George Wilson, who both worked at First National Bank bought the home from Richards. Hiram and his family lived in the North home and added the south home for George Wilson's family. They chose to partition the homes because their wives did not get along, yet their home held many parties including the wedding of George Wilson's daughter, Emma to James Mitchelson in 1886 (Geneseo Republic, 1993).   Between 1921 to 1957, the home was owned by the McBroom family (a friend of the Wilson family and co-executor of Hiram Wilsons' last will),who turned the building into four apartments. Phyllis Gates bought the home in 1957 and, upon her death, left the home to her daughter, Rosalie Thede in 1981 (Geneseo Republic,1993). In 1996, the Geneseo Historical Association purchased the home for $200,000. Offering 27 rooms and 9,000 square feel of usable space, the Geneseo Historic Museum now displays over a dozen exhibits, including the popular underground railroad exhibit.  In 2000, museum officials discovered their own piece of history right beneath their feet – a small, cramped hideaway in the basement of the museum. Digging to try to find the tunnel (rumored to connect to the old First Congregational Church and/or Geneseo House), they discovered a hollowed-out hole in the wall that contained “a crumbling nursery rhyme book, a copper candlestick, three small sulfur boxes with burned pieces of stick inside and two small glass vials – one containing arsenic!” All have been confirmed as historically accurate slave artifacts (Geneseo Annual Publication, 2008).   The home at 8 Maplewood, currently owned by Jay and Judy Hanson, has also been recognized as a station on the underground railroad. Built by abolitionist Alfred Perry in 1854, a secret door was built inside of a closet on the main floor. Behind the secret door is a staircase on hinges that, when lifted, creates a small enclosure that likely hid many fugitive slaves. When in the “down” position, the staircase descends into the basement, which may have also been used as an escape route. While efforts have been unsuccessful to find any supporting evidence, the home is rumored to have had underground tunnels that connect the home to the First Congregational Church and the home of the Geneseo Historical Society. These rumors may have come from the misunderstanding that the Underground Railroad was actually “under the ground”. Additional folklore surrounds a large stone behind the home at 8 Maplewood. It is rumored that a fugitive slave died at the Perry home and was buried underneath the stone to conceal the evidence. As of yet, no effort has been made to prove or disprove the folklore (Hanson).  <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">While many people took their secrets to their grave, there were several known abolitionists in Geneseo and the surrounding area who were responsible for aiding escaped slaves. These abolitionist include: John C. Ward, R. R. Steward, Dr. Enos Pomeroy, Elisha Steward, LaFayette Stewart, James Allen, William Allan, Deacon Bernard Buck, Elder Jones, Mr. McFarlane, and Rev. Wilcox. These brave individuals helped many slaves pass to their next stations at Lyndon, Prophetstown, Dixon or Princeton (Geneseo Republic, 1913). <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> Harriet Cone Miller, daughter of Elisha Cone, recalled being part of the underground railroad station. Elisha was the lead conductor of the Geneseo Underground Railroad stations. The Cone cabin was on the corner of Center and Main Streets and was made of unpeeled log chinked with mud and the roofs were made of long wooden slats. No nails were used because there were none (Geneseo Historical Museum) shared her memories in the following segment from a 1913 newspaper interview: <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">“..there was a 'L' attached to our house in which was located the well and the wood house. Over this was an attic without windows and entered only by a trap door from the wood house the opening being concealed in the construction of the building so that it could not be detected from below. Access to this loft was concealed elsewhere. When fugitives arrives at our house they were announces by a peculiar signal given in rapping on the door. The fugitives arrive in our house were conducted to the loft by means of the ladder and there concealed until the opportunity came to send them to the next station. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> As I was the oldest child in the family I was admitted to the secret and it was my duty to carry food and water to the concealed fugitives by means of the latter and the trapdoor. ...these fugitives came...from Henderson, the next station tot he west, and were sent on to Prophetstown the next station east and their final destination was Chicago where they were put aboard ship. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> ...Elisha Stewart...was conductor from Geneseo to Prophetstown. There were riders all through the country whose business it was to catch and return escaping slaves. They frequently came...inquiring for runaways and got very close upon their trail at times. They would come to our house sometimes making inquiry while fugitives were concealed in the loft and would be thrown off the trail by my father and others by statements, which, if not strictly true, were, they believed, justified by the circumstances. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> I recall one instance when young Elisha Stewart was taking three fugitives to Prophetstown concealed in a farm wagon by being covered with hay. Two of the riders spoken of came up from behind and asked him what he had in his wagon. To which he answered: 'Potatoes'. He had shown so little interests when they rode up and told his story with such an honey mien that he was believed and the riders went on satisfied. After the riders were gone both...the negroes said they shook so with fright that they were afraid their pursuers would discover them by the shaking of the hay.” (Geneseo Republic, 1913) <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Other stories are told of “close calls” with slave runners. The following is a story often told concerning R.R. Stewart's hotel, which was located on the spot of today's First Lutheran Church. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">“A southern master had traced his escaped slaves into Geneseo. Upon arriving he took a room in Stewart's hotel. There he sat across the street to the big brick residence that was used in connection with the hotel. The master and his tracker sat all day on the veranda while R.R. Stewart calmly disguised his slaves, and drove them right past their ex-master.” (Geneseo Republic, 1913) <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">While the house location is not given, several homes, specifically in today's Cone's Addition, offer further evidence of underground railroad stations in Geneseo. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">“The owner of a house in Geneseo was remodeling and found a four foot square was missing between two rooms. She took the hammer and was gently knocking at the wall when the hammer fell through clear to the basement. You could see up tot he attic looking up the hole and all the way to the basement when looking down. In the attic there was a trap door and a slave cubby” <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Accounts are scarce for those who participated as conductors or travelers in the Underground Railroad. “The Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 imposed $1000 fine and imprisonment on anyone giving aid to runaways” (National Geographic, 1984). For this reason, many people denied their involvement and destroyed any personal journals or other evidence that would link them to the Underground Railroad. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">As research continues on Geneseo, Illinois's involvement in the Underground Railroad, we celebrate the history that brought settlers to the area and savor the unique glimpses of the past the remind us how progressive the early setters were. The buildings that remain today – Geneseo House, The Geneseo Historical Society, 8 Maplewood, and others that are privately owned – are treasures that we must preserve so that future generations may uncover more secrets of days gone by. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">**Works Cited** <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Blockson, Charles. “Escape from Slavery: The Underground Railroad.” National Geographic. July 1984: Print. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Geneseo Chamber of Commerce. “Geneseo: Annual Publication” 2010. Print. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Geneseo Chamber of Commerce. “Geneseo: Annual Publication” 2008. Print. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Geneseo Historical Museum. Retrieved from []. 2 May. 2010. Web. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Hanson, Judy Bond. Personal Interview. 7 Apr. 2010. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">“Tells of Operation of “Underground Railway”. Interview with Harriet Cone Miller. //Geneseo Republic//. 18 Jul. 1913. Print. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">“Thede home has long history”. //Geneseo Republic//. 14, May. 1993. Print. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Return to UGRR <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Return to Home <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">