Levi Coffin
Levi Coffin was a prominent abolitionist and member of the Underground Railroad in both Indiana and Ohio. Levi Coffin came from a Quaker family and was born on October 28, 1798 on a farm in New Garden, North Carolina to Levi and Prudence Coffin.[1] As the only son of seven children, Levi spent his childhood helping his family on the farm rather than attending school; his education came largely from his father, however it was sufficient for him to become a teacher later on. Coffin states in his book Reminiscences which was published in 1876, “Both my parents and grandparents were opposed to slavery, and none of either of the families ever owned slaves; and all were friends of the oppressed, so I claim that I inherited my anti-slavery principles.”[2] Growing up a Quaker, Levi Coffin possessed the Quaker belief that all human beings are equal, a belief he lived through his active role in abolition. <br /><br />Although Coffin was raised as an abolitionist, there were several instances where he reaffirmed his abolitionist beliefs after witnessing the treatment of enslaved people in the American South. The first occurrence was when Coffin was just seven years old. In his book, Coffin recounts a time when he and his father came across a group of enslaved people walking by in chains. His father asked them why they were chained, and one man responded that “They have taken us away from our wives and children, and they chain us lest we should make our escape and go back to them.”[3] Coffin describes this situation as his awakening to the horrors of slavery and he affirmed the abolitionist views of his family. In 1821, Levi Coffin opened a Sunday school in his hometown of New Garden, and became a teacher for enslaved people in the area in an effort to teach them how to read. However, many slaves were forbidden from being educated by their owners. Coffin spent his entire life fighting for abolition. <br /><br />Coffin moved to Indiana in 1826. The house he and his wife built in 1839 in Fountain City, Indiana (formerly Newport) became known as the “Grand Central Station of the Underground Railroad” because approximately 2,000 enslaved people were aided there in 20 years.[4] When he arrived in Indiana, Coffin opened a dry goods store in Newport. The store later grew to include manufacturing linseed oil and cutting pork. He was such a successful business man and his prominent role in the community led to his election to the director of the Richmond branch of the State Bank.[5] His prominence in the community and his thriving store helped to deflect attention from his role in the Underground Railroad. Coffin moved to Cincinnati, Ohio in 1847 and opened a wholesale warehouse, which also helped to fund his part in the Underground Railroad. The amazing thing about this warehouse is that he only sold goods that had been produced by free labor. Fast forward to the Civil War, where Coffin no longer only aided enslaved people through the Underground Railroad, but also, “served as a leading figure in Western Freedmen's Aid Society, which helped educate and provide in other ways for former slaves.”[6] In 1876, just a year before he died, Coffin wrote his book Reminiscences after his friends urged him to tell his story in the hopes of inspiring the next generation. He opens this book by framing his life’s work with these words: “What I had done I believed was simply a Christian duty and not for the purpose of being seen of men, or for notoriety, which I have never sought.”[7] Levi Coffin was a Quaker man who believed that everybody should be free and he made it his life’s mission to aid as many enslaved people as possible, despite the risk he faced.<br /><br />During his lifetime, Levi Coffin experienced several changes both nationally and in Indiana. When Indiana was admitted as a state in 1816, the Indiana Constitution prohibited slavery, similar to the Northwest Ordinance which had formerly governed Indiana as a territory. Although slavery was banned per the Constitution, there were 32 enslaved people recorded living in Vincennes in an 1830 census.[8] Just one year after Coffin moved to Indiana, New York completed its process of abolition. This provided hope for Coffin and abolitionists across the country that abolition would in fact succeed nationally. The 1851 Indiana Constitution added Article 13, which prohibited freed blacks from living in Indiana. “Section 1. No negro or mulatto shall come into or settle in the State, after the adoption of this Constitution.”[9] Although this Constitution was adopted in 1851, 4 years after Coffin moved to Ohio, this attitude had existed in Indiana before the new constitution, and would have affected Levi Coffin and the Underground Railroad. This amendment illustrates the changing attitudes in Indiana towards the growing free black settlements, such as the Roberts settlement and Lyles Station, which developed their own schools and churches as they were excluded from white schools and churches. <br /><br />Although slavery was abolished in Indiana, the anti-slavery and pro-slavery tensions in the nation resulted in prejudice against blacks, which culminated with Article 13 of the Indiana Constitution of 1851.[10] Article 13 was passed with tremendous support from the white people living in Indiana at the time, which included the Quaker populations in Indiana. Although many Quakers believed in abolition, that does not mean that they necessarily believed in equal rights. The Civil War and the 13th Amendment brought to fruition what the abolitionists, including Coffin, were fighting achieve. With the passage of the 13th Amendment in 1865, all enslaved people were legally free; this meant that the work of the abolitionists was accomplished, and Levi Coffin essentially retired and wrote about his experience.<br /><br />The Levi Coffin House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. In 2002, the Indiana Historical Bureau and Levi Coffin House Association, Inc. installed a historical marker at the Levi Coffin House.
[1] Ray Boomhower, “Destination Indiana: Levi Coffin: President of the Underground Railroad,” Traces, Summer 1997, 14. <br />[2] Levi Coffin, Reminiscences (New York: Augustus M. Kelley, 1968), 11. <br />[3] Levi Coffin, Reminiscences (New York: Augustus M. Kelley, 1968), 13. <br />[4] “Levi Coffin.” National Park Service. last modified September 14, 2017. accessed March 3. 2019. https://www.nps.gov/people/levi-coffin.htm. <br />[5] Ray Boomhower, “Destination Indiana: Levi Coffin: President of the Underground Railroad,” Traces, Summer 1997, 15. <br />[6] Ibid. <br />[7] Levi Coffin, Reminiscences (New York: Augustus M. Kelley, 1968), i. <br />[8] l Finkelman. "Almost a Free State: The Indiana Constitution of 1816 and the Problem of Slavery." Indiana Magazine of History 111, no. 1 (2015): 64-95. doi:10.5378/indimagahist.111.1.0064. <br />[9] Charles Kettleborough and John A. Bremer, Constitution making in Indiana (Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Bureau, 1961), 385. <br />[10] “Levi Coffin,” Indiana Historical Bureau, accessed April 3, 2019, https://www.in.gov/history/markers/437.htm.
Student Author: Jordan Girard <br />Faculty/Staff Editors: Dr. Ronald V. Morris, Dr. Kevin C. Nolan, and Christine Thompson<br />Graduate Assistant Researchers: Carrie Vachon and JB Bilbrey
PHOTO & VIDEO:<br />Levi Coffin, via wikicommons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Levi_coffin.JPG
<a href="http://digitalresearch.bsu.edu/digitalcivilrightsmuseum/items/show/25" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Digital Civil Rights Museum - Levi Coffin House</a><br /><a href="https://www.in.gov/history/markers/437.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Indiana Historical Bureau: Historical Marker</a><br /><a href="https://catalog.archives.gov/id/132002431" target="_blank" rel="noopener">National Register of Historic Places</a>
Rhodes Family Incident,
Hamilton County
<span data-contrast="auto" class="TextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0">I</span></span><span data-contrast="auto" class="TextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0">n</span></span><span data-contrast="auto" class="TextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0"><span> </span>183</span></span><span data-contrast="auto" class="TextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0">6</span></span><span data-contrast="auto" class="TextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0">,<span> </span></span></span><span data-contrast="auto" class="TextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0">Missouri</span></span><span data-contrast="auto" class="TextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0">an</span></span><span data-contrast="auto" class="TextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0"><span> </span>Singleton Vaugh</span></span><span data-contrast="auto" class="TextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0">a</span></span><span data-contrast="auto" class="TextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0">n, a<span> </span></span></span><span data-contrast="auto" class="TextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0">white<span> </span></span></span><span data-contrast="auto" class="TextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0">plantation owner</span></span><span data-contrast="auto" class="TextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0">,</span></span><span data-contrast="auto" class="TextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0"><span> </span>held an African American family —Sam Burk, his wife Maria</span></span><span data-contrast="auto" class="TextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0">h</span></span><span data-contrast="auto" class="TextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0">, and their baby daughter Lydia--in chattel slavery</span></span><span data-contrast="auto" class="TextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0">.[1]</span></span><span data-contrast="auto" class="TextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0"><span> </span>Prior to<span> </span></span></span><span data-contrast="auto" class="TextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0">coming to be owned by<span> </span></span></span><span data-contrast="auto" class="TextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0">Vaugh</span></span><span data-contrast="auto" class="TextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0">a</span></span><span data-contrast="auto" class="TextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0">n</span></span><span data-contrast="auto" class="TextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0">,</span></span><span data-contrast="auto" class="TextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0"><span> </span></span></span><span data-contrast="auto" class="TextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0">the Burk<span> </span></span></span><span data-contrast="auto" class="TextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0">family had<span> </span></span></span><span data-contrast="auto" class="TextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0">been illegally</span></span><span data-contrast="auto" class="TextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0"><span> </span>retained in slaver</span></span><span data-contrast="auto" class="TextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0">y</span></span><span data-contrast="auto" class="TextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0"><span> </span>in<span> </span></span></span><span data-contrast="auto" class="TextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0">the free<span> </span></span></span><span data-contrast="auto" class="TextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0">state of<span> </span></span></span><span data-contrast="auto" class="TextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0">Illinois</span></span><span data-contrast="auto" class="TextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0">.<span> </span></span></span><span data-contrast="auto" class="TextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0">According to the letter of the law, Burk and his family should not have been allowed to be held in bondage</span></span><span data-contrast="auto" class="TextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0">. Prior to</span></span><span data-contrast="auto" class="TextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0"><span> </span></span></span><span data-contrast="auto" class="TextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0">the Dred Scott decision in the Supreme Court</span></span><span data-contrast="auto" class="TextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0">, slaves living in a free territory<span> </span></span></span><span data-contrast="auto" class="TextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0">for a period of six months or longer </span></span><span data-contrast="auto" class="TextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0">were entitled to declare their freedom</span></span><span data-contrast="auto" class="TextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0">.</span></span><span data-contrast="auto" class="TextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0"><span> </span>However,<span> </span></span></span><span data-contrast="auto" class="TextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0">the reality of the situation was much different.<span> </span></span></span><span data-contrast="auto" class="TextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0">When the Burks’ owner left the state of Illinois for Missouri, he took the Burk family along with him – denying their right to manumission. He then approached </span></span><span data-contrast="auto" class="TextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0">Singleton Vaugh</span></span><span data-contrast="auto" class="TextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0">a</span></span><span data-contrast="auto" class="TextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0">n</span></span><span data-contrast="auto" class="TextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0">, who </span></span><span data-contrast="auto" class="TextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0">purchased the family<span> </span></span></span><span data-contrast="auto" class="TextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0">as<span> </span></span></span><span data-contrast="auto" class="TextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW262956486 BCX0">laborers for his Missouri plantation. </span></span>In 1837, with the fear of separation urging them on, Burk and his family ran away from Missouri, attempting to escape to freedom in Illinois. After reaching Illinois, the Burk family was captured as a result of Vaughan’s fugitive slave notices. The Burk family was broken out of jail by members of the Underground Railroad, and they headed into Indiana, with the ultimate goal of reaching Canada. However, when they reached Hamilton County, Indiana, they were too exhausted to continue.[2] The Burk family decided to stay in Hamilton County, which was a stronghold for abolitionism.[3] They settled in, changing their names to John and Louann Rhodes. <br /><br />In 1844 the United States was in the middle of a controversial presidential election. The presidential election of 1844 centered on the annexation of Texas, which added to concerns about the expansion of the institution of slavery.[4] Singleton Vaughan had not forgotten about the Rhodes (Burk) family, and seven years after their escape in the midst of the national debate about the reach of chattel slavery in the United States, he discovered where they were. He arrived in Hamilton County with two men and obtained a warrant from a local judge. Court records state that John and his family avoided recapture by claiming that a neighbor owed them a 50-dollar debt. Legally, payment for the debt would belong to Vaughan when he regained ownership of the Rhodes, so he allowed John and his family to go to the neighbor’s house to retrieve payment at once. In reality, no debt existed; the neighbor was a member of the Underground Railroad.[5] The Underground Railroad, which assisted the Rhodes family, was quite active in Hamilton County. Addison Coffin, a transporter on the line, stated that in 1844, “the Wabash line was in good running order and passengers very frequent."[6]<br />When other neighbors arrived on scene, the Rhodes’ Underground Railroad neighbors were able to convince all involved that the best course of action was to verify the legitimacy of Vaughan’s claim with a judge. The Rhodes family, Vaughan’s party, and some of their neighbors headed south towards Westfield to resolve the matter in court. However, knowing Westfield to be a location with heavy abolitionist sympathy, Vaughan insisted on a hearing in Noblesville instead. <br /><br />During the commotion, a man by the name of Daniel Jones, jumped onto the wagon and he and the Rhodes family sped away while Vaughan and his men were immobilized by the crowd. In the end, Vaughan attempted to sue members of the community for loss of property, since they had helped the Rhodes family escape. The local Quakers created a defense fund to pay for the trial. During trial the fact that the Rhodes family had lived in a free state prior to Vaughan’s unlawful purchase led the judge to rule in favor of the Rhodes family. Vaughan returned to Missouri empty handed.[7] <br /><br />The Vaughan v. Williams decision occurred prior to the Fugitive Slave Act and Dred Scott decision. According to the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, fugitive slaves in any territory or state, could be reclaimed by their master, even from free territories. Finally, the Dred Scott decision in 1857 cemented the rights of slave owners to recapture their unfree laborer, stating “that a slave (Dred Scott) who had resided in a free state and territory (where slavery was prohibited) was not thereby entitled to his freedom.”[8] According to this court ruling, since slaves were considered property regardless of their removal to a free state, the Missouri Compromise of 1850 was ruled unconstitutional. Had the Rhodes Family escaped after 1850, defending their right to freedom would have been impossible.<br /><br />This event is documented in a Indiana Historical Bureau historical marker, installed in 2008, in Asa Bales Park in Westfield, Hamilton County. The park is named after Asa Bales, whose home was part of the Underground Railroad and provided a safe haven for runaway slaves escaping to Canda.
[1] Vaughan v. Williams, 16,903 (D. Indiana Cir. 1845)<br />[2] Heighway, David. “The Law in Black and White,” accessed February 6, 2019. www.westfield.in.gov/egov/documents/1376663863_54293.pdf, 1. <br />[3]Ibid <br />[4] Pecquet, Gary M., and Clifford F. Thies. 2006. “Texas Treasury Notes and the Election of 1844.” Independent Review 11 (2): 237–60. http://proxy.bsu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ssf&AN=510657895&site=ehost-live&scope=site. <br />[5] Thornbrough, Emma Lou. The Negro in Indiana before 1900: A Study of a Minority. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1993. <br />[6]“The Underground Railroad,” Indiana Historical Bureau, accessed February 7, 2019, https://www.in.gov/history/3119.htm. <br />[7]Vaughan v. Williams, 16,903 (D. Indiana Cir. 1845). <br />[8] United States Supreme Court, Roger Brooke Taney, John H Van Evrie, and Samuel A Cartwright. The Dred Scott decision: opinion of Chief Justice Taney. New York: Van Evrie, Horton & Co., 1860, 1860. Pdf. https://www.loc.gov/item/17001543/.
Student Author: Jordan Girard <br />Faculty/Staff Editors: Dr. Ronald V. Morris, Dr. Kevin C. Nolan, and Christine Thompson<br />Graduate Assistant Researchers: Carrie Vachon and JB Bilbrey
PHOTO & VIDEO:
Fugitive Slaves Escaping to Union Lines, attributed to NonCommercial 4.0 International, Public domain, via Slavery Images
http://104.200.20.178/s/slaveryimages/item/794
<a href="https://www.in.gov/history/markers/554.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Indiana Historical Bureau: Historical Marker</a>