Produced by Skip Doughty, Tom Allen, Juliet Sutherland,
Charles Franks and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team.
to
My two sons, and four daughters, and families;
also to the
Home and Foreign Missionary Society,
are these pages dedicated.
The Author
In presenting the following pages to the public, without the trace ofan excellent scholar or eloquent orator, I fully realize my inabilityto compete with writers of the nineteenth century. With thisincompetency in view, I have hesitated and delayed until three-scoreand thirteen years are closing over me. Yet as I am still spared totoil on a little longer in the great field so white to harvest, prayingthe Lord of the harvest to arm and send forth more laborers, becausethey are too few, I ask an indulgent public to allow my deep andabiding sympathies for the oppressed and sorrowing of every nation,class, or color, to plead my excuse for sending forth simple,unvarnished facts and experiences, hoping they may increase anaspiration for the active doing, instead of saying what ought to bedone, with excusing self for want of ability, when it is to be found inHim who is saying, "My grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength isperfect in weakness."
Parentage—Early Impressions—Childhood Skepticism—Religious
Experience—The Great Leveler—Marriage—Removal to Michigan—The
Semi-Christian—The Despairing Backslider
Restored—Proscription—Withdrawal from the Society of Friends—Founded
"Raisin Institute,"
Dream—Bereavements—Early Widowhood—Trials—Dreamy—Victory by
Faith—A Fugitive Slave Escapes—Marriage of two Older Children,
Baptist Deacon Convicted of the Sin of Slavery by his Slave—Willis
Hamilton's Escape with his Slave-wife, Elsie, to Canada—Removal to
Michigan—Whereabouts Discovered by Elsie's Master—Deeply Laid Scheme
to Capture the Hamilton Family—Threats of Violence—Second Attempt and
Defeat—Death of the two Slave-holders,
A Traveling Agent—Slave Claimant—John White—Threats—Visit to Jane
White—Interview with William Allen—Escape of Slaves—In
Suspense—Death of First-born—Comforting Dream—John White a
Prisoner—His Release and Subsequent History,
Two Slave Families Escape—Story of George and James—A Mother and
Daughter Leave a Boat bound for the Lower Market—Sarah and two Young
Men join our Party—Seven are Conducted to Canada—Raisin Institute
Suspended for an Academic Year—Return to Cincinnati—Maria—Threats of
her Master—The Escape of two Young Men