Calvin Fairbank (November 3, 1816 – October 12, 1898) was an American

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The British ...

and

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...

minister from

New York state New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...

who was twice convicted in

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

of aiding the escape of slaves, and served a total of 19 years in the

Kentucky State Penitentiary in Frankfort The Kentucky State Penitentiary in Frankfort was the first prison built West of the Allegheny Mountains and completed June 22, 1800 when Kentucky was still virtually a wilderness. The Kentucky Legislature of 1798 had appointed Harry Innes, Alexa ...

. Fairbank is believed to have aided the escape of 47 slaves. Pardoned in 1849 after four years of his first sentence, Fairbank returned to his

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. ...

work. He was arrested in 1851 with the aid of the governor of

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

, who was enforcing the

Fugitive Slave Law The fugitive slave laws were laws passed by the United States Congress in 1793 and 1850 to provide for the return of enslaved people who escaped from one state into another state or territory. The idea of the fugitive slave law was derived from ...

of 1850. Fairbank was convicted again in Kentucky and served the full sentence of 15 years.

Early life

Calvin Fairbank was born in 1816 in

Pike, New York Pike is an incorporated town in Wyoming County, New York. The population was 1,114 at the 2010 census. The Town of Pike is on the south border of the county. Pike is also the name of a hamlet in this town. History The Town of Pike was founded ...

in what is now

Wyoming County, New York Wyoming County is a county in the U.S. state of New York in the state's western area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,531. The county seat is Warsaw. The name is modified from a Lenape (Delaware) Native American word meaning "b ...

, to Chester Fairbank and his wife; he grew up in an intensely religious family environment. It was also the period of the

Second Great Awakening The Second Great Awakening was a Protestant religious revival during the early 19th century in the United States. The Second Great Awakening, which spread religion through revivals and emotional preaching, sparked a number of reform movements. R ...

, and western New York was a center of evangelical activity. Listening to the stories told by two escaped slaves whom he met at a

quarterly meeting, the young Fairbank became strongly anti-slavery. He began his career freeing slaves in 1837 when, piloting a lumber raft down the Ohio River, he ferried a slave across the river to free territory. Soon he was delivering escaped slaves to the Quaker abolitionist

Levi Coffin Levi Coffin (October 28, 1798 – September 16, 1877) was an American Quaker, Republican, abolitionist, farmer, businessman and humanitarian. An active leader of the Underground Railroad in Indiana and Ohio, some unofficially called Coffin the " ...

for transportation on the

to northern US cities or to Canada.

Aliases

Calvin Fairbank used aliases: Samuel P. King, Samuel S. King, John Doe, Richard Roe/Rowe and John Rowe.

Methodist Episcopal Church

The

Methodist Episcopal Church The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself on a national basis. In ...

licensed Fairbank to preach in 1840 and ordained him as a minister in 1842. Hoping to improve his education, he enrolled in 1844 in the "preparatory division" of Oberlin Collegiate Institute in Ohio, now Oberlin College. It was interracial and a center of anti-slavery sentiment. At Oberlin, Fairbank met future AME bishop, John M. Brown and the pair worked together in underground railroad activities.

Abolitionist

Gilson Berry

Responding to an appeal to rescue the wife and children of an escaped slave named Gilson Berry, Fairbank went to Lexington, Kentucky, where he made contact with

Delia Webster Delia Ann Webster (December 17, 1817 – January 18, 1904) was an American teacher, author, businesswoman and abolitionist in Kentucky who, with Calvin Fairbank, aided many slaves, including Lewis Hayden, his wife Harriet, and their son Joseph to e ...

, a teacher from

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

who was working there and had become active as an abolitionist. She was to help with the rescue, but Berry's wife failed to meet Fairbank as planned. By chance, he met

Lewis Hayden Lewis Hayden (December 2, 1811 – April 7, 1889) escaped slavery in Kentucky with his family and escaped to Canada. He established a school for African Americans before moving to Boston, Massachusetts to aid in the abolition movement. There h ...

and his family, who were planning an escape. He asked Hayden, "Why do you want your freedom?" Hayden responded, "Because I am a man." Lewis Hayden Portrait

The Haydens

Fairbank and Webster transported Hayden, his wife Harriet and Harriet's son Joseph by carriage to freedom in

Ripley, Ohio Ripley is a village in Union Township, Brown County, Ohio, United States, along the Ohio River 50 miles southeast of Cincinnati. The population was 1,750 at the 2010 census. History Colonel James Poage, a veteran of the American Revolution, ar ...

. (See

John Rankin (abolitionist) John Rankin (February 5, 1793 – March 18, 1886) was an American Presbyterian minister, educator and abolitionist. Upon moving to Ripley, Ohio, in 1822, he became known as one of Ohio's first and most active "conductors" on the Underground R ...

.) The fugitive couple put flour on their faces to appear white and, in times of danger, would hide their son under the wagon seat. As Fairbank and Webster returned to Kentucky, they were identified and arrested for assisting the runaway slaves. Webster was tried in December 1844 and sentenced to two years in the Kentucky state penitentiary, but she was pardoned by the governor after serving less than two months of her sentence. Fairbank was tried in 1845 and sentenced to a 15-year term, five years for each of the slaves he helped free. He was pardoned in 1849 in an effort begun by his father. Effectively Lewis Hayden ransomed Fairbank, as he raised the $650 demanded by his former master to approve the pardon. Hayden had quickly collected the money within a few weeks from 160 people in Boston, where he and his family had settled.

Tamar

In 1851, Fairbank helped a slave named Tamar escape from Kentucky to Indiana. On November 9 of that year, with the connivance of the sheriff of

Clark County, Indiana Clark County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana, located directly across the Ohio River from Louisville, Kentucky. At the 2020 census, the population was 121,093. The county seat is Jeffersonville. Clark County is part of the Louisville/ ...

and Indiana Governor

Joseph A. Wright Joseph Albert Wright (April 17, 1810 – May 11, 1867) was the List of governors of Indiana, tenth Governor of Indiana, governor of the U.S. state of Indiana from December 5, 1849, to January 12, 1857, most noted for his opposition to banking. ...

, marshals from Kentucky abducted Fairbank and took him back to their state for trial. In 1852, he was sentenced to 15 years in the state penitentiary. While imprisoned, he was singled out for exceptionally harsh treatment; he was frequently flogged and overworked.

Imprisonment effects

Over his combined imprisonment of more than 17 years, Fairbank was reported to have received 35,000 lashes in prison floggings. In an April 5, 1850 article, '' The Liberator'' summarized a letter from Fairbank to

William Lloyd Garrison William Lloyd Garrison (December , 1805 – May 24, 1879) was a prominent American Christian, abolitionist, journalist, suffragist, and social reformer. He is best known for his widely read antislavery newspaper '' The Liberator'', which he foun ...

: "He expresses gratitude to the people of Boston, indicates an intention to write a book about his experiences, and indicates that letters to him can be sent in care of

." Finally, in 1864, three years into the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

, Fairbank was pardoned by Acting Governor Richard T. Jacob, who had long advocated the activist's release. When Thomas Bramlette returned to office, he had Jacob arrested and expelled from the state for his attacks on Lincoln during the presidential campaign and support for

George B. McClellan George Brinton McClellan (December 3, 1826 – October 29, 1885) was an American soldier, Civil War Union general, civil engineer, railroad executive, and politician who served as the 24th governor of New Jersey. A graduate of West Point, McCl ...

Marriage and family

Once free, Fairbank married Mandana Tileston, to whom he had been engaged for thirteen years, since his brief period of freedom in 1851. Known as "Dana," she moved from

Williamsburg, Massachusetts Williamsburg is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 2,504 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. History The area was first settled in 1735 and ...

, to

Oxford, Ohio Oxford is a city in Butler County, Ohio, United States. The population was 23,035 at the 2020 census. A college town, Oxford was founded as a home for Miami University and lies in the southwestern portion of the state approximately northwest ...

, in order to visit Fairbank in prison as often as possible and to press the case for his pardon with the Governor of Kentucky. Their only child, Calvin Cornelius Fairbank, was born in 1868. The conditions of Fairbank's life in prison broke his health. Although he held jobs with missionary and benevolent societies, he was not able to support his family. At one point, he and his wife tried to earn a living operating a bakery in the

utopian A utopia ( ) typically describes an imaginary community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book ''Utopia'', describing a fictional island society ...

community of

Florence, Massachusetts Florence is a village in the northwestern portion of the city of Northampton, Hampshire County, Massachusetts. During the 19th century, Florence was a thriving manufacturing village shaped by progressive ideas on religion, abolitionism, and edu ...

. After Mandana Fairbank died of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, i ...

in 1876, Calvin gave their son to the care of her sister and brother-in-law. Fairbank remarried in 1879, but little is known of his second wife, Adeline Winegar, except that she was the daughter of Henry and Jane Winegar and like Calvin, a native of Pike. In the 1870 census she had been listed as a domestic servant. She died of cancer on February 12, 1901, in Angelica, and was buried next to Calvin in the local cemetery.

Memoirs

Fairbank wrote his memoir, publishing it in 1890 under the title, ''Rev. Calvin Fairbank During Slavery Times: How He "Fought the Good Fight" to Prepare "the Way."'' This effort earned him little money. He died in near-poverty in

Angelica, New York Angelica is a town in the middle of Allegany County, New York, United States. The population was 1,284 at the 2020 census. The town is named after Angelica Schuyler Church, a daughter of General Philip Schuyler, sister-in-law of Founding Father ...

. He was buried there in the Until the Day Dawn Cemetery. He is credited with helping free 47 slaves.Fairbank, Calvin. Rev. Calvin Fairbank During Slavery Times; How He Fought The Good Fight to Prepare The Way. Patriotic Publishing Co.,1890. Reprinted, (Angelica: Heritage Days Press, 2016).

Push for posthumous pardon

In the 21st century, James Pritchard, a retired state archivist for Kentucky who published articles about the Underground Railroad, and several other persons worked to petition Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear to pardon Fairbank and others convicted of helping slaves escape. From 1844 to 1870, Kentucky imprisoned 44 persons for activities to free slaves in the state, not releasing the last man until five years after the end of the

. Eight of these persons died in prison.James Pritchard, ''Into the Fiery Furnace'', Part I: Anti-Slavery Prisoners in the Kentucky State Penitentiary 1844–1870
, 2006, Kentucky's Underground Railroad, KET-TV, accessed 3 December 2013

Induction into the National Abolitionist Hall of Fame and Museum

On October 22, 2022 , Rev. Calvin Fairbank was inducted into th

in Peterboro,NY. The induction ceremony was attended by his three great, great, great granddaughter's Lynn Fairbank, Jennifer Fairbank and Elizabeth Fairbank. The induction was also attended by his great, great, great, great grandson Justin Fairbank Schlesinger and his wife Gina Silarais. Upon making a motion to nominate Calvin Fairbank into the Abolitionist Hall of Fame and Museum, Lynn Fairbank dedicated the honor to the 47 "slaves" freed by Calvin. Upon seconding the motion, Jennifer Fairbank dedicated the honor to their Father, Philip Fairbank.

References

Bibliography

* *''Rev. Calvin Fairbank during slavery times : how he "fought the good fight" to prepare "the way"'' Edited from his manuscript. Chicago: R.R. McCabe (1890). Reprint: New York: Negro Universities Press (1969) ; Reprint: St. Paul, MN: Reprint Services Corp. *Allen Johnson and Dumas Malone (eds), ''Dictionary of American Biography'', Vol. 3, Part 2, New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1959, p. 247. *Frances K. Eisan, ''Saint or Demon? The Legendary Delia Webster Opposing Slavery'', New York: Pace University Press, 1996.
James Pritchard, ''Into the Fiery Furnace'', Part I: Anti-Slavery Prisoners in the Kentucky State Penitentiary 1844–1870
2006, Kentucky's Underground Railroad, KET-TV *Randolph Paul Runyon, ''Delia Webster and the Underground Railroad'', Lexington: University of Kentucky Press, 1998. *Joel Strangis, ''Lewis Hayden and the War Against Slavery'', North Haven, CN: Linnet Books, 1999.

External links

Scanned Text: ''Rev. Calvin Fairbank During Slavery Times...''
Chicago: 1890, Kentucky Digital Library

in ''Reminiscences of Levi Coffin, the Reputed President of the Underground Railroad...''; Cincinnati: Clarke & Co., 1880, online text at ''Documenting the American South'', University of North Carolina

Underground Railroad Indiana
''Aboard the Underground Railroad''
, National Park Service
"Underground Railroad"
''National Geographic''
Calvin Fairbank family history
in ''Genealogy of the Fairbanks Family in America, 1633-1897'' by Lorenzo Sayles Fairbanks, pp. 457–459. Google Books scanned from the Collections of Harvard University (americana Collection), originally printed in 1897 for the Author by the American Printing and Engraving Company. NOTE: This book contains useful family tree information and personal stories obtained first-hand by Lorenzo Sayles Fairbanks during actual interviews with Calvin Fairbank during his time in prison. *
Find A Grave Profile: Calvin Fairbank

Find A Grave Profile: Mandana Tileston Fairbank
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fairbank, Calvin 1816 births 1898 deaths People from Pike, New York Underground Railroad people 19th-century American Methodist ministers Methodists from New York (state) Oberlin College alumni Recipients of American gubernatorial pardons People from Angelica, New York People from Northampton, Massachusetts Fugitive American slaves Methodist abolitionists Fairbanks family