James Lindsay Smith (ca. 1816 – ca. 1883) was an American

slave narrative The slave narrative is a type of literary genre involving the (written) autobiographical accounts of enslaved Africans, particularly in the Americas. Over six thousand such narratives are estimated to exist; about 150 narratives were published as ...

author, minister, and shoemaker. His memoir ''Autobiography of James L. Smith'' (1881) was one of only six slave narratives published in

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

Life

Born a slave on a plantation in Northumberland County,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, Smith escaped in 1838, rowing across the

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the ...

with two other fugitives in a canoe. After stops in New Castle, Philadelphia, and New York City and with the aid of abolitionists such as

David Ruggles David Ruggles (March 15, 1810 – December 16, 1849) was an African-American abolitionist in New York who resisted slavery by his participation in a Committee of Vigilance and the Underground Railroad to help fugitive slaves reach free stat ...

, Smith gained safety in

Springfield Springfield may refer to: * Springfield (toponym), the place name in general Places and locations Australia * Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast) * Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council) * Springfield, Queenslan ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

, via the

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. T ...

. In Massachusetts, he became a founding member of the

African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church African or Africans may refer to: * Anything from or pertaining to the continent of Africa: ** People who are native to Africa, descendants of natives of Africa, or individuals who trace their ancestry to indigenous inhabitants of Africa *** Ethn ...

and attended

Wilbraham Academy Wilbraham Wesleyan Academy was one of the oldest educational institutions of the Methodist Episcopal Church. It was established by Methodist clergy of New England in 1818. Originally located in New Market, New Hampshire, before moving to Wilbraham, ...

. In 1842, Smith married Emmeline Minerva Platt and settled in

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...

, where he became a

Methodist Episcopal 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 ...

minister and established a successful shoemaking business. His daughters, Louie and Emma, attended

Norwich Free Academy The Norwich Free Academy (NFA), founded in 1854 and in operation since 1856, is a coeducational independent school for students between the 9th and 12th grade. Located in Norwich, Connecticut, the Academy serves as the primary high school for Norw ...

and became teachers, while his son, James H. Smith, became a shoemaker like his father.

Autobiography

In 1881, Smith published his memoirs, entitled ''Autobiography of James L. Smith, Including, Also, Reminiscences of Slave Life, Recollections of the War, Education of Freedmen, Causes of the Exodus, Etc.'' (Norwich: Press of ''The Bulletin'' Company, 1881). In this autobiography, he recounted his youth as a slave, his escape to freedom, and his later life in Massachusetts and Connecticut. In addition, he incorporated historical accounts of 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 th ...

, the destruction the war inflicted on the South, the heroism of Black Union soldiers, and postwar Black emigration to the North.

Legacy

Smith's house on School Street is a stop on Norwich's Freedom Trail and is a contributing property to Norwich's

Jail Hill Historic District The Jail Hill Historic District encompasses a 19th-century working-class residential district in Norwich, Connecticut. Located on a steep hill overlooking downtown Norwich, it was populated first by African Americans, and then by Irish immigra ...

References

External links

*
Autobiography of James L. Smith
' – full text {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, James Lindsay 1816 births 1883 deaths People from Northumberland County, Virginia People from Norwich, Connecticut African-American non-fiction writers 19th-century American memoirists People who wrote slave narratives 19th-century African-American writers 19th-century American slaves Fugitive American slaves American freedmen African-American Methodist clergy Shoemakers