Stephen Myers (c. 1800 – February 13, 1870) was an abolitionist and agent of 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 ...

through the 1830s–1850s. He was also the editor of multiple abolitionist newspapers such as ''The Elevator'', ''The Northern Star, and Freeman's Advocate'', and ''The Telegraph and Temperance Journal''.

Birth and early life

Stephen Myers was born a slave in

Hoosick, New York Hoosick is a town in Rensselaer County, New York, United States. The population was 6,924 at the 2010 census. It was named from the Hoosic River. The Town of Hoosick is in the northeastern corner of Rensselaer County. History The town of Hoosick ...

around the year 1800. At the age of 18, he was given his freedom by Lt. Colonel Warren of Vermont. He met Harriet Johnson and married her in

Troy, New York Troy is a city in the U.S. state of New York and the county seat of Rensselaer County. The city is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany a ...

in 1827. Stephen and his wife resided in numerous houses in the city of Albany before moving to 198 Lumber Street in Albany.

Background

Stephen and his wife Harriet provided safe houses for freedom seekers and supplied them with financial support through the

Vigilance Committee A vigilance committee was a group formed of private citizens to administer law and order or exercise power through violence in places where they considered governmental structures or actions inadequate. A form of vigilantism and often a more stru ...

. He also organized the Florence Farming and Lumber Association, an economic development project, and was the vice president of the American Council of Colored Laborers, a trade and skills organization. Following these roles, he served as a central actor of the New York State Suffrage Association by lobbying the New York State legislature for African American suffrage. Myers became a member of the Albany Vigilance Committee in the 1850s and served as the organization's chairman for more than three years."The Vigilance Committee in Albany. - Underground Railroad History Project". Underground Railroad History Project. Retrieved 2018-11-26. The fundraising and primary return address for correspondence for the Vigilance Committee was run through the Myers's home address which also served as a safe house for freedom seekers during their escape to the North. Myers is noted as an important contributor and agent of the Underground Railroad by many different abolitionists. He collaborated with Samuel Ringgold-Ward on journalistic activities, spoke at the Liberty Street Presbyterian Church pastored by

Henry Highland Garnet Henry Highland Garnet (December 23, 1815 – February 13, 1882) was an African-American abolitionist, minister, educator and orator. Having escaped as a child from slavery in Maryland with his family, he grew up in New York City. He was educat ...

, and shared the speaking stage

Frederick Douglass Frederick Douglass (born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, February 1817 or 1818 – February 20, 1895) was an American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman. After escaping from slavery in Maryland, he became ...

.Siebert, Wilbur (1898). The Underground Railroad from Slavery to Freedom. New York: Macmillan Company. Myers eventually merged the ''Northern Star'' with another newspaper known as the ''True American'' to create the ''Impartial Citizen'', which published out of

Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, Onondaga County, New York, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in the state of New York following New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffa ...

. This paper ceased publication two years later after its editor and publisher, Samuel Ringgold Ward, fled to Canada after his involvement in the

Jerry Rescue The Jerry Rescue occurred on October 1, 1851, and involved the public rescue of a fugitive slave who had been arrested the same day in Syracuse, New York, during the anti-slavery Liberty Party's state convention. The escaped slave was William ...

Later life and death

Myers spent the rest of his life aiding the Underground Railroad and recruiting for the

United States Colored Troops The United States Colored Troops (USCT) were regiments in the United States Army composed primarily of African-American (colored) soldiers, although members of other minority groups also served within the units. They were first recruited during ...

. His wife Harriet died in 1865; Myers himself died five years later at his son's Jefferson Street home in Albany on February 13, 1870, and was buried at

Albany Rural Cemetery The Albany Rural Cemetery was established October 7, 1844, in Colonie, New York, United States, just outside the city of Albany, New York. It is renowned as one of the most beautiful, pastoral cemeteries in the U.S., at over . Many historical Am ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Myers, Stephen 1870 deaths African-American abolitionists Date of birth unknown Underground Railroad people Year of birth uncertain Free Negroes 19th-century American newspaper editors Editors of New York (state) newspapers Fugitive American slaves Burials at Albany Rural Cemetery

Birth and early life

Background

Later life and death

See also

References