Thomas Galt (September 12, 1805 – September 12, 1857) was an American

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

minister and

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 ...

who organized two Presbyterian churches in Sangamon County, Illinois. He was Vice-President of the Illinois Anti-Slavery Society and a conductor 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 ...

Biography

Thomas Galt was born in Lancaster County,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

to James Galt and Mary Martin Galt. He graduated from Jefferson College in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania and later attended Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania. Although licensed by the Presbytery of Ohio on June 18, 1834, he was ordained and installed as pastor in 1836 at Farmington Presbyterian Church in Farmington, IL, now known as Farmingdale in Sangamon County west of Springfield. The church's name changed from Farmington to Farmingdale around 1905, perhaps due to duplication and not to be confused with the city of Farmington, IL, in Fulton County west of Peoria which was founded in 1827. In 1837 Galt answered the call by

Elijah Lovejoy Elijah Parish Lovejoy (November 9, 1802 – November 7, 1837) was an American Presbyterian minister, journalist, newspaper editor, and abolitionist. Following his murder by a mob, he became a martyr to the abolitionist cause opposing slavery ...

(American abolitionist and newspaper publisher) to attend the Anti-Slavery Convention in Upper

Alton, Illinois Alton ( ) is a city on the Mississippi River in Madison County, Illinois, United States, about north of St. Louis, Missouri. The population was 25,676 at the 2020 census. It is a part of the River Bend area in the Metro-East region of the ...

. At the convention, Galt,

Edward Beecher Edward Beecher D.D. (August 27, 1803 – July 28, 1895) was an American theologian, the son of Lyman Beecher and the brother of Harriet Beecher Stowe and Henry Ward Beecher. Biography Beecher was born August 27, 1803, in East Hampton, New York. ...

(brother of

Harriet Beecher Stowe Harriet Elisabeth Beecher Stowe (; June 14, 1811 – July 1, 1896) was an American author and abolitionist. She came from the religious Beecher family and became best known for her novel ''Uncle Tom's Cabin'' (1852), which depicts the harsh ...

) and other attendees countered attempts by

Illinois Attorney General The Illinois Attorney General is the highest legal officer of the state of Illinois in the United States. Originally an appointed office, it is now an office filled by statewide election. Based in Chicago and Springfield, Illinois, the attorney ...

Usher Linder to derail the proceedings. The Anti-Slavery Convention ended sine die (without further plans) on October 28, 1837; however, the convention attendees reconvened the same day to form the Illinois Anti-Slavery Society. Galt was elected Vice-President. As a "new school" Presbyterian, Galt favored an early end of slavery. Owing to "old school" sentiment in the Farmington church, he moved on in April 1842 to form Center Presbyterian Church in Farmington, Illinois. He held meetings of the Sangamon County Anti-Slavery Society at Center Presbyterian Church. On February 7, 1849, Galt organized another "new school" church, the Third Presbyterian Church in

Springfield, Illinois Springfield is the capital of the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat and largest city of Sangamon County. The city's population was 114,394 at the 2020 census, which makes it the state's seventh most-populous city, the second largest o ...

. Galt was reportedly a

Sangamon County Sangamon County is located in the center of the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it had a population of 197,465. Its county seat and largest city is Springfield, the state capital. Sangamon County is included in the Spr ...

"conductor" of the Underground Railroad. Galt was married to Sarah Happer. He died on September, 12th 1857 and is buried in Farmington Cemetery near the unincorporated community of Farmingdale, along with Sarah and other family members. Although the church changed names from Farmington to Farmingdale, the cemetery's name is still Farmington Cemetery and is on Farmington Cemetery Rd.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Galt, Thomas 1805 births 1857 deaths People from Sangamon County, Illinois Presbyterian Church in the United States of America ministers Underground Railroad people People from Farmington, Illinois Presbyterian abolitionists 19th-century American clergy