The Reverend William Troy (10 March 1827 - 17 November 1905) was a

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

minister and writer associated with 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 ...

Life

Troy was born on 10 March 1827 in Essex 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 ...

. His mother was a free black woman and she married, then bought and set free, her husband. Troy became a confirmed

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

at the age of 13, although he was discriminated against in church because he was an

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

. He was baptized into the Baptist church, but he was surprised to hear that the deacons and the church pastor were giving sermons to justify their own personal trade in slaves. The pastor would sell members of his own congregation. Troy and his wife left Virginia in disgust in March 1848, and moved to

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

. In his new home, Reverend Troy was said to be the only "slave preacher" who was qualified to preach when he started. He was first a pastor at a church in Amherstburg in southern Canada, before settling in nearby

Windsor, Ontario Windsor is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, on the south bank of the Detroit River directly across from Detroit, Michigan, United States. Geographically located within but administratively independent of Essex County, it is the souther ...

. In 1853 he held prayer meetings that led to the laying of a foundation stone for a church in Windsor in 1858. Troy founded the "First Baptist Church" in Windsor although the first local Baptist church had been established a few years before. Troy published a book of stories taken from the lives of slaves who had escaped from the United States to Canada. His book has been cited by historians as counter-evidence to the idea that slaves escaped and were smuggled across America by white activists. Troy gives examples of slaves who escaped north without the aid of the Underground Railroad. He described how John Hedgeman was helped to freedom by black slaves and free people, who risked arrest for assisting those escaping north to Canada. Troy traveled to Britain to raise funds for his church, where he gave lectures to anti-slavery societies. He traveled with

William M. Mitchell William M. Mitchell (c. 1826 – c. 1879) was an American writer, minister and abolitionist who worked on the Underground Railroad. He is said to be the only writer who wrote about the railroad while it was still illegal. Early life and career ...

, and was mentioned in the latter's book.

The Under-Ground Railroad ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in E ...

, William M. Mitchell, retrieved 25 June 2015 Troy also traveled throughout

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

and

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...

."Rev. Dr. William Troy Laid to Rest"
''The Richmond Planet'', Richmond, Virginia, 25 November 1905. Retrieved on 15 July 2015. In 1866 Troy relocated to

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

, where he spent nine months preaching and giving lectures. In 1867 he accepted a call to become the pastor of Richmond's Second Baptist Church. He resigned his pastorate in 1874 to found the Moore Street Industrial and Mission School and the Moore Street Baptist Church. On Sunday, October 10, 1875 Rev. Troy assisted Rev. Robert S. Laws in laying the cornerstone of

Mount Zion Baptist Church (Arlington, Virginia) Mount Zion Baptist Church, established in 1866, is the oldest African American church in Arlington County, Virginia, Arlington, Virginia. The church is a member of the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc., National Baptist Convention USA and t ...

, a church founded in Freedman's Village. In 1880 Troy was again called to be pastor of the Second Baptist Church, which calling he later resigned to found the Sharon Baptist Church.

Family

William Troy was married to Sidney Blackburn on 18 October 1847 in Essex County,

."Virginia, Marriages, 1785-1940," database, FamilySearch
William Troy and Sidney, 18 Oct 1847
: accessed 16 July 2015; citing Essex County, Virginia, reference P260 en 2; FHL microfilm 31,275. When William died he was survived by Sidney and six children; Mrs. Annie Walker of

Camden, New Jersey Camden is a city in and the county seat of Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Camden is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan area and is located directly across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the 2020 ...

, Mrs. Fannie E. Oliver of

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

, Dr. William Troy of Franklin, Virginia, Joshua W. Troy, Mrs. Nannie Walker and one other son, of

Newport News, Virginia Newport News () is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 186,247. Located in the Hampton Roads region, it is the 5th most populous city in Virginia and 140th most populous city in the Uni ...

. At the end of his life Troy resided with his daughter Annie in Camden. He suffered from

paralysis Paralysis (also known as plegia) is a loss of motor function in one or more muscles. Paralysis can also be accompanied by a loss of feeling (sensory loss) in the affected area if there is sensory damage. In the United States, roughly 1 in 50 ...

and Bright's disease which led to his death on 17 November 1905 in

Works

* ''Hair-breadth Escapes from Slavery to Freedom'', 1861

References

External links

History of Second Baptist ChurchHistory of Moore Street Missionary Baptist Church

History of Sharon Baptist Church
{{DEFAULTSORT:Troy, William 1827 births 1905 deaths 19th-century Baptist ministers from the United States 20th-century African-American people Baptist abolitionists People from Essex County, Virginia People from Windsor, Ontario Religious leaders from Richmond, Virginia Underground Railroad people