History Winks

Author David Fiske will lecture on "The Kidnapping of Free Citizens before the Civil War," as part of the Clifton Park-Halfmoon Library's First Friday series. The June 3rd program will begin at 10:30 am.

The film 12 Years a Slave told of Solomon Northup’s kidnapping and enslavement before the Civil War, but Northup’s victimization was not an isolated incident: Fiske will detail the factors that made such crimes profitable, and explain how kidnappers could operate with relative ease. Along with a recap of Solomon Northup's story, several other cases--including some from upstate New York--will be related.

This program will be a HYBRID program that can be accessed via Zoom, or attended in-person at the Library. At the library, copies of Fiske's book, Solomon Northup's Kindred: The Kidnapping of Free Citizens before the Civil War, will be available for purchase.

Registration is required to attend either virtually (via Zoom) or in-person. Register by accessing this web page: https://events.cphlibrary.org/event/6506689

For more information, call the library at 518-371-8622.

My article, "Historical Pilgrimages to the John Brown’s Farm," about how African Americans honored the memory of abolitionist John Brown by trekking to his homestead in upstate New York. - David Fiske

My interest and research on abandoned places is highlighted in this Bangor Metro magazine article.

The United States Government recently installed signage at the site of the former slave pen once operated in Washington, D. C. by slave trader William H. Williams. See this Voice of America article for photos and more information:

http://www.voanews.com/a/us-government-recognizes-site-former-slave-prison/3673046.html

The slave pen is known for one of its famous and involuntary occupants, Solomon Northup. Northup, a free black man, was tricked into leaving his home in New York State, and was temporarily held at the slave pen prior to being transported to Louisiana, where he was a slave for about twelve years. Northup's experiences were related in his 1853 book Twelve Years a Slave, which was made into a film in 2013.

Washington historian W. C. Clephane described the pen as a "brick house covered with plaster and painted yellow," which was "set back some distance from the street amidst a grove of trees." There was an out-building at which "most of the slaves brought to this District for sale or shipment elsewhere were kept," though some slaves were kept in the house in a room next to the kitchen. From the outside the facility looked pleasant, but the interior revealed its seamy function; a later owner found "staples driven into the walls to which the slaves were shackled." [W. C. Clephane, in “Local Aspect of Slavery,” in   Records of the Columbia Historical Society,  Vol. 3, (1900)]

Henry Wilson, speaking before the New York Anti-Slavery Society in May 1855 told how, in 1836, he had seen Williams Slave Pen, and that the sight of the men, women and children in chains--and the sound of their groans--disgusted him. Wilson at the time was a shoemaker from Massachusetts, but he became involved in politics and took up the anti-slavery cause. He was elected to the U. S. Senate, and worked steadily toward eradicating slavery. ["The Anniversaries: Senator Wilson's Anti-Slavery Lecture," New York Daily Tribune (May 9, 1855)]

Slave trading in the District of Columbia was banned in 1850 (as part of the Compromise of 1850, which also included the notorious Fugitive Slave Law). In January 1855, a northern newspaper was informed by a letter writer who described the slave pen  where Northup had been imprisoned, saying: "...they shut it up." It was then dilapidated and deserted. [Syracuse Evening Chronicle (January 3, 1855)]

Wilson, in his speech five months later reported: "A short time ago I stood on the same spot, but the slave-pen was no longer there; in its  place was a garden, and a sign hung there--'Flowers for sale and bouquets made to order.' I hope but a few years more shall pass until every spot wherever the groans of human bondage are heard shall be a garden in which the blossoms of freedom shall make glad the eye and the accents of hope delight the ear."

Sumner H. Lark, the son of a former slave, moved to Brooklyn where he published a newspaper, engaged in various business endeavors, and became a lawyer. He was active in politics and had a dream to start a black community in Putnam County, New York. 

Ella Madison played roles in “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” and in “Porgy” in the United States and in Europe. Read about her at the link below:

The story of Solomon Northup’s kidnapping and enslavement before the Civil War was told in the Oscar-winning film 12 Years a Slave. But Northup’s case was not an isolated incident. Economics and governmental actions made such crimes profitable, and many citizens–primarily free blacks–were victimized.

This criminal practice has largely been overlooked by scholars. Documentation of such kidnapping cases is scattered across historical newspaper reports, anti-slavery literature, local history books, and academic publications. David Fiske, whom Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. has called “an historian with astounding research skills, honed by years of tracking down every available clue about the legendary author of Twelve Years a Slave,” has gathered much factual information on victims of such crimes, and presents it in a new book titled Solomon Northup’s Kindred: The Kidnapping of Free Citizens before the Civil War.

In addition to disrupting–even ruining–the lives of victims, the practice of kidnapping added to the sectional friction that resulted in the American Civil War. The liberty of free blacks was under constant threat, and the disappearance of those who fell prey to kidnappers caused disruption and evoked sympathy in their communities, increasing anti-slavery sentiment.

This book tells the stories of dozens of people who were kidnapped and sold into slavery, and also explains why and how it occurred, and how governmental actions allowed it to continue. Victims included were from all regions of the nation:  the North (New York, Massachusetts), the Midwest (Ohio,  Indiana, Illinois, Kansas), the Middle Atlantic (Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware), and the South (Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia). They were sold in slave markets in Virginia, the District of Columbia, Georgia, and Louisiana. 

For the 4th straight year, I will be one of the authors at the Glens Falls Chronicle Autumn Leaves Book Fair. It will take place at the Queensbury Hotel in Glens Falls, New York, on November 8, 2015--there is no admission charge. I will have various things on display, relating to my various history books and articles. And I love having a chance to chat with readers! The titles I'll have for sale are: - Solomon Northup: The Complete Story of the Author of Twelve Years a Slave (Northup's life was the subject of the Oscar-winning film 12 Years A Slave--my book tells much more about him than was shown in the film). - Ballston Spa History Walkaround: A Guide to Historic Places and Interesting People (stories about the history-laden village of Ballston Spa, New York). - Forgotten on the Kennebec: Abandoned Places and Quirky People (lost stories of people and places along Maine's Kennebec River). - Madame Sherri: The Special Edition (the fascinating, full story of Madame Sherri--a dancer and costume designer who build a castle-like house in rural New Hampshire, where she bemused the locals with her show-business ways). If you are anywhere near Glens Falls on November 8, check out the book fair and be sure and stop by my table and say hello!  - David Fiske

Book fair info: 

On May 16, 2015, the Saratoga County History Faire will be held at the Clifton Park-Halfmoon Library in upstate New York. Several presentations will be given:

10:30 am - “The Ballston Spa Trial of Solomon Northup’s Kidnappers,” David Fiske

11:15 am - "Making Sense of the Labyrinth: Finding Materials at the County Offices," by Saratoga County Clerk Craig Hayner.

12:00 noon - "America's Richest Nun, The Story of Saint Katharine Drexel," Dave Hubbard (affiliated with the Grant Cottage in Wilton).

12:45 pm - "She Called Him Raymond" (a true story of love, loss, faith and healing), Ray O’Conor.

In addition to the presentations, the event will feature children's activities, exhibits by history organizations, and vendors offering books on historical topics. The event, taking place from 10 am to 2 pm,  has been organized by Heritage Hunters of Saratoga County, a local genealogy society.

On February 28, 2015, David Fiske will be giving two presentations at the Black History Month Brunch being put on by the Emanuel A.M.E. Church in Tuckahoe, New York.

Fiske will tell about black citizens of New York who were kidnapped and sold as slaves, as Solomon Northup was. He'll also talk about the interesting 1895 production called "Black America," which featured African American performers and artisans.

For details, see: