As the 1830s drew to a close and the 1840s began, committees were formed in some cities in the north to protect freedom seekers from re-enslavement, and to assist them in their flight to freedom in the north or in Canada. As slave catchers sought freedom seekers, these “vigilance” committees provided legal assistance, food, clothing, money, employment, and temporary shelter.
Such a committee formed in Albany in the early 1840s, and one continued to exist up to the time of the Civil War. Albany’s anti-slavery newspaper, Tocsin of Liberty, identifies ten people, Blacks and whites, as members of the executive body of the local Vigilance Committee in 1842. Some are familiar names from the city’s history, such as Thomas Paul and Revolutionary War veteran Benjamin Lattimore.
Albany’s Vigilance Committee worked alongside other local anti-slavery organizations such as the Liberty Party and the Eastern New York Anti-Slavery Society, and with anti-slavery newspapers such as the Tocsin of Liberty and the Albany Patriot. Another group, the Northern Star Association, like the Vigilance Committee, directly assisted freedom seekers. In the early 1840’s, the principal agent for this group was Stephen Myers.
The Northern Star Association published a newspaper, The Northern Star and Freeman’s Advocate. Under Myers’ direction the group also sought employment and provided advocacy and education for people of African descent. Myers spoke around the region, raising money and publicizing the association’s work.
Anti-slavery groups did not always cooperate with each other. Historical documents show that the Northern Star Association and the original Vigilance Committee competed with each other in the early 1840’s. There was even some hostility between the Northern Star Association headed by Stephen Myers and the Vigilance Committee headed by Charles Torrey and Abel Brown. The Vigilance Committee accused Myers’ group for not doing enough to aid freedom seekers. It appears that the hostility between the groups subsided after Myers’ chief opponents, Abel Brown and Charles Torrey, left the scene. An activist Baptist minister, Brown campaigned tirelessly against slavery. He died of pneumonia in western New York in 1844 while on a preaching campaign. Torrey was imprisoned in 1844 for assisting fugitive slaves in Maryland and died in prison two years later. In the late 1840s, Myers succeeded them as the key leader in the Vigilance Committee, directing the group into the early 1860’s.
After the passage of the 1850 Federal Fugitive Slave Law, vigilance committees sprang up in many other cities, including Lansingburgh, New York, where a committee held meetings in that city’s AME Zion Church. These committees expressed widespread citizen opposition to slavery, especially to the Fugitive Slave Law, which enlisted the power of the federal government on the side of slave owners.
The Underground Railroad was not a physical structure but a movement of anti-slavery activism, of which vigilance committees were a key element. Other organizations formed parts of the network that we call the Underground Railroad. Wesleyan Churches, Quakers, Free Will Baptists, African Methodist Episcopal and African Methodist Episcopal Zion congregants, Anti-Slavery Societies, Unitarians, and many members of Congregational and Presbyterian Churches all worked in the movement to assist freedom seekers. As well, many people with no organizational or denominational affiliation assisted freedom seekers in their pursuit of freedom. It was the concerted efforts of all anti-slavery activists, but especially the strategic work of the vigilance committees, that contributed to the successes of the Underground Railroad movement.
Illustration: An Albany Vigilance Committee flyer (courtesy of American Antiquarian Society).
Paul, any information about whether Becky Jones was involved in this movement? She was born in 1822 and lived in Ballston Spa, NY. Her father was Aaron. Her first name is Rebecca. She also lived in NYC with a Hamersley family
Thank you
No info on Becky Jones. Sorry.
Paul,
Wonderful article. Do you remember a few years ago at the Albany APHNYS Conference, we exchanged emails and you found for me a contact that knew about the Frankian Synod? We connected and I have shared that iinformation all through the Lutheran community, In fact our Lutheran church in Clay was where the first Pastor of this synod was ordained.
Dorothy
Really cool!
Paul,
Good article. Would you (or anyone else) have any information about the town of Sharon or Village of Sharon Springs and the Underground Railroad? We are planning a celebration of Harriet Tubman for the end of April and are gathering information. So far we know that Catherine Lawrence from Schoharie brought three young girls with her from Fairfax to Sharon Springs in the fall of 1864, but her autobiography does not explain why.
Really cool!
Great article Paul
I’m doing research on Whitehall manor in Albany have you found any evedance rage they owned slaves? And what role if any they had in the URR
There are tons of stories floating around about people involved int he UGRR. We cannot address all of them. What we can do is focus on stories that arise from printed material from the period. So if your people were active in anti-slavery groups, signed petitions, or in some way got in the newspapers or wrote a memoir they are traceable. Otherwise we are left largely with hear-say which is nearly impossible to document.
any information Zion AME church 1832 Rev William Serrington, Samuel Serrington, (SON) and Sarah Serrington (wife) involvement (UGRR) they were activist with the anti slavery working on a convention with the Negro churches articals written about the convention in the newpaper of newburgh N Y.I am of the Serrington line
Nice article Paul! I am writing a book about this, and was glad for this helpful article!! Thanks for taking your time to write this for others to read!
Paul,
Do you have any information on Benjamin Lattimore, a Revolutionary War Soldier and his son Jr.’s, involvement in the Vigilance Committees activities?
I have a ton of info on activities of his son, Benjamin Jr. Ben sr. died in 1838, and he wasn’t really involved. Jr and senior often are confused. Ben Jr. and family left Albany in 1847 and bought an orchard in Moreau, northern Saratoga County where they established UGRR stop, close to the Champlain Canal in Ft. Edward.
Great article Paul,
You wrote of my GGGGGGGGreat Grandfather RevolutionaryWar Hero Benjamin Lattimore who was a member of the Vigilance committee. Grandfather was the founder of the first black school to educate the children and adults in the state of New York. He was a founder of the first AME Presbyterian Church in Albany. The church where they hid Harriet Tubman in the broom closet from the bounty hunters. Uncovering his history with your help you and so many others like you is greatly appreciated by our family. I just wish we knew who his mother was? Any help you can lend would be helpful.
Sincerely,
Sharon L Jackson
Daughters of the
American Revolution
Dear Ms. Jackson, I’m in the late stages of researching and writing a biography of the two eldest Schuyler sisters, Angelica and Eliza — a project I’ve been working on for four years — and I’m interested in Eliza’s sale of land to your many-times-great grandfather, Benjamin Lattimore. It’s too much to hope that you have any documents from this time that you might be willing to share with me, but I’d be grateful for any insights you have about your remarkable ancestor and his connection to Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton. I hope you might be willing to be in touch with me. All best wishes —
Contact the Albany County Hall of Records
Good afternoon Julie and Amanda, I am very much in meeting with you to share information on my Grandfather’s history. My family and I have been researching Grandfather’s history for some time now. I am so excited to find out what new information you might have and I look forward to hearing from you.
Sharon
Ms. Jackson: I’ve been working with the Saratoga Springs local history librarian to track down the amazing history of your family. Paul Stewart is off by one generation on the Benjamin Lattimore who was part of the UGRR in Albany. Ben Sr. died in 1838; it was his son Ben Jr. He left Albany in 1847 and purchased an orchard in Moreau NY in northern Saratoga County, where he and the rest of his family operated a stop on the UGRR.
In the late 1880s the family sold the Orchard and those who were left in the area moved to Saratoga Springs. One great grandson of Ben the Patriot married the first graduate of Skidmore College.
We’ve found a lot of interesting things about you family. And we would be very interesting in exchanging information.
My blog site is listed below; you can contact me through the site
Good afternoon Julie, I am very much in meeting with you to share information on my Grandfather’s history. My family and I have been researching Grandfather’s history for some time now. I am so excited to find out what new information you might have and I look forward to hearing from you.
Sharon
Julie, thanks for suggesting the Hall of Records, which is indeed the logical next step; and Sharon, I would love to be in touch with you and Julie on this topic. Is there a way you can access the email address I had to furnish in order to post here? If not, I have a website (currently being redesigned) which has contact info.
This is a most interesting site and Paul’s article was so informative. Thanks to all involved.
Good morning Julie O’Connor,
I have history on my family that would interest you. You can contact me by cell at 917-442-9434. Email at sheasimages@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you.
Thank you
Sharon Jackson
DAR
Good morning Amanda Vaill,
I have history on my family that would interest you. You can contact me by cell at 917-442-9434. Email at sheasimages@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you. Please resend your contact info to my cell number.
Thank you
Sharon Jackson
DAR
Thank you
Sharon Jackson
DAR
Heartbreaking stories about man’s inhumanity to man. Wonderful to read of the interest that families have in their ancestors. Thank you for sharing them.
Martin Nelson, Mombasa Kenya