Amos Noë Freeman facts for kids

Amos Noë Freeman (1809—1893) was an amazing African-American leader. He was an abolitionist, which means he worked to end slavery. He was also a Presbyterian minister and a teacher. He became the first full-time minister at the Abyssinian Meeting House in Portland, Maine. There, he helped lead a secret safe house on the Underground Railroad. Later, he served for many years at Siloam Presbyterian Church in Brooklyn, New York.

Amos Freeman's Early Life and Schooling

Amos Noë Freeman was born in Rahway, New Jersey. He became an orphan when he was young and was raised by the church. As a child, he went to the African Free School in Manhattan. This school was important because it educated African-American children. After that, he attended Phoenix High School in New York City. This school was started by his mentor, a minister named Rev. Theodore S. Wright.

Freeman later returned to New Jersey to study at Rahway Academy. He then moved to the Oneida Institute in Whitesboro, New York. This institute was founded by a Presbyterian minister, Rev. Beriah Green. Amos Freeman was one of only four African-American students in the first class of 33. Some of his classmates included Amos Beman, who became a close friend, Alexander Crummell, and Henry Highland Garnet. After finishing his studies at Oneida Institute in the early 1830s, Freeman went back to New Jersey. He taught in the public schools for "colored" children in New Brunswick and then in Newark.

Amos Freeman's Family Life

In 1839, in Newark, Amos Freeman married Christiana Taylor Williams (1812-1903). She was born in Red Hook on Hudson, New York. Christiana had recently been freed from slavery. She was a descendant of Philip H. Livingston, whose grandfather signed the Declaration of Independence.

The Freemans had a family, including a daughter named Mary Freeman. Mary later married Rev. Robert Foster Wheeler. One of their daughters, Laura Wheeler Waring, became a famous portrait painter. She was known for her work during the Harlem Renaissance. Laura was one of the first African-American artists to have her paintings shown by the Harmon Foundation. This foundation even asked her to paint portraits of important African Americans.

Amos Freeman's Work as a Minister

Amos Freeman became an ordained minister in 1840. This meant he was officially recognized to lead a church. In 1841, he and his wife moved to Portland, Maine. There, he became the first pastor of the Abyssinian Meeting House. This church is now the third oldest surviving black church in the United States.

The Abyssinian Meeting House became a very important place for the anti-slavery movement. It was also a station on the Underground Railroad. The Underground Railroad was a secret network of safe houses and routes that helped enslaved people escape to freedom. Because of his leadership, Freeman became the most well-known African American in Maine. He strongly supported education and even ran a school connected to the church. For ten years, he and his wife helped enslaved people seeking freedom, both at the church and in their own home.

In 1852, Rev. Freeman became the pastor of Siloam Presbyterian Church in Brooklyn, New York. He served there from 1852 to 1860. He was a long-time friend of Amos Gerry Beman, another important black minister. In 1853, Freeman attended the National African American Convention in Rochester, New York. This was a meeting of people who wanted to end slavery. His name was one of five on an important document called The Claims of Our Common Cause. Other famous names on this document included Frederick Douglass.

Helping Anna Maria Weems Escape

While Rev. Freeman lived in Brooklyn in the mid-1850s, he secretly helped a young enslaved girl named Anna Maria Weems. She was escaping to freedom in Canada. A lawyer named Jacob Bigelow disguised Anna as a boy. They met Dr. Ellwood Harvey in front of the White House in November 1855. Anna pretended to be a male buggy driver and drove Dr. Harvey from Washington to Philadelphia.

In Philadelphia, Dr. Harvey took Anna to the house of another abolitionist, William Still. The next day, Dr. Harvey took Anna across the river to Camden, New Jersey, and then to New York City. In Brooklyn, she went to the home of Rev. Charles Ray, and then to the home of Lewis Tappan. It was there that the only known photo of Anna was taken, showing her in her "boy disguise."

Rev. Freeman then traveled with Anna by train to Canada. She finally reached safety at her uncle and aunt's house in Ontario. It's possible that this is where Freeman first met the famous abolitionist, John Brown. Later, in 1859, John Brown even stopped at Freeman's church in Brooklyn. This was before Brown's famous raid at Harpers Ferry.

Amos Freeman's Later Years

In 1860, Rev. Freeman became the pastor of the Congregationalist Talcott Street Church in Hartford, Connecticut. Four years later, Rev. Freeman and his family moved back to Brooklyn. He rejoined the congregation at Siloam Presbyterian Church. He served there until he retired in 1885.

His wife, Christiana Williams Freeman, worked at the Colored Orphans Home in New York City. She helped keep the children safe during the New York Draft Riots of 1863. Rev. Freeman passed away at his home in Brooklyn. Both Amos and Christiana Freeman are buried at The Evergreen Cemetery in Brooklyn.

Amos Freeman's Legacy

• The "Home of Amos Noe and Christiana Williams Freeman" is recognized on the Portland Freedom Trail in Maine. A special plaque was placed there to honor them.