Calvin Fairbank facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Calvin Fairbank
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Rev. Calvin Fairbank
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| Born | November 3, 1816 Pike, New York, U.S.
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| Died | October 12, 1898 (aged 81) Angelica, New York, U.S.
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| Resting place | Until The Day Dawn Cemetery |
| Alma mater | Oberlin College |
| Occupation | Methodist minister, abolitionist |
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Notable work
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Rev. Calvin Fairbank During Slavery Times |
| Spouse(s) | Mandana Tileston Adeline Winegar |
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Calvin Fairbank (born November 3, 1816 – died October 12, 1898) was an American abolitionist and Methodist minister. An abolitionist was someone who worked to end slavery. Fairbank was from New York state.
He was arrested twice in Kentucky for helping enslaved people escape. He spent a total of 19 years in the Kentucky State Penitentiary in Frankfort because of this. It is believed that Fairbank helped 47 enslaved people gain their freedom.
After being pardoned in 1849, Fairbank went back to his work with the Underground Railroad. This was a secret network that helped enslaved people escape to freedom. He was arrested again in 1851. This time, the governor of Indiana helped with the arrest, following the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850. Fairbank was found guilty again in Kentucky and served a full 15-year sentence.
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Early Life
Calvin Fairbank was born in 1816 in Pike, New York. This area is now part of Wyoming County, New York. He grew up in a very religious family. This was during a time called the Second Great Awakening, which was a period of religious revival.
Fairbank became strongly against slavery after hearing stories from two enslaved people who had escaped. He met them at a Methodist meeting.
He began helping enslaved people in 1837. He was guiding a lumber raft down the Ohio River. He used his raft to take an enslaved person across the river to a place where they could be free. Soon, he was helping many escaped enslaved people. He would take them to Quaker abolitionist Levi Coffin. Coffin would then help them travel on the Underground Railroad to northern cities or to Canada.
Secret Identities
Calvin Fairbank used several different names to hide his identity. These names included Samuel P. King, Samuel S. King, John Doe, Richard Roe/Rowe, and John Rowe. Using these aliases helped him in his secret work.
Becoming a Minister
The Methodist Episcopal Church allowed Fairbank to preach in 1840. He became an ordained minister in 1842. He wanted to learn more, so in 1844, he enrolled at Oberlin Collegiate Institute in Ohio. This school is now called Oberlin College. It was a special place because people of all races could attend, and it was a strong center for anti-slavery ideas. At Oberlin, Fairbank met John M. Brown, who would later become an important bishop. They worked together to help people escape slavery.
Fighting for Freedom
Helping the Haydens
Fairbank went to Lexington, Kentucky, to help rescue the family of an escaped enslaved man named Gilson Berry. While there, he met Delia Webster, a teacher from Vermont who also wanted to help end slavery.
By chance, Fairbank met Lewis Hayden and his family, who were planning their own escape. Fairbank asked Hayden why he wanted freedom. Hayden bravely replied, "Because I am a man."
Fairbank and Webster helped Hayden, his wife Harriet, and Harriet's son Joseph escape. They traveled by carriage to freedom in Ripley, Ohio. To avoid being caught, the family put flour on their faces to look white. When there was danger, they would hide their son under the wagon seat.
When Fairbank and Webster returned to Kentucky, they were recognized and arrested. They were charged with helping enslaved people escape. Webster was tried in December 1844 and sentenced to two years in prison. However, she was pardoned by the governor after less than two months. Fairbank was tried in 1845. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison, five years for each of the three people he helped free.
Fairbank was pardoned in 1849. His father worked to get him out of prison. Lewis Hayden also played a big part. Hayden raised $650, which was demanded by his former enslaver to approve the pardon. Hayden quickly collected the money from 160 people in Boston, where he and his family had settled.
The Tamar Rescue
In 1851, Fairbank helped an enslaved woman named Tamar escape from Kentucky to Indiana. On November 9 of that year, law enforcement from Kentucky, with help from the sheriff of Clark County, Indiana and Indiana Governor Joseph A. Wright, took Fairbank back to Kentucky for trial.
In 1852, he was sentenced to another 15 years in the Kentucky State Penitentiary in Frankfort. While he was in prison, he faced very harsh conditions.
Life in Prison
Over his many years in prison, Fairbank endured very difficult treatment. In an article from April 5, 1850, the newspaper The Liberator shared a letter from Fairbank. He thanked the people of Boston and mentioned he planned to write a book about his experiences. He also said that letters could be sent to him through Lewis Hayden.
Finally, in 1864, during the American Civil War, Fairbank was pardoned. Acting Governor Richard Taylor Jacob had been working for his release for a long time.
Family Life
After being freed, Fairbank married Mandana Tileston. They had been engaged for thirteen years, waiting for his release. Mandana, known as "Dana," moved closer to the prison so she could visit Fairbank often. She also worked hard to get him pardoned by the Governor of Kentucky. Their only child, Calvin Cornelius Fairbank, was born in 1868.
The difficult conditions in prison affected Fairbank's health. He found it hard to support his family, even though he worked for missionary groups. At one point, he and his wife tried to run a bakery. Mandana Fairbank died in 1876. Calvin then gave their son to the care of Mandana's sister and brother-in-law.
Fairbank married again in 1879 to Adeline Winegar. She was also from Pike, New York. She died in 1901 and was buried next to Calvin.
Sharing His Story
Fairbank wrote a book about his life. It was published in 1890 and called Rev. Calvin Fairbank During Slavery Times: How He "Fought the Good Fight" to Prepare "the Way." He did not earn much money from the book. He died in Angelica, New York, with very little money. He was buried in the Until the Day Dawn Cemetery. He is remembered for helping 47 enslaved people find freedom.
Remembering His Legacy
In recent years, people have worked to get Calvin Fairbank and others who helped enslaved people officially pardoned by the state of Kentucky. From 1844 to 1870, Kentucky put 44 people in prison for helping enslaved people escape. Some of these people even died in prison.
On October 22, 2022, Rev. Calvin Fairbank was honored by being inducted into the National Abolitionist Hall of Fame and Museum in Peterboro, New York. His great-great-great granddaughters and great-great-great-great grandson attended the ceremony. They dedicated the honor to the 47 enslaved people Fairbank helped free.
See also
