Greensbury Washington Offley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Greensbury Washington Offley
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| Born | December 18, 1808 Centerville, Maryland, US |
| Died | March 22, 1896 (aged 87) New Bedford, Massachusetts, US |
| Pen name | G. W. Offley |
| Occupation | Minister |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Autobiography, slave narrative |
| Notable works | A Narrative of the Life and Labors of the Rev. G. W. Offley, a Colored Man, Local Preacher and Missionary (1859) |
Greensbury Washington Offley (born December 18, 1808 – died March 22, 1896) was an American writer and minister. He wrote a special kind of book called a slave narrative. These books tell the true stories of people who were once enslaved. Offley was born into slavery in Maryland but later became a free man. His book, A Narrative of the Life and Labors of the Rev. G. W. Offley, a Colored Man, Local Preacher and Missionary (1859), is one of only six slave narratives published in Connecticut.
Contents
Greensbury Offley's Early Life
Offley was born into slavery in Centreville, Maryland. His father was a free Black man from Maryland. His mother was an enslaved woman from Virginia. We do not know their names.
How Offley Gained Freedom
Offley's master had a will that said Offley's mother should be freed. The will also said Offley and his sister would be freed when they turned 25. However, the master's family tried to hide a part of the will. This hidden part said Offley's younger brother should also be freed at 25.
Offley's father bravely bought all three of his children and Offley's grandmother. He faced serious threats from the master's family. But they stopped when Offley's mother said she would rather harm her children than see them stay enslaved.
Learning and Growing Up
The Offley family grew to include five more children. They faced many money problems. From age 9, Offley's father hired him out to work. He made brooms, wove baskets, chopped wood, and gathered oysters.
Offley did not go to school. He learned to read at age 19. An traveling Black preacher taught him. A slaveholder's son also helped him learn. In return, Offley taught the boy how to wrestle and box. Later, Offley moved to Saint Georges, Delaware. He worked in a hotel there. A young white boy taught him to write in exchange for food.
Offley's Work as a Preacher and Writer
In his 20s, Offley started moving north. He worked for railroads and hotels along the way. On November 15, 1835, he arrived in Hartford, Connecticut. On February 21, 1836, he became a Methodist Episcopal preacher.
Helping Communities
Between 1847 and 1849, Offley raised money in Massachusetts and Connecticut. This money helped the Colored Methodist Zion Society build the Worcester Zion Church. He also helped the Worcester Female Mutual Relief Society.
In 1850, Offley returned to Hartford. He became the pastor of the Belknap Street Church. He worked with important people like minister James W. C. Pennington and educator Ann Plato.
Publishing His Story
In 1859, Offley wrote his autobiography. It told the story of his life until he became a preacher. The book was called A Narrative of the Life and Labors of the Rev. G. W. Offley, a Colored Man, Local Preacher and Missionary. It was printed in Hartford. Important white ministers, including Horace Bushnell, supported his book. Only about 1,000 copies were printed. It was mainly for people in that region.
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Later Years and Legacy
In 1866, Offley asked Black communities in New England for donations. These funds were for church missionary work. This work helped newly freed people in the border states.
In 1867, Offley moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts. There, he wrote a short religious book in 1875. It was called "God's Immutable Declaration of His Own Moral and Assumed Natural Image and Likeness in Man." Offley lived a quiet life on his farm after that. He passed away on March 22, 1896. He was buried in Oak Grove Cemetery.
Offley's Family Life
Offley was married twice while he lived in Connecticut. In 1837, he married his first wife, Ann Offley. She died in the 1850s. By 1860, he had married Elizabeth Offley, who was born in 1840. We do not know much about either of his wives. He did not have any known biological children. However, he adopted a daughter named Adelaide Brown (1857–1927). Her mother was from the Nipmuc people.
