Joshua Young facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Joshua Young
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Rev. Joshua Young, who presided over the funeral of John Brown
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| Born | September 23, 1823 |
| Died | February 7, 1904 (aged 80) |
| Occupation | Congregational Unitarian minister |
| Years active | 1849–1904 |
| Known for | Presiding over the funeral of John Brown |
Joshua Young (born September 23, 1823 – died February 7, 1904) was an important minister who fought against slavery. He was known as an abolitionist, someone who wanted to end slavery in the United States. Young became famous, and even lost his job, for leading the funeral of John Brown in 1859. John Brown was a very well-known person at the time. He was also the first person in U.S. history to be executed for treason, which means betraying one's country.
Even though his friends thought his career would be ruined, Young's resignation from his church in Burlington did not stop him. The church later apologized and invited him back as "an honored guest." A special plaque in the church remembers him.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Young was born in 1823 in Randolph, near Pittston, Maine. He was the youngest of eleven children. When he was about four years old, his family moved to Bangor. There, he went to local schools.
At 16, he started college at Bowdoin College, graduating with high honors in 1845. He then continued his studies at Harvard Divinity School, finishing in 1848. Later, in 1890, Bowdoin College gave him an honorary degree called Doctor of Divinity. Young was also a Mason, a member of a social and charitable organization. He called himself a "Garrisonian abolitionist," meaning he followed the ideas of William Lloyd Garrison, a famous abolitionist leader.
Family Life
In 1849, Joshua Young married Mary Elizabeth Plympton. They had five children: Mary Elizabeth, Lucy F., Dr. Joshua Edson, Henry Guy, and Mrs. Grace D. Patton.
A Minister's Journey
Joshua Young served as a minister in several places:
- 1849–1852: New North Church, Boston.
- 1852–1862: First Congregational (Unitarian) Church, Burlington, Vermont. He was very popular at first. However, people started to like him less when they learned he had helped enslaved people escape. He was part of the Boston Vigilance Committee, which helped people fleeing slavery. He was also accused of helping enslaved people in Burlington, but this was not proven. He resigned from his church and other roles in Burlington in 1862.
- 1864–1868: 3rd Congregational Society, Hingham, Massachusetts.
- 1868–1875: Unitarian Church, Fall River, Massachusetts. Before this job, he traveled to Egypt, the Holy Land, and Europe.
- 1875–1904: First Parish Meeting House, Groton, Massachusetts.
Young passed away in 1904 in Winchester, Massachusetts, at his son's home. He was buried in Mount Auburn Cemetery. On his tombstone are words from the Bible that he spoke at John Brown's funeral: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished my course."
Fighting Against Slavery
Young strongly believed in ending slavery. He grew up with the ideas of the "Garrisonian school of abolitionists." His early studies and first job were in Boston, a major center for the American abolitionist movement. This is where William Lloyd Garrison's anti-slavery newspaper, The Liberator, was published.
Young was a member of the Boston Vigilance Committee. This group was formed after the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 was passed. This law made it easier for slave catchers to capture and return enslaved people who had escaped. The committee helped these fugitives (people fleeing slavery) avoid being caught. Young saw an enslaved man named Anthony Burns forced back into slavery. He gave a sermon about it, which was printed as a pamphlet.
Young also helped enslaved people escape as part of the Underground Railroad. This was a secret network of safe houses and routes used by enslaved people to reach freedom. He often sheltered fugitives in his own home. In Burlington, he was less than 50 miles from the Canadian border, which was a path to freedom. Some stories say he sheltered up to six fugitives at a time in his barn.
The John Brown Funeral
The most important event in Joshua Young's life, in his own words, was being part of the funeral for John Brown. This event had big and painful consequences for him. He often talked about it and wrote about his experience when he was older.
John Brown was executed on December 2, 1859, after being found guilty of murder, treason, and trying to start a slave uprising. Young had never met Brown. However, when his abolitionist friend Lucius G. Bigelow told him that John Brown's body was passing through Rutland on its way to be buried at his home in North Elba, New York, they decided to go. North Elba was only about 100 miles away across Lake Champlain.
They traveled all night and arrived just hours before the service. Young was the only minister there, as others had refused to attend. When another abolitionist, Wendell Phillips, asked him to lead the service, Young felt that "God had sent [him] there." A reporter at the funeral wrote that Young's opening prayer was "impressive." As Brown's body was lowered into the grave, Young felt moved to say words from the Bible: "I have fought a good fight. I have finished my course. I have kept the faith" (2 Timothy 4:7).
When Young returned to Burlington, he faced strong criticism in the local newspaper. People in society avoided him, and important members of his church left. Young felt he was being persecuted (treated unfairly because of his beliefs). He was even told that he would never be allowed to preach again. He said that some people even suggested he should be hanged.
There is some disagreement about why Young left the Burlington church. Some accounts say it was due to the pressure from the John Brown funeral, while others suggest there might have been other reasons.
Later Reburials
In 1899, Young led another ceremony. Ten of John Brown's men, who had been buried in different places, were reburied next to John Brown's grave. Eight of them had been placed in two packing crates.
Legacy
- In 1997, folk singer Pete Sutherland wrote a song called "A Crown of Righteousness." He based it on one of Young's sermons.
- In 2012, lines from Young's 1854 sermon "Come and See What It Is to Be a Unitarian" were used by his last church, the First Parish Church of Groton.
