Onesimus (Bostonian) facts for kids

Onesimus (late 1600s–1700s) was an African man who played a key role in helping Boston, Massachusetts, during a smallpox outbreak. His birth name is not known. He was enslaved and, in 1706, was given to a minister named Cotton Mather. Mather renamed him Onesimus.

Onesimus taught Mather about a way to prevent smallpox called inoculation. This method helped lead to the development of vaccines. When a smallpox outbreak hit Boston in 1721, Mather used this knowledge. He encouraged people to get inoculated, and this practice later spread to other colonies. In 2016, Boston magazine named Onesimus one of the "Best Bostonians of All Time."

Onesimus's Early Life

Onesimus's original name and where he was born are not known for sure. Records first show him in the American colonies in 1706. He had been brought to North America as an enslaved person. In December of that year, a church gave him as a gift to Cotton Mather. Mather was a Puritan minister and a well-known person in the Salem Witch Trials. Mather renamed him after an enslaved person mentioned in the Bible. The name "Onesimus" means "useful" or "helpful."

Mather said Onesimus was from a group called "Guaramantee." This might mean he was from the Coromantee people, who are also known as the Akan people from modern-day Ghana. Mather thought Onesimus was very smart. He taught Onesimus to read and write along with his own family.

Onesimus's Personal Life

Onesimus earned his own money. He was able to have a home for himself and his wife while working for the Mather family. It is not clear if his wife was a free woman. They had two children, but both died before they turned ten years old. His son, Onesimulus, died in 1714. His daughter, Katy, died from a disease called consumption.

After his children died, Mather tried to get Onesimus to become a Christian. But Onesimus did not want to. Mather was unhappy about this. He felt it was his failure as a religious leader and head of his household. Mather's diary mentions "stubborn behavior" from Onesimus after his children passed away.

In 1716, Onesimus tried to buy his freedom from Mather. He raised money to "buy" another enslaved man, named Obadiah, to take his place. Mather set conditions for Onesimus's freedom. He said Onesimus still had to work for the Mather family when they needed him. Mather also claimed Onesimus owed him five pounds. The exact reason Onesimus became free is not fully known. Some people think it was because Mather claimed he owed money. However, Mather's diaries suggest that his main reason was Onesimus's refusal to become a Christian.

Onesimus's Legacy

The method of inoculation that Onesimus shared was very important. In 1722 and 1726, trials were done in London and Boston. These trials showed that inoculation greatly lowered the death rate from smallpox. On average, it dropped from 17% of infected people to just 2%.

In 1796, a new method called vaccination was developed by Edward Jenner. This new method used cowpox to protect against smallpox. After this, vaccination became required in Wales and England. Inoculation was banned because it could have side effects.

In 1980, the World Health Organization announced that smallpox had been completely wiped out. This was thanks to worldwide efforts to vaccinate people. Smallpox is the first and only human infectious disease to be fully removed from the world.

In the 2016 Boston magazine survey, Onesimus was ranked number 52 on a list of the "Best Bostonians of All Time."