Click here to return to Table of Contents

Thomas Garrett (1789-1871), resident of Wilmington, Delaware, was a hardware merchant and toolmaker by trade. He joined the Pennsylvania Abolition Society in 1818; later became president of the Delaware Anti-Slavery Society, a group led by Quakers; and was an active abolitionist for many years. In the slave states he was the most important stationmaster, his home being a major refuge for fugitives, more than 2700 of whom he helped to freedom. Garrett worked so effectively on behalf of the escaped slaves that the state of Maryland offered $10,000 reward for his arrest (Merrill V 98; Sterling 199, 199 n).

The following letter reflects the temperance movement of the period, but even more importantly, provides an instance of the kidnaping of blacks after passage of the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850. It seems more likely that the following letter was written to Joseph A Dugdale rather than to Milo Townsend and that Dugdale shared it with Milo.

Letter 42

from Thomas Garrett

Wilmington 8 mo. 24th 1858

Dear Friend

Joseph A. Dugdale received thine of yesterday inviting T. Clarkson Taylor and myself to attend the Temperance meeting at Longwood on the 7th day next. I this morning see Clarkson, who says it would give him much pleasure to attend the meeting, but he had made previous arrangements to attend meeting at Darby on First day morning next. He said he would have been pleased to be with you if he could have stayed on First day and paid a visit to thyself and Josiah Wilson. Situated as he is he will have to decline thy invitation at present. We have succeeded in finding the two coloured men that were kidnaped the beginning of this month in Sussex County and sold by a villain to a Negro trader out of the state. They were first taken to Norfolk, thence to Richmond and there sold at public sale for 2600 dollars before they were found. Two men went on from this state on 6th day last to Richmond and fully identified the men, and the Judge gave promise that he would be ruled entirely by our laws in the case which were left with him by which they must be declared free, and when we get them we will try to make the cruel villain who sold them suffer for his sins. We are as well as usual at present. I received a letter a week since from thy excellent mother. She writes very cheerfully, says the prospects of her son-in-law Harrison is much brighter than when she last wrote. Love to thy better half and self.

Thy sincere friend

Thomas Garrett