Edna M. Troiano - Uncle Tom’s Journey from Maryland to Canada: The Life of Josiah Henson

Published by American Palate
A Division of The History Press
Charleston, SC
www.historypress.com

Copyright 2019 by Edna Troiano

All rights reserved

First published 2019

e-book edition 2019

ISBN 978.1.43966.602.9

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018958999

print edition ISBN 978.1.62585.941.9

Notice: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without guarantee on the part of the author or The History Press. The author and The History Press disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Dedicated to all those who keep Josiah Hensons memory alive.

CONTENTS

PREFACE

In the summer of 2016, my friend Sonja Scharles, knowing my fascination with archaeology, invited me to visit La Grange, a historic home in La Plata, Maryland, where Dr. Julia King of St. Marys College of Maryland and her students were excavating, looking for evidence of the birthplace of Josiah Henson.

Dr. King explained to me that Josiah Henson, who had been born only a few miles from my home, had escaped from slavery, founded a settlement and a school in Canada, was reputed to be the model for Uncle Tom in Harriet Beecher Stowes novel Uncle Toms Cabin, had rescued people via the Underground Railroad, and had been renowned in American and England for his sermons and lectures. Stunned, I asked, Why havent I ever heard of him? King replied, Thats what everybody says.

I have a doctorate in literature, have taught African American literature, read the slave narratives, and am well informed about the history of slavery, yet I had never heard of Henson. Like many writers, I had found a story that wouldnt leave me alone. I continued to mull over his life. But part of my fascination was not strictly with Hensons lifeit was also with his disappearance from history. When students learned about Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman, why didnt they also learn about Josiah Henson?

When I mentioned to Keenan Holmes, a museum docent at the Josiah Henson Special Park in Montgomery County, Maryland, that I was thinking about writing about Henson, he pointed out that Henson had already written his autobiography and asked what I had to add. It seemed to me that there were two large pieces missing from the story: why Hensons fame had faded and what efforts were being made to educate people about him.

In addition to retelling the life of this remarkable man, I decided to investigate how Hensons relationship with Stowes Uncle Tom both enhanced and diminished his fame and to explore the sites where he lived. As William Faulkner famously said, The past isnt dead; it isnt even past. In tracing Henson from Maryland to Kentucky to Canada, I discovered sites devoted to Henson and met people dedicated to educating the public about his life. Their goal, like mine, is to reinstate Henson as the hero he was once known to be.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thanks first to my familymy husband, Pete, my chief support as well as a talented editor, and my children, Danielle and Leofor providing unwavering encouragement.

Unlike writers of fiction, nonfiction writers are not allowed to make things up. At every site where I searched for Henson, people supplied me with knowledge and data, pointed me to sources I might well have otherwise overlooked, and responded to my barrage of questions.

At La Grange (La Plata, Maryland) were Dr. Julia King, Michael J. Sullivan, Rebecca Webster, Janice Wilson, and Kevin Wilson.

At the Josiah Henson Special Park (Montgomery County, Maryland) were Keenan Holmes and Cassandra Michaud.

At Owensboro, Kentucky, were Leslie McCarty and Rich and Cindy Stierwalt.

And at Uncle Toms Cabin Historic Site (Dresden, Ontario, Canada) were Barbara Carter, Steven Cook, Brenda Lambkin, and Lynda Weese.

Sonja Scharles accompanied me on this journey, taking photos, making contacts, reading and re-reading the manuscript, and generally serving as factotum.

Steven Cook, site manager at Uncle Toms Cabin Historic Site in Dresden, Canada, provided difficult-to-find information, read portions of the manuscript for accuracy, and provided illustrations.

Valerie Nyce, senior photography coordinator, Community Relations Department at the College of Southern Maryland, provided support in securing and preparing illustrations.

And finally, without the enthusiastic support of Banks Smither, acquisitions editor at The History Press, this book would not have seen the light.

Chapter 1

CHARLES COUNTY, MARYLAND

LA GRANGE

Josiah Hensonfugitive from slavery, Underground Railroad hero, founder of a settlement and school for escaped slaves in Canada, and an inspiration for the character of Uncle Tom in the famous novel Uncle Toms Cabinwas once an international celebrity. A household name in the nineteenth century in much of the eastern United States, Ontario, Canada, and London, England, Henson has largely disappeared from history. Until recently, most people in Charles County were unaware of this abolitionist hero, even though he was born near them at La Grange, a historic home in La Plata, Maryland.

When Kevin Wilsons late wife, Carey, drove past La Grange in 1989, she noticed a For Sale sign. Drawn to the beauty of the house and its surroundings, she contacted the owners, the La Hoods. Only after talking with the owners and a realtor did she approach her husband, Kevin, a carpenter and home builder who had grown up in an old farmhouse and had an appreciation for venerable historic structures. Like his wife, he found the house and the prospect of renovating it appealing, so the couple agreed to buy it. After nine months of renovations, the Wilsons moved into La Grange.

One of the largest surviving preRevolutionary War homes in Charles County, La Grange is situated on the western edge of the town of La Plata about a mile and a half from historic Port Tobacco. Originally a Native American village named Potobac (named for the local tribe, not the crop), Port Tobacco was visited by Captain John Smith in 1608. With access to both the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, Port Tobacco thrived and grew to become the first county seat.

La Grange. Charles County Historical Society Photographs.

Built by James Craik in 1765, La Grange is a two-story, gable-roofed frame house with brick ends and four exterior brick chimneys. The house is admired for its harmonious Georgian exterior, elegant interior, and pleasant surrounding lawns. The National Register Properties (Maryland Inventory CH-3) lauds La Grange for its interesting coupling of the Georgian neoclassical style with an otherwise typical regional house plan and ranks the house as one of Marylands most important historic and architectural landmarks.