Benjamin Lundy letter to Lydia S. Wierman, May 29, 1831   Save
Benjamin Lundy Papers
Description: Letter from Philadelphia-based abolitionist Benjamin Lundy to his married sister, Lydia S. Wierman of York Springs, Pennsylvania. Lundy describes his recent and upcoming travels in the Mid-Atlantic region -- including plans to visit Maryland, Delaware, and New Jersey -- and plans for the care and maintenance of his popular abolitionist periodical, "The Genius of Universal Emancipation," during his absence. Lundy details visits with family, and seeks to arrange plans for a family member named Susan (likely Lundy's daughter, later Susan Wierman of Illinois) to board with Lydia, as her other living arrangements have fallen through. Lundy also includes a colorful description of an overheard account of the treatment of slave women in Maryland, which he hopes to include in a forthcoming issue of The Genius in order to "nauseat some stomachs!" Benjamin Lundy (1789-1839) was a prominent Quaker abolitionist best known for his development of abolitionist periodicals. His Genius of Universal Emancipation was first published in 1821 from his home in Mt. Pleasant, Ohio, and enjoyed a wide circulation across the antebellum United States. In the 1820s, the young William Lloyd Garrison came to work for The Genius. Benjamin Lundy traveled widely seeking subscriptions to The Genius, giving talks about the anti-slavery movement, and observing and documenting the conditions of enslaved people across the Americas. He was also involved in the establishment of freed slave colonies in Mexico. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: MSS112_B01F01_18310529_01
Subjects: Abolitionists; Anti-slavery periodicals -- 19th century; Travel; Women with disabilities--Attitudes; Family life; Lundy, Benjamin, 1789-1839
Places: Philadelphia (Pennsylvania); York Springs (Pennsylvania)