David Fiske (born 1954, died 10/28/2023) was an author, local historian, and a retired librarian residing in

Ballston Spa, New York Ballston Spa is a village and the county seat of Saratoga County, New York, United States, located southwest of Saratoga Springs. It is part of the Capital Region. The population of the village, named after Rev. Eliphalet Ball, a Congregational ...

. He has written several books related to

Solomon Northup Solomon Northup (July 10, — ) was an American abolitionist and the primary author of the memoir '' Twelve Years a Slave''. A free-born American of mixed race from New York, he was the son of a freed slave and a free woman of color. Northup ...

Early life and education

Born in Bangor, Maine in 1954, Fiske grew up in Connecticut. He received his bachelor's degree from

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

. He studied library science at the

University at Albany, SUNY The State University of New York at Albany (University at Albany, UAlbany, or SUNY Albany) is a Public university, public research university in Albany, New York, United States. Founded in 1844, it is one of four "university centers" of the St ...

, where he received his master's degree.

Death

Fiske died on October 28th, 2023 after a battle with cancer.

Author

He has authored books about a free black man who was kidnapped and enslaved during the

antebellum period The ''Antebellum'' South era (from ) was a period in the history of the Southern United States that extended from the conclusion of the War of 1812 to the start of the American Civil War in 1861. This era was marked by the prevalent practi ...

. He was a co-author of ''Solomon Northup: The Complete Story of the Author of Twelve Years a Slave'' with Rachel Seligman, a

Skidmore College Skidmore College is a Private school, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Saratoga Springs, New York. Approximately 2,700 students are enrolled at Skidmore pursuing a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Scien ...

curator and Clifford Brown, a

Union College Union College is a Private university, private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York, United States. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the s ...

professor. and he authored ''Solomon Northup: His Life Before and After Slavery'' He wrote another book about more people who were kidnapped and sold into slavery entitled ''Solomon Northup's Kindred: The Kidnapping of Free Citizens before the Civil War.'' The book also explains the kidnapping phenomenon of the antebellum U. S. A key question about Northup is what happened to him after a scheduled lecture in 1857 in

Streetsville, Mississauga Streetsville (pop. 47,327) is a neighbourhood located in the northwestern corner of the city of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, on the Credit River. Although Streetsville occupies the west and east banks of the river, the historic village area is l ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

. There was a crowd of people who disrupted his talk and yelled obscenities at him. A local paper said at the time that it was a "Most Dastardly Outrage". Northup locked himself in a room. Fiske's research has led him to a couple of theories. One, for which there is evidence in the form of letters, is that Northup became an

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was an organized network of secret routes and safe houses used by freedom seekers to escape to the abolitionist Northern United States and Eastern Canada. Enslaved Africans and African Americans escaped from slavery ...

operator, helping people make it into Canada from Vermont. He is said to have helped freedom seekers and worked on the Underground Railroad. Fiske said "given his tendency to boldness and reasoned solutions to problems, there may have been impressive accomplishments… that we simply do not know about." With Eric Stanway, he wrote ''Madame Sherri: The Special Edition''. He also authored ''Forgotten on the Kennebec: Abandoned Places and Quirky People.'' He also lectures on various historical topics.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fiske, David 1954 births Living people Librarians from Maine American non-fiction writers People from Ballston Spa, New York Historians from Maine Historians from Connecticut Cornell University alumni University at Albany, SUNY alumni Historians from New York (state)