Sydney Howard Gay
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Sydney Howard Gay (1814–1888) was an American attorney,
journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...
and
abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the political movement to end slavery and liberate enslaved individuals around the world. The first country to fully outlaw slavery was Kingdom of France, France in 1315, but it was later used ...
who was active in New York City. Beginning in 1843, he was editor of the '' National Anti-Slavery Standard'' for 14 years. His offices became a stop of the
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 ...
, and he became very active in collaborating with others to help fugitive slaves reach freedom. He worked closely with
Louis Napoleon Napoleon III (Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was President of France from 1848 to 1852 and then Emperor of the French from 1852 until his deposition in 1870. He was the first president, second emperor, and last ...
, a free black man. For about two years, Gay kept a detailed record of the approximately 200 men whom he and Napoleon aided in what is known as the ''Record of Fugitives.'' Because Gay aided men coming from Philadelphia, some of his notes overlap materials by activist
William Still William Still (October 7, 1819 – July 14, 1902) was an African-American abolitionist based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was a conductor of the Underground Railroad and was responsible for aiding and assisting at least 649 slaves to freedom ...
of that city, who published his account in 1872. Gay's ''Record'' was not discovered among his papers at Columbia University until the early 21st century. Gay and Napoleon may have aided an estimated 3,000 refugees, helping many get to upstate New York and Canada. His ''Record'' reveals what a large organization the Underground Railroad truly was, aided by hundreds of people from different walks of life.


Early life

Gay was born on May 22, 1814, in
Hingham, Massachusetts Hingham ( ) is a town in northern Plymouth County, Massachusetts, Plymouth County in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. Part of the Greater Boston region, it is located on the South Shore (Massachusetts), South Shore of Massachusetts. At the 2020 ...
, to the lawyer Ebenezer Gay and his wife Mary Alleyne Otis, niece of American Revolutionary activists James Otis, Jr. and
Mercy Otis Warren Mercy Otis Warren (September 25, 1728 – October 19, 1814) was an American activist poet, playwright, and pamphleteer during the American Revolution. During the years before the Revolution, she had published poems and plays that attacked royal ...
. On his father's side, he was descended from Governor William Bradford, a founder of the
Plymouth Colony Plymouth Colony (sometimes spelled Plimouth) was the first permanent English colony in New England from 1620 and the third permanent English colony in America, after Newfoundland and the Jamestown Colony. It was settled by the passengers on t ...
, who arrived on the ''
Mayflower ''Mayflower'' was an English sailing ship that transported a group of English families, known today as the Pilgrims, from England to the New World in 1620. After 10 weeks at sea, ''Mayflower'', with 102 passengers and a crew of about 30, reac ...
'' in 1620. On his mother's side, he was descended from John Otis, who settled in Hingham in 1635. Sydney's father, Ebenezer Gay, was a prosperous but unhappy attorney who wanted one of his sons to join his practice. Sydney's older brothers did not meet Ebenezer's expectations, so he decided to prepare Sydney for a legal career by sending him to
Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate education, undergraduate college of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Part of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Scienc ...
. But Sydney was 15 years old and could not adjust yet to being away from home. He became ill and had to withdraw from his classes. Ebenezer was disappointed when Sydney refused to return to the college. Gay set his sights on being a businessman and persuaded his father to loan him money for several unsuccessful business ventures. While he was trying desperately to start a mercantile enterprise in
New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
, his sister, Francis, informed him that
Angelina Grimké Angelina Emily Grimké Weld (February 20, 1805 – October 26, 1879) was an American abolitionist, political activist, women's rights advocate, and supporter of the women's suffrage movement. At one point she was the best known, or "most ...
had spoken in Hingham against slavery, and she had greatly impressed their mother. Gay told his sister that abolitionists were fanatics, and he did not want anyone in the family to associate with them. When his New Orleans venture failed miserably, Gay returned to his parents' home, ill and ashamed. Withdrawing into his father's library, he read and thought deeply about the
slavery Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...
issue; he changed his opinion, announcing that he was an abolitionist. His father still hoped the younger Gay would join his law practice, but he refused to take the lawyer's oath to uphold the
United States Constitution The Constitution of the United States is the Supremacy Clause, supreme law of the United States, United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, on March 4, 1789. Originally includi ...
, because the Constitution sanctioned slavery. Gay joined the local Antislavery Society. In addition, he started writing abolitionist articles for the ''Hingham Patriot'', joined
William Lloyd Garrison William Lloyd Garrison (December , 1805 – May 24, 1879) was an Abolitionism in the United States, American abolitionist, journalist, and reformism (historical), social reformer. He is best known for his widely read anti-slavery newspaper ''The ...
's American Abolition Society, and traveled on a One Hundred Convention tour with
Frederick Douglass Frederick Douglass (born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, February 14, 1818 – February 20, 1895) was an American social reformer, Abolitionism in the United States, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman. He was the most impor ...
, a prominent abolitionist who had escaped from slavery when young.


Life in New York City

In 1843, Gay moved to
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
to become resident editor of the '' National Anti-Slavery Standard'', a post he would hold for 14 years. Two years later in 1845, Gay married Elizabeth Johns Neall, the grandchild of abolitionist
Warner Mifflin Warner Mifflin (August 21, 1745 – October 16, 1798) was an American abolitionist and an early advocate of reparations for slavery. Born and raised in Virginia, Mifflin established himself as a planter in Delaware in 1769. As a member of the Socie ...
and daughter of another prominent
Quaker Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...
abolitionist, Daniel Neall, president of Pennsylvania Hall. Neall was also an abolitionist and involved in the woman's rights movement of the day. Their daughter Mary Otis Gay Willcox became a prominent civic worker on
Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is the southernmost of the boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County and situated at the southernmost point of New York (state), New York. The borough is separated from the ad ...
.


Abolition and the Underground Railroad

Several people helped Gay make his office at the ''Standard'' one of New York City's busiest
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 ...
depots. His associates included the venerable abolitionist Quaker Isaac T. Hopper, his daughter, Abigail Hopper Gibbons, and her husband, James; Elias Smith; and two African Americans: the ''Standard's'' printer, William H. Leonard, and Louis Napoleon, who conducted many of the fugitives forwarded to the office from Philadelphia by
James Miller McKim James Miller McKim (November 10, 1810 – June 13, 1874) was an American Presbyterian minister and abolitionist. He was the father of the architect Charles Follen McKim. Biography McKim was born in Carlisle, Pennsylvania on November 10, 1810. ...
and
William Still William Still (October 7, 1819 – July 14, 1902) was an African-American abolitionist based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was a conductor of the Underground Railroad and was responsible for aiding and assisting at least 649 slaves to freedom ...
. Gay's office was a critical stop for refugees traveling from Philadelphia to
New Haven New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is the third largest city in Co ...
and
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
, or to
Canada West The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in British North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report ...
via Albany,
Syracuse Syracuse most commonly refers to: * Syracuse, Sicily, Italy; in the province of Syracuse * Syracuse, New York, USA; in the Syracuse metropolitan area Syracuse may also refer to: Places * Syracuse railway station (disambiguation) Italy * Provi ...
, and Rochester. Gay aided three of history's most famous fugitives:
Henry "Box" Brown Henry Box Brown ( – June 15, 1897) was an enslaved man from Virginia who escaped to freedom at the age of 33 by arranging to have himself mailed in a wooden crate in 1849 to abolitionists in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. For a short time, Brow ...
, Jane Johnson, and
Harriet Tubman Harriet Tubman (born Araminta Ross, – March 10, 1913) was an American abolitionist and social activist. After escaping slavery, Tubman made some 13 missions to rescue approximately 70 enslaved people, including her family and friends, us ...
. In two notebooks, which he entitled ''Record of Fugitives, 1855—'', he recorded the stories of over 200 fugitives whom he and his associates aided from 1855 to 1856. Because Gay dealt with some refugees who came from Philadelphia, where William Still kept his own notes about some of the same people, Gay's ''Record'' is the most important primary document to be printed since William Still self-published his classic ''Underground Railroad Records'' in 1872. The contents of Gay's ''Record'' were similar to the journal kept by Still. But, Gay's ''Record'' was not discovered by historians until the 21st century. The earliest-known documented reference to it was made by historian Kathryn Grover in her 2002 monograph about black abolitionists in Boston for the
National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...
. Tom Calarco, one of the authors of ''Secret Lives'', found the ''Records'' as a result of this reference. He had the materials photographed in 2007 for use in research. He immediately realized the significance of the Records, and collaborated with Don Papson on a book resulting from their study of these and other documents. It was published in February 2015. Around that time, historians of slavery such as
Eric Foner Eric Foner (; born February 7, 1943) is an American historian. He writes extensively on American political history, the history of freedom, the early history of the Republican Party, African American biography, the American Civil War, Reconstr ...
also learned of the ''Records.'' A copy of his annotated ''Record of Fugitive Slaves'' is available for viewing online at the
Columbia University Library Columbia University Libraries is the library system of Columbia University and one of the largest academic library systems in North America. With 15.0 million volumes and over 160,000 journals and serials, as well as extensive electronic resources ...
website. Foner also wrote a history of the Underground Railroad, ''Gateway to Freedom: The Hidden History of the Underground Railroad'' (2015). He estimated that Gay and his collaborators in New York aided some 3,000 fugitive slaves in reaching freedom.


Career as a journalist

After 14 years at the ''Standard'', Gay resigned when the Boston clique decided it could not afford to keep his associate editor, Oliver Johnson. Gay was exhausted, and he was not earning enough to support his wife and three children. He continued to serve on the American Anti-Slavery Society's Executive Board and to aid fugitives from slavery. Following time off to recover his health at his home on
Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is the southernmost of the boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County and situated at the southernmost point of New York (state), New York. The borough is separated from the ad ...
, Gay accepted the position of assistant to the managing editor, and later the managing editor, for
Horace Greeley Horace Greeley (February 3, 1811 – November 29, 1872) was an American newspaper editor and publisher who was the founder and newspaper editor, editor of the ''New-York Tribune''. Long active in politics, he served briefly as a congres ...
's ''
New-York Tribune The ''New-York Tribune'' (from 1914: ''New York Tribune'') was an American newspaper founded in 1841 by editor Horace Greeley. It bore the moniker ''New-York Daily Tribune'' from 1842 to 1866 before returning to its original name. From the 1840s ...
''. Although Greeley unrelentingly criticized
President Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War, defeating the Confederate State ...
's handling of the
Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
, Gay ensured the ''Tribune'' was a pro- Union paper. Gay defied Greeley's command against arming staff at the ''Tribune'' building during the 1863 Draft Riots, and they were able to prevent a mob from burning it to the ground. When Greeley demoted Gay after the war, he resigned. Gay was emotionally and physically exhausted. After a long rest in Hingham, he accepted a job at the ''
Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...
'' in 1867. He lived and worked there until after the
Great Chicago Fire The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned in the American city of Chicago, Illinois during October 8–10, 1871. The fire killed approximately 300 people, destroyed roughly of the city including over 17,000 structures, and left mor ...
of 1871. Gay returned to New York, serving on the editorial staff of
William Cullen Bryant William Cullen Bryant (November 3, 1794 – June 12, 1878) was an American romantic poet, journalist, and long-time editor of the '' New York Evening Post''. Born in Massachusetts, he started his career as a lawyer but showed an interest in poe ...
's ''
New York Evening Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is an American conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates three online sites: NYPost.com; PageSix.com, a gossip site; and Decider.com, an entertainm ...
'' from 1872 to 1874. Bryant persuaded him to collaborate on a multi-volume ''Popular History of the United States'' for
Scribners Charles Scribner's Sons, or simply Scribner's or Scribner, is an American publisher based in New York City that has published several notable American authors, including Henry James, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Kurt Vonnegut, Marjor ...
, and Gay did most of the writing for it.


Final years

In 1877, Harvard's president and
Fellows Fellows may refer to Fellow, in plural form. Fellows or Fellowes may also refer to: Places *Fellows, California, USA *Fellows, Wisconsin, ghost town, USA Other uses * Fellowes, Inc., manufacturer of workspace products *Fellows, a partner in the f ...
recognized Gay's accomplishments by awarding him a diploma. Gay was elected a member of the
American Antiquarian Society The American Antiquarian Society (AAS), located in Worcester, Massachusetts, is both a learned society and a national research library of pre-twentieth-century American history and culture. Founded in 1812, it is the oldest historical society in ...
in 1878. In 1884, Gay completed ''A Life of
James Madison James Madison (June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison was popularly acclaimed as the ...
''. He was working on a biography of John Quincy, his Boston abolitionist friend, when he fell, injuring his spine so as to cause paralysis. He died in
New Brighton, Staten Island New Brighton is a neighborhood located on the North Shore, Staten Island, North Shore of Staten Island in New York City. The neighborhood comprises an older industrial and residential harbor front area along the Kill Van Kull west of St. George, ...
on June 25, 1888, and was buried in the Hingham Cemetery with his ancestors. It is located on the hill above the
Old Ship Church The Old Ship Church (also known as the Old Ship Meetinghouse) is a Puritan Church (building), church built in 1681 in Hingham, Massachusetts. It is the only surviving 17th-century Puritan Meeting house, meetinghouse in the United States. Its c ...
, which his paternal great-grandfather, Rev. Ebenezer Gay, had pastored for more than 60 years.Papson and Calarco (2015), pp. 237–240. His papers are held as the ''Gay Papers'' at the
Rare Book & Manuscript Library The Rare Book and Manuscript Library is the principal repository for the special collections of Columbia University. Located on the sixth floor of Butler Library on the university's Morningside Heights campus, its collections span more than 4,0 ...
of
Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
. This is where his ''Record of Fugitives'' was found in the early 21st century. Two books based on it were published in 2015.


References


External links


Volumes of ''National Anti-Slavery Standard'' on Internet Archives

Personal items of Sydney Howard Gay and his family
Staten Island Historical Society Online Collections Database * Interviews with
Eric Foner Eric Foner (; born February 7, 1943) is an American historian. He writes extensively on American political history, the history of freedom, the early history of the Republican Party, African American biography, the American Civil War, Reconstr ...
on
Democracy Now! ''Democracy Now!'' is an hour-long TV, radio, and Internet news program based in Manhattan and hosted by journalists Amy Goodman (who also acts as the show's executive producer), Juan González, and Nermeen Shaikh. The show, which airs live ...
about his boo
''Gateway to Freedom: The Hidden History of the Underground Railroad''
and Sydney Howard Gay *
part 1
begins ~35:38 i
audio
an
video
*
part 2audiovideo
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gay, Sydney Howard 1814 births 1888 deaths 19th-century American newspaper editors Abolitionists from New York (state) Underground Railroad in New York (state)