Rare book owned by famous abolitionists (strange development!)

[way2shg]

I have no idea about rare book but want to congratulate you on your serendipity!
My great-grand uncle is named Charles Sumner Lewis, named after Charles Sumner.
My great-great grandpop was a fugitive slave who eventually became an abolitionist who helped and correspond with Frederick Douglas and William Lloyd Garrison. We have recently uncovered a collection of documents and more are on file in Boston. Seems that Boston and Philadelphia were quite central to the movement.

You have quite a treasure. You must be thrilled.

[KC]

Thanks for sharing Way2shg!

[talesofthesevenseas]

Way2shg, my gr-gr-gr-great-grandfather was named Nathan Wait and he was the blacksmith for the town of Medford MA. He befriended a slave named Ceasar, (later Mr. Anderson) and led the whole town in rescuing Ceasar when he became a fugitive slave, attempting to escape his owner. You can read the story (about two pages, scroll past the portrait in the middle of the story) in the History of the Town of Medford at this link. It gives some really interesting insight into how slavery was viewed in New England at the time:
http://books.google.com/books?id=ASwWAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA356&lpg=PA356&dq=history+town+of+medford+nathan+wait&source=bl&ots=vruAyXjAa1&sig=ENFfL4BUoru-EUzf9AHmI-CAQGI&hl=en&ei=0mD8SpC8BJT0sQPs8LiVAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CAoQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=history%20town%20of%20medford%20nathan%20wait&f=false

[way2shg]

Tales,
That is incredible and something of which to be incredibly proud! Was this prior to the Underground Railroad? My gr-gr Grandfather came through MA before landing in NY. This would have been circa 1845, later than your gr-gr-gr-great-grandfather's work in the late 1700s. I did read that much of New England was very sympathetic, which is what allowed the movement to thrive. I once read a quote that if the townpeople saw someone on the road in the middle of the night, they would say "well, its either a doctor, a drunk, or a fugitive slave"....none of which seemed to bother them.

Here is part of my g/g/grandpop's story about 55% down the page - Oliver Cromwell Gilbert. See where Boston is noted. If you read the "itinerary" paragraph, you'll see why I want the music cabinet back.

Ok, enough from since I don't want to hijack skinny's thread! I am feeling excited for him

http://seacoastnh.com/arts/please083101.html

[Skinny]

Thanks for your interest I would be very proud to have a book that had only belonged to Charles Sumner, but to know that he gave it as a gift to his friend and fellow abolitionist George Livermore makes it even better. Livermore's contributions are not nearly as well known, but I think he did a lot for the cause in his own (behind the scenes) sort of way. The cost of being in politics at the time, and being so publicly outspoken on the issue, manifested itself when Charles Sumner was nearly beaten to death with a cane by a southern Senator.

The real blessing of my finding this book was definitely all the great history that I learned while researching it's provenance. Thanks Way2shg and Tales for sharing your stories!

[talesofthesevenseas]

Thanks for enduring a bit of hijacking Skinny! Please pardon... I'm gonna do just a teeeeeny bit more!  

Way2shg, loved reading about your ancestor! Nathan Wait lived from 1763 to 1840. He was born in Malden MA to Nathaniel Wait and Phoebe Tufts (like the University) There is a bucket that belonged to him in the Sarah Bradlee Fulton room at Royall House Museum in Medford MA. But Nathan's story is not well-known. I think he's represented in the room because he was Sarah Bradlee Fulton's son-in-law, not because of what he did. (She is a fairly well-known female participant in the Revolutionary War) Here is a picture of the bucket, I think this is a fire bucket. Maybe someone here can tell me? It is a little hard to read, but it says A.F.S. at the bottom then the date 1810.

[talesofthesevenseas]

Just found my own answer- Here's a very similar fire bucket from 1806. FFS is Falmouth Fire Society so it looks like AFS is something similar.