The Truesdells
From Providence to Brooklyn, a timeline of the abolitionists who made 227 Duffield Street a beacon of the movement for human freedom.
Thomas Truesdell Is Born
Born in Woodstock, Connecticut, Thomas would grow into one of the era's most committed anti-slavery organizers.
Thomas Marries Harriet Lee
Thomas weds Harriet Lee, daughter of William Lee, at the First Baptist Church of Providence, Rhode Island. Together they will become a formidable force in the abolitionist movement.
Harriet Founds the Providence Ladies Anti-Slavery Society
Harriet serves as Treasurer of the newly formed society, established following a stirring lecture by George Thompson, the British abolitionist. Women's organizing would prove central to the movement.
Thomas Cofounds the Rhode Island Anti-Slavery Society
One of the founding members of the statewide organization, Thomas deepens the institutional infrastructure of the New England abolitionist movement.
Harriet Attends the Women's Anti-Slavery Convention — Hall Burned by Pro-Slavery Men
Harriet serves as an officer at the national Women's Anti-Slavery Convention in Philadelphia. Violent opponents set fire to Pennsylvania Hall, built specifically for abolitionist gatherings. The Truesdells press on.
James Hamlet — First Man Seized Under the Fugitive Slave Act
James Hamlet, a free man living in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, is the first African American captured under the new Fugitive Slave Act. The law denied him any right to defend himself. His case galvanized the abolitionist community in Brooklyn and across the country.
The Truesdells Move to 227 Duffield Street
Thomas and Harriet settle at what was then numbered 185 Duffield Street, the home that will become the epicenter of their activism and, decades later, the site of a new preservation fight.
Thomas at the World Temperance Conference, NYC
Thomas represents the intertwined reform movements of the era — temperance and abolition — on a national stage in New York City.
Thomas on the Front Page of The New York Times
Thomas Truesdell appears on the front page of The New York Times as a participant in an Emancipation celebration, a testament to his prominence in the movement.
Harriet Truesdell Passes
Harriet dies, ending a lifetime of organizing, courage, and leadership. In the same year, Sarah Smith Garnet begins her 37-year career as a school principal - the first Black woman to hold that position in New York City - carrying the legacy of the movement forward.
Thomas Leaves 227 Duffield
Grieving Harriet's death, Thomas eventually moves out of the Duffield Street home. He will remarry. The house passes into other hands, but its history does not leave with him.
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