  From his teen years on, John Lewis was determined to not only give words to his observations about injustices heaped on Black Americans for 400 years, but he also backed his words up with actions.
John Lewis’ ancestors were among the many who escaped slavery only to find few opportunities open to them. As a boy, his parents pleaded with him not to call attention to himself. Brother Samuel recalls that their mother warned John “not to get in trouble, not to get in the way.” The message was clear ─ be quiet, keep your head down and don’t get into trouble. The lives of his family depended on it. Some years later, John Lewis talked about how difficult it was to balance speaking out about cruel injustices and keeping his family safe. He loathed endangering his family. But as he moved into adulthood, he could not stand by and do nothing. And, he didn’t. He paid dearly for his courage. But, as family members said at a memorial Saturday, July 25, 2020, he was a fighter for "the least of us." He knew pain and injustice. He never stopped causing “good trouble,” from sit-ins at lunch counters, to freedom rides on buses, from suffering serious injury during a peaceful march over a bridge to his tireless work for the voting rights of people of color. Rest in Power, John Lewis. Click here to read the inspirational last words of John Lewis.
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As 17-year-old Nancy and her family made their way from Kentucky to Iowa, the Underground Railroad movement was active. It was, as we know, a politically charged time for the nation and would lead us into one of the most devastating and bloody wars we, as a country, would ever face. Abolitionists were involved in a dangerous business, of course, since owning slaves was still legal, and running them down as rightful property was expected. Although we generally think of the Underground Railroad as a series of specific routes, according to The Atlantic writer Adam Goodheart in his March 2015 article, "The Secret History of the Underground Railroad: Eric Foner explores how it really worked,” that wasn't the case. Goodheart explains "Yet its tracks ran not just through twisting tunnels but also on sunlit straightaways. Its routes and timetables constantly shifted."  National Park Service Map of Known Underground Railroad Routes The National Park Service map pictured above is of known Underground Railroad routes. The Park Service updates the map as more routes are discovered. See a larger image in the Gallery. New York Times writer Nikole Hannah-Jones, a descendant of slaves, in a recent interview with NPR’s Terri Gross, talked about the discovery that some of her ancestors settled in Iowa. But, Iowa was not the westernmost edge of the many routes to freedom. Little has been written about Clarina Nichols' contribution to the Railroad and civil rights in the Kansas Territory. We’ll talk more about Clarina Nichols in future posts. However, western Underground Railroad treks went as far as and around the Pacific coast.  Covered Wagon & Oxen The 1842 trip from Kentucky to the "New Terrytory of Iowa"* took Nancy’s family about four weeks. They were as well- equipped as emigrants could be at that time. They had two large wagons filled with household goods, beds, bedding and other necessities.
They were fitted with a yoke of oxen, driven by a hired man. Nancy and her father drove the second wagon. Nancy’s younger brothers rode alongside on horseback. They pitched tents at night, traveled six days a week and rested on the Sabbath. Read More...  Nancy Kendall - Larger image in Gallery Nancy Jones Kendall was about 17 years old when her father decided to flee Kentucky. At the time, of course, helping slaves escape was against the law. The enslaved were considered property. As an abolitionist, Nancy's father published anti-slavery articles and felt increasingly threatened in Kentucky because of his views. The family settled in Washington, Iowa, in 1840. The time between 1840 and 1863 was feverishly desperate for enslaved peoples. Nancy's father, Edward Jones, was one of many who worked to help them to freedom. For many years, there was not an abundance of written documentation of the details of these desperate, terrified people. Many of the first accounts came from Quakers, who were heavily involved. Some recognizable names, such as the Beecher family were active. When Abraham Lincoln first met Harriet Beecher Stowe, so the story goes, he looked down at her small form from his great height and said, "So, you're the little woman who wrote the book that started the big war." He referred, of course, to Harriet Beecher Stowe's groundbreaking story, "Uncle Tom's Cabin." Flawed as it was, the book became influential in the abolitionist movement. Harriet Beecher Stowe was not only a housewife but also a mother of six. Her work appeared as a series that ran in the abolitionist newspaper, The National Era. The series became so popular; the paper published it in book form in 1852. "Uncle Tom's Cabin" quickly became a bestseller. Other famous names, such as Frederick Douglass, Cotton Mather, and, of course, Harriet Tubman are synonymous with the Underground Railroad and civil rights. But, we often don't know the stories of those like my great-great-grandmother and her husband, Andrew, who were only a small part of a wide-reaching, brave and dangerous effort to help enslaved people escape to the north.  Journal Page 1 - Larger image in Gallery Nancy Kendall wanted to write down a few words for my wonderful, gentle grandfather about her family's work. And because he gave this precious gift to me, I humbly offer her story. I hope you'll follow with me as we take the journey with Nancy Kendall from Kentucky to Iowa and the Underground Railroad.
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Nancy JeanNancy Jean is a woman of several lives and careers, including school teacher, homemaker, parent, amateur musician and writer. Read more... Archives
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