Abraham op den Graeff
Encyclopedia
Abraham Isacks op den Graeff (c 1649-1731) was an original settler of Germantown, Pennsylvania
as well as a politician, award-winning merchant, and signer of the first organized religious protest against slavery in colonial America. He was a subject of John Greenleaf Whittier
s poem "The Pennsylvania Pilgrim".
. He took up the profession of linen merchant, and was a member of the Mennonite church. In the summer of 1683 left Rotterdam, immigrating to the Pennsylvania Province along with his mother and siblings aboard the ship "Concord".
, a cousin of Abraham, in 1686 for the finest piece of linen woven in the Province. In 1688, Abraham along with three others signed the first organized religious petition against slavery in the colonies, the 1688 Germantown Quaker Petition Against Slavery. In 1689, he was one of the original charter grantees for the settlement, and that year was elected to the Provinicial Assembly, representing the settlement until 1692. He would also serve as a burgess of Germantown.
's abolitionist poem "The Pennsylvania Pilgrim", published in 1809.
Germantown, Pennsylvania
Germantown is the name of six places in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, a state in the United States, including a neighborhood in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania:* Germantown, Adams County, Pennsylvania* Germantown, Cambria County, Pennsylvania...
as well as a politician, award-winning merchant, and signer of the first organized religious protest against slavery in colonial America. He was a subject of John Greenleaf Whittier
John Greenleaf Whittier
John Greenleaf Whittier was an influential American Quaker poet and ardent advocate of the abolition of slavery in the United States. He is usually listed as one of the Fireside Poets...
s poem "The Pennsylvania Pilgrim".
Early life
Abraham op den Graeff was born in c 1649 in Krefeld, Germany, the son of Isaac Herman op den Graeff and grandson of Herman op den GraeffHerman op den Graeff
Herman op den Graeff was a Mennonite community leader and bishop from Krefeld.-Origin:Herman op den Graeff was born November 26, 1585 in Aldekerk, Germany, the son of disputed origins....
. He took up the profession of linen merchant, and was a member of the Mennonite church. In the summer of 1683 left Rotterdam, immigrating to the Pennsylvania Province along with his mother and siblings aboard the ship "Concord".
Germantown Settlement
Abraham op den Graeff and his family were one of the original 13 which settled Germantown, comprising 33 in total. There he helped established the linen industry, winning the first Governor's prize from William PennWilliam Penn
William Penn was an English real estate entrepreneur, philosopher, and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, the English North American colony and the future Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He was an early champion of democracy and religious freedom, notable for his good relations and successful...
, a cousin of Abraham, in 1686 for the finest piece of linen woven in the Province. In 1688, Abraham along with three others signed the first organized religious petition against slavery in the colonies, the 1688 Germantown Quaker Petition Against Slavery. In 1689, he was one of the original charter grantees for the settlement, and that year was elected to the Provinicial Assembly, representing the settlement until 1692. He would also serve as a burgess of Germantown.
The Pennsylvania Pilgrim
Abraham was a subject of John Greenleaf WhittierJohn Greenleaf Whittier
John Greenleaf Whittier was an influential American Quaker poet and ardent advocate of the abolition of slavery in the United States. He is usually listed as one of the Fireside Poets...
's abolitionist poem "The Pennsylvania Pilgrim", published in 1809.