George B. Hitchcock
Encyclopedia
Reverend George Beckwith Hitchcock (1812-1872) was an American
involved in housing slaves on their way to freedom. His house in Lewis, Iowa
, now a National Historic Landmark
, was part of the Underground Railroad
.
January 9, 1812. His father was David Hitchcock Jr. and mother was Sarah Swan. His older brother Harvey Rexford Hitchcock
(1800–1855) was ordained a minister and became a missionary to the Kingdom of Hawaii
in 1831.
He was against slavery
, and joined the abolitionism
movement known as the Underground Railroad
. He became an ordained minister in 1844 for the Congregational Church
, becoming a travelling preacher in Iowa
. He setteled in Lewis, Iowa
in the mid 1850's, and he lived in a log cabin until the completion of his stone house in 1856. The Reverend George B. Hitchcock House
is now a museum.
He moved to Missouri
in 1865, and began preaching to newly-freed blacks, moving to Kansas
to do the same two years later. Hitchcock died August 4, 1872, of presumed natural causes.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
involved in housing slaves on their way to freedom. His house in Lewis, Iowa
Lewis, Iowa
Lewis is a city in Cass County, Iowa, United States, along the East Nishnabotna River. The population was 438 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Lewis is located at ....
, now a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
, was part of the Underground Railroad
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
.
Life
George Beckwith Hitchcock was born in MassachusettsMassachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
January 9, 1812. His father was David Hitchcock Jr. and mother was Sarah Swan. His older brother Harvey Rexford Hitchcock
Harvey Rexford Hitchcock
Harvey Rexford Hitchcock was an early protestant missionary to the Kingdom of Hawaii from the United States. With his three sons, he and his wife started a family that would influence Hawaii's history. He had at least three namesakes in the subsequent generations.-Life:Harvey Rexford Hitchcock was...
(1800–1855) was ordained a minister and became a missionary to the Kingdom of Hawaii
Kingdom of Hawaii
The Kingdom of Hawaii was established during the years 1795 to 1810 with the subjugation of the smaller independent chiefdoms of Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lānai, Kauai and Niihau by the chiefdom of Hawaii into one unified government...
in 1831.
He was against slavery
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
, and joined the abolitionism
Abolitionism
Abolitionism is a movement to end slavery.In western Europe and the Americas abolitionism was a movement to end the slave trade and set slaves free. At the behest of Dominican priest Bartolomé de las Casas who was shocked at the treatment of natives in the New World, Spain enacted the first...
movement known as the Underground Railroad
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
. He became an ordained minister in 1844 for the Congregational Church
Congregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
, becoming a travelling preacher in Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
. He setteled in Lewis, Iowa
Lewis, Iowa
Lewis is a city in Cass County, Iowa, United States, along the East Nishnabotna River. The population was 438 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Lewis is located at ....
in the mid 1850's, and he lived in a log cabin until the completion of his stone house in 1856. The Reverend George B. Hitchcock House
Reverend George B. Hitchcock House
-History:The minister George B. Hitchcock built the house around 1855 and lived in it from 1856 to 1865. He was involved in the American abolitionism movement known as the Underground Railroad, giving sanctuary to escaped slaves....
is now a museum.
He moved to Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
in 1865, and began preaching to newly-freed blacks, moving to Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
to do the same two years later. Hitchcock died August 4, 1872, of presumed natural causes.