John Todd (abolitionist)
Encyclopedia
John Todd was a U.S. Congregationalist minister, co-founder of Tabor College
in Tabor
, Iowa
, a leading abolitionist and a ‘conductor’ on the Underground Railroad
.
John Todd was born November 10, 1818, in West Hanover, Pennsylvania. He was the second son and fifth child of Capt. James Todd and Sally Ainsworth Todd. The Todds' ancestors were Scotch Irish and Presbyterians, and Todd grew up attending a Presbyterian church. Todd was an early graduate of Oberlin College
(Oberlin, Ohio) and its seminary (class of 1841 and 1844, respectively). In the 1850s, Todd moved West to help start an Oberlin-like school on the Iowa frontier. He was one of the founders of Tabor, in southwestern Iowa, and its Congregational Church, which he served as pastor for more than 30 years. He is also the basis for the abolitionist preacher and grandfather of John Ames, main character in Marilynne Robinson
's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Gilead
(2004).
Rev. Todd’s home in Tabor served not only as a ‘station’ on the Underground Railroad, complete with a concealed room in which escaped slaves hid until their next ride arrived, but also as a storehouse of weapons, ammunition and other supplies for radical abolitionist John Brown
.
Todd and the other residents of Tabor generally supported Brown until he (Brown) and his men in 1857 ‘invaded’ Missouri and forcibly freed about a dozen slaves, killing one slave-owner in the process. Brown was given safe haven in Tabor, but the citizens made it clear they did not condone his actions. Brown left soon thereafter, and had the weapons and supplies stored in Rev. Todd’s basement shipped east. The 200 Sharps rifle
s included in the cache of weapons were used two years later in Brown’s ill-fated and infamous raid on the federal arsenal at Harper’s Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia). But Rev. Todd had no knowledge of the use to which the weapons he had stored would be put, nor any involvement
in what he termed “the Harper’s Ferry insurrection.”
Todd was also a leader in the temperance movement
and was a board member of Tabor College from its founding in 1866 until his death in 1894. His home in Tabor, Todd House
, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
, is operated as a museum by the Tabor Historical Society and is open for public visits.
Tabor College (Iowa)
Tabor College was a Christian college in Tabor, Iowa that operated from 1853 to 1927. It is now defunct.-History:The school's roots date to 1852 when Deacon Samuel A. Adams, George Gaston, and Rev. John Todd came to Iowa for the purpose of establishing a Christian college, and in 1853 they...
in Tabor
Tabor, Iowa
Tabor is a city in Fremont and Mills counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 993 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Tabor is located at ....
, 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...
, a leading abolitionist and a ‘conductor’ on 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,...
.
John Todd was born November 10, 1818, in West Hanover, Pennsylvania. He was the second son and fifth child of Capt. James Todd and Sally Ainsworth Todd. The Todds' ancestors were Scotch Irish and Presbyterians, and Todd grew up attending a Presbyterian church. Todd was an early graduate of Oberlin College
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
(Oberlin, Ohio) and its seminary (class of 1841 and 1844, respectively). In the 1850s, Todd moved West to help start an Oberlin-like school on the Iowa frontier. He was one of the founders of Tabor, in southwestern Iowa, and its Congregational Church, which he served as pastor for more than 30 years. He is also the basis for the abolitionist preacher and grandfather of John Ames, main character in Marilynne Robinson
Marilynne Robinson
-Biography:Robinson was born and grew up in Sandpoint, Idaho, and did her undergraduate work at Pembroke College, the former women's college at Brown University, receiving her B.A., magna cum laude in 1966, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. She received her Ph.D...
's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Gilead
Gilead (novel)
Gilead is a novel written by Marilynne Robinson and published in 2004. It won the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, as well as the National Book Critics Circle Award. The novel is the fictional autobiography of the Reverend John Ames, an elderly congregationalist pastor in the small, secluded town...
(2004).
Rev. Todd’s home in Tabor served not only as a ‘station’ on the Underground Railroad, complete with a concealed room in which escaped slaves hid until their next ride arrived, but also as a storehouse of weapons, ammunition and other supplies for radical abolitionist John Brown
John Brown (abolitionist)
John Brown was an American revolutionary abolitionist, who in the 1850s advocated and practiced armed insurrection as a means to abolish slavery in the United States. He led the Pottawatomie Massacre during which five men were killed, in 1856 in Bleeding Kansas, and made his name in the...
.
Todd and the other residents of Tabor generally supported Brown until he (Brown) and his men in 1857 ‘invaded’ Missouri and forcibly freed about a dozen slaves, killing one slave-owner in the process. Brown was given safe haven in Tabor, but the citizens made it clear they did not condone his actions. Brown left soon thereafter, and had the weapons and supplies stored in Rev. Todd’s basement shipped east. The 200 Sharps rifle
Sharps Rifle
Sharps rifles were those of a series begun with a design by Christian Sharps. Sharps rifles were renowned for long range and high accuracy in their day.-History:Sharps's initial rifle was patented September 17, 1848 and manufactured by A. S...
s included in the cache of weapons were used two years later in Brown’s ill-fated and infamous raid on the federal arsenal at Harper’s Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia). But Rev. Todd had no knowledge of the use to which the weapons he had stored would be put, nor any involvement
in what he termed “the Harper’s Ferry insurrection.”
Todd was also a leader in the temperance movement
Temperance movement
A temperance movement is a social movement urging reduced use of alcoholic beverages. Temperance movements may criticize excessive alcohol use, promote complete abstinence , or pressure the government to enact anti-alcohol legislation or complete prohibition of alcohol.-Temperance movement by...
and was a board member of Tabor College from its founding in 1866 until his death in 1894. His home in Tabor, Todd House
Todd House (Tabor, Iowa)
Todd House is a historic house museum that was the home to abolitionist and Congregationalist minister, John Todd. The house is located on Park Street in Tabor, Iowa....
, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
, is operated as a museum by the Tabor Historical Society and is open for public visits.