Levi
Coffin
was
born in Greensboro, on 28th October, 1798. After a brief education
he became a school teacher. A member of the Society
of Friends, Coffin attempted in 1821 to start a school for slaves
but their owners refused to allow them to attend.
In 1826 Coffin moved to Newport, Indiana. This was on the route where
fugitive slaves made their way from the South to Canada. Coffin soon
became involved in helping the runaways and it has been estimated
that over 3,000 slaves stayed at his home during their journey.
Coffin moved to Cincinnati in 1847 where he opened a store selling
goods made exclusively by freed slaves. He also visited England to
raise funds for the cause and in 1867 he was a delegate to the International
Anti-Slavery Conference in Paris.
Levi Coffin,
who autobiography, Reminiscences,
was published in 1876, died in Cincinnati, Ohio, on 16th September,
1877.
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