John Wesley Posey
Encyclopedia
John Wesley Posey was a significant figure in the Underground Railroad
in Indiana
, America. Posey was one of the organizers of the Anti-Slavery League of Indiana.
A significant source of information on the Underground Railroad in Indiana is William Cockrum's 1915 work, History of the Underground Railroad, as It Was Conducted by the Anti-Slavery League. According to Cockrum, Posey owned a coal mine
that served as a way station for as many as 1000 escaped slaves. (This is one of the rare instances in which the underground railroad was actually subterranean.)
Posey also helped to organize the activities of the Anti-Slavery League. According to Cockrum, the League operated a spy network in Kentucky
. Agents of the League masquerading as traveling peddlers would make contact with slaves and help the slaves escape.
Posey was a medical doctor
. He volunteered as a surgeon
for the Union army
during the American Civil War
, and served at the Battle of Shiloh
. He was also politically active, and was elected as a Whig to be Treasurer
of Pike County
, Indiana
, serving from 1844-1848.
Posey married Sarah Blackburn in 1838. He was the father of Francis B. Posey
.
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,...
in Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, America. Posey was one of the organizers of the Anti-Slavery League of Indiana.
A significant source of information on the Underground Railroad in Indiana is William Cockrum's 1915 work, History of the Underground Railroad, as It Was Conducted by the Anti-Slavery League. According to Cockrum, Posey owned a coal mine
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
that served as a way station for as many as 1000 escaped slaves. (This is one of the rare instances in which the underground railroad was actually subterranean.)
Posey also helped to organize the activities of the Anti-Slavery League. According to Cockrum, the League operated a spy network in Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
. Agents of the League masquerading as traveling peddlers would make contact with slaves and help the slaves escape.
Posey was a medical doctor
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
. He volunteered as a surgeon
Surgery
Surgery is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical...
for the Union army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, and served at the Battle of Shiloh
Battle of Shiloh
The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was a major battle in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, fought April 6–7, 1862, in southwestern Tennessee. A Union army under Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant had moved via the Tennessee River deep into Tennessee and...
. He was also politically active, and was elected as a Whig to be Treasurer
Treasury
A treasury is either*A government department related to finance and taxation.*A place where currency or precious items is/are kept....
of Pike County
Pike County, Indiana
As of the census of 2000, there were 12,837 people, 5,119 households, and 3,680 families residing in the county. The population density was 38 people per square mile . There were 5,611 housing units at an average density of 17 per square mile...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, serving from 1844-1848.
Posey married Sarah Blackburn in 1838. He was the father of Francis B. Posey
Francis B. Posey
Francis Blackburn Posey was a political figure in Indiana.He served in the U.S. Congress from January 29, 1889, to March 3, 1889. He was elected to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Alan P. Hovey, who had been elected Governor of Indiana. Posey was defeated for re-election to the...
.
External links
- http://www.freedomcenter.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.viewPage&page_id=31259840-D0B7-88DE-94919F3C9B675DD4