William Wells Brown

Welcome to Civics and Coffee. My name is Alycia and I am a self-professed history nerd. Each week, I am going to chat about a topic on U.S history and give you both the highlights and occasionally break down some of the complexities in history; and share stories you may not remember learning in high school. All in the time it takes to enjoy a cup of coffee. 

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Hey everyone, welcome back. 

In 1853 William Wells Brown published his first novel, Clotel; otherwise known as The President’s Daughter. Brown, a former slave who escaped in 1834, wrote the fictional tale from across the pond while living outside of the reach of the United States government, given his status as a runaway. 

The novel tackled controversial subject matter and was also one of the first titles published in the United States penned by an African American author. 

So this week, I am diving into the history of William Wells Brown. Who was he? What were his experiences? And what was his novel all about?

Grab your cup of coffee, peeps. Let’s do this. 

Before I begin, I want to say a few things about the source material for this episode. A well-known abolitionist, William Wells Brown was as prolific as his contemporary Frederick Douglass during his lifetime. However, whereas Douglass has hundreds of treatments dedicated to his public speaking and abolitionist activities, very little has been written about Brown. 

In my initial research for the episode, most of what I found about Brown was references in anthologies about the influence and impact of African Americans in our history. Thus, I primarily built this episode from Brown’s slave narrative, which he published in June of 1847, more than a decade after his escape. I have pulled from slave narratives to build prior episodes, including the episodes on Douglass. However, I normally like to cross-reference with other sources, which was a bit of a challenge this time around. 

I did find a biography of Brown, published in 2014, by Ezra Greenspan which is pretty comprehensive. This stood in as my secondary research for this episode. Okay, without further ado, let’s begin. 

William Wells Brown was born into slavery on or around 1814. Despite writing of Lexington as his birthplace, Greenspan indicates Brown was likely born several miles away in the tiny town of Mt. Sterling, Kentucky. Brown likely moved to Lexington as a toddler as his purported owner, Dr. John Young, moved further west. 

Known as Sandy in his youth, Brown was part of a large family as his mother, Elizabeth, had seven children, apparently all from different men. Brown’s father was a white man, George W. Higgins, who reportedly made his cousin, Dr. Young promise not to sell Brown, before abandoning Brown and his mother to set up life elsewhere. As a child, Brown was a house servant, which he recognized in his narrative as a better assignment. Given better clothing, more food, and avoiding the back-breaking work of the fields, Brown understood from a young age that there was a hierarchy within the slavery network. Brown also assisted Dr. Young in mixing concoctions for patients and helping with basic medical care. Brown was hired out numerous times, most often to cruel men. When he shared his mistreatment with his quote-unquote owner, no action was taken, and Brown was left to suffer ongoing abuse. 

It was during this period that Brown first attempted to run away. His attempt was unsuccessful as he was tracked by bloodhounds, arrested, and taken back where he was tied, whipped, and smoked. The process of smoking involved sitting in a small room as tobacco stems were burned and inhaling the toxic smoke. Brown briefly worked on a steamboat and at the Missouri Hotel before being hired out again, this time to the publisher of the St. Louis Times, Elija P. Lovejoy. 

In Brown’s narrative, he praises Lovejoy as the best master, writing quote: “I am indebted to him, and to my employment in the printing office, for what little learning I obtained while in slavery,” end quote. Brown remembered his time at the press fondly but ultimately lost the coveted position when he was severely beaten while trying to protect the type needed for the newspaper. His five-week convalescence meant another slave quickly took his place. 

A man without a choice in who he worked for or what duties he performed, William Wells Brown often found himself under the watchful eyes of men who trafficked other human beings. One such man proved especially horrendous. Referred to in Brown's narrative as James Walker, the slave trader’s legal name was William and he frequently sailed up and down the Mississippi River picking up his human cargo. Watching as mothers were separated from their infants and young children put in chains, Brown reflected on his experience as emotionally traumatizing and was quote “heart-sick” end quote at watching the events unfold. 

While under Walker’s charge, Brown accidentally spilled a glass of wine and knew he would face a stark punishment. Sure enough, the next morning, Walker handed Brown a note with $1 and told him to head to the local jail on an errand. Rightfully suspicious of Walker’s intentions, Brown managed to find someone to read the note to him where he learned he was due to be whipped. Desperate to avoid the beating, Brown found a free black man to act as his stand-in. His decision, emanating from a place of fear and a sense of self-preservation, haunted Brown for the rest of his life. Reflecting on the incident in his memoirs, Brown later wrote quote: “I have often, since my escape, deeply regretted the deception I practiced upon this poor fellow; and I heartily desire that it may be, at some time or other, in my power to make him amends for his vicarious sufferings in my behalf,” end quote. 

Brown saw another chance at freedom when he learned the man who quote-unquote owned him was in financial trouble and required Brown’s sale. Young instructed Brown to find a buyer willing to pay $500, refusing to let Brown buy his freedom. With his family already sold away, Brown decided he would try to escape to Canada. However, before leaving, he convinced his mother, now living with a new family, to join him. Together, the two of them, packed with meager provisions, made their way north. Describing his journey later, Brown wrote quote: “every night, before emerging from our hiding place, we would anxiously look for our friend and leader - the north star,” end quote. Unfortunately Brown and his mother were both quickly recaptured and brought back to St. Louis. 

Brown made one final escape attempt on New Year’s Day, 1834. Assisting his new owner, Enoch Price, in transporting cargo upriver, Brown made contact with the Cincinnati shoreline on a cold January day prepared to do whatever it took to make it to Canada. Preoccupied with securing freedom, Brown had scrimped and saved what little extra money he’d made when hired out and grabbed a few meager provisions before heading off into the frigid northern climate. 

Again using the north star as his only guide, Brown ventured through thick forests and freezing temperatures to breathe free air. However, as a slave Brown was not adequately dressed and his feet soon felt the brunt of the Ohio winter. Brown got so desperate that he risked his life and approached a white man who, upon laying eyes on the disheveled Brown, asked him plainly if he was a slave. Brown initially tried to evade the question, only admitting his status upon the man’s assurances he would be safe. 

Luckily for Brown, the mystery traveler was a Quaker who opposed slavery. He warned Brown of the dangers of the area and agreed to take him in, however, he wanted to do so safely. He explained he would return with a wagon that could serve as a cover and safely transport Brown back to his home. Having no other options, Brown sat anxiously awaiting the man’s return. True to his word, the anonymous rescuer returned with the promised wagon. Brown, protected from detection, made it safely to his benefactor’s home. His savior? A man named Wells Brown. 

William spent several days with the Brown family, recovering from what was likely frostbite on his feet and refilling his empty stomach. Preparing himself for the trek towards freedom, Brown later wrote he was quote “also hunting for a name,” end quote. Like many escaped former bondsmen, a new name signified a rebirth of sorts. They had a chance to unchain themselves from their former identity, often creating new monikers to reinforce their new lives. Much like Frederick Douglass did upon reaching safety, so too did Brown decide he needed a new name. Perhaps thanks to his savior, the formerly enslaved man known as Sandy opted for William Wells Brown. 

Wells Brown remained a towering figure for the future author. In writing his narrative, Brown was effusive in his praise for the man who granted him safe passage and remained complimentary of him throughout his various literary endeavors. Upon smelling the sweet air of freedom, Brown went to work where he helped travelers who boarded at the Mansion House in Cleveland. While employed at the hotel Brown became acquainted with his future wife, Elizabeth Schooner. 

Schooner, known as Betsey, was likely working as a domestic in the city. The romance between the two blossomed quickly and Brown and Schooner were married mere months after meeting in 1834. They had three children together, all daughters, one of which died shortly after birth. Now working on Lake Erie, Brown was on the water for at least half the year. Brown also took to another job while enjoying his precarious freedom - that of an underground railroad operator. Just a few years after his self-emancipation, Brown moved to Buffalo, New York, where he would meet some of the most prominent black intellectuals of his day. 

However, before he rubbed elbows with the links of Redmond or Douglass, Brown focused on aiding fellow runaways. Between 1842 and 1843, Brown reportedly helped nearly 100 former slaves to safety, transporting 69 in 1842 and another 17 in 1843. Brown also became active in the abolitionist movement in his new hometown, attending the 1843 National Convention of Colored Citizens in upstate New York. 

The convention, according to Brown biographer Ezra Greenspan would assemble a quote: “rising generation of extraordinarily talented young men who would lead the African American community through the most tumultuous period in its history,” end quote. It was at the convention Brown would meet the titans of the abolitionist movement like Frederick Douglass, Henry Highland Garnet, and Charles Lenox Redmond. 

There were many topics under consideration for the jam-packed five-day convention. Everything from trade, education, and colonization to Africa filled the agenda. However, a speech by Henry Highland Garnet received top billing and was highly influential for Brown, who later referred to it as quote “one of the most noted addresses” end quote he’d ever seen. 

Bitten by the captivating speeches he witnessed, Brown decided to enter the abolitionist movement, lecturing at the American Anti-Slavery Society Meeting in New York City in 1844. He was eventually hired as a lecture agent in 1847 by the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society. It was while traveling and sharing the story of his time in bondage that Brown decided to write a narrative of his life. It is available online and I highly recommend any listener out there to look it up and give it a glance. It is a quick, but painful read, as Brown reminisces about his time in slavery and the horrors he witnessed as a young child. 

Brown left the United States to tell his story overseas in 1849. Unfortunately, while carving a name for himself on the abolitionist lecture circuit, Brown also found himself in the middle of either a divorce or separation. The sources differ on exactly what happened between William and Elizabeth, but it seems clear their relationship suffered. Perhaps his travel schedule became too much for his wife to bear - or maybe the young love fizzled as quickly as it ignited. Whatever the cause, Brown remained overseas for several years, hesitant to travel back to the United States given the 1850 Fugitive Slave Law that put him in grave danger. His wife Elizabeth would pass away in 1851. 

It was while overseas that Brown also wrote his first novel - the first one written by an African American and one of the first to be published within the United States. His story, Clotel, tells the fictional - yet, in hindsight, prescient story - of Thomas Jefferson’s slave daughters. Given recent revelations on Jefferson’s relations with Sally Hemings, Brown’s story has a bit of an ironic twist to it. 

Brown finally returned to the United States in 1854 once his freedom was secured through a purchase agreement conducted by his benefactors. He leaned into his writing, penning three volumes of black history as well as songs, plays, and additional books. He also became a supporter of migration movements, traveling to both Haiti and Cuba to determine whether they would be viable locations for African Americans to relocate. 

Brown would spend the rest of his years championing the freedom of his fellow black citizens and penning several books and plays, securing his place as one of the most prolific African American writers of the nineteenth century. When not writing, Brown also ran a small medical practice, leveraging the skills he learned during his days in bondage. In 1858, Brown found love again with a young, light-skinned woman named Annie Elizabeth Gray, The two would fall madly in love and marry in Boston on April 12, 1860, and remained married until his death nearly thirty years later. 

As the Civil War raged, Brown took the opportunity to push for full emancipation, joining his contemporaries in the call for African Americans to serve alongside white soldiers in the Union Army. In his analysis of Brown, Ezra Greenspan writes the author predicted quote: “recruits would surge from all directions,” end quote. Brown believed Black men from across the country would take up arms for the Union if it meant freedom. 

Brown’s later years remained filled with writing history and going on speaking tours throughout the country. However, the early months of 1884 saw Brown’s health rapidly deteriorating and he passed away on November 6, 1884. He was roughly 70 years old. 

Despite his notoriety during his lifetime, Brown quickly faded into the background under the spotlight of individuals like Frederick Douglass. It wasn’t until the middle of the twentieth century that Brown resurfaced as a subject worth studying. However, an analysis of his life remains scant, with only one substantive biography in publication. 

A man who clawed his way to freedom and used his creative talents to launch a literary career, William Wells Brown remains a bit of a mystery. He is one of the many black visionaries of the nineteenth century who gave speech after speech criticizing the practice of slavery and its harmful impacts on family and country alike. But, for reasons that as yet remain unidentified, he hasn’t quite reached the fame and status as his contemporary, Frederick Douglass. Here is to hoping future historians right that wrong.

Thanks, peeps. I’ll see you next week.

Thanks for tuning and I hope you enjoyed this episode of Civics & Coffee. If you want to hear more small snippets from american history, be sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening and I look forward to our next cup of coffee together. 

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