The Maryland Society for promoting the abolition of slavery, and the relief of poor negroes and others unlawfully held in bondage

Elias Ellicott, one son of Ellicott City founder Andrew Ellicott, was a founding member and on the 'acting committee' of the Maryland Society was also a member of the Philadelphia Abolition Society (logo on left). The Maryland Society, founded 1789, was the sixth in the world after Phila, NY, London, Paris and Delaware.  Constitution, bylaws and founding members (by 1797 membership had increased to 231) from a book 90 years later...

From Scharf's History of Maryland, 1879 --

"The first movement upon record of associated action in Maryland, for the abolition of slavery, was the organization on the 8th of September, 1789, of a society composed of a number of prominent citizens, called "The Maryland Society for promoting the abolition of slavery, and the relief of poor negroes and others unlawfully held in bondage." They adopted the following Constitution and By-Laws. 1

 1. See Maryland Journal of December 15, 1789. This was the sixth anti-slavery society in the world. The first was formed in Philadelphia, April 14, 1775; the second, in New York, January 25, 1785; the third, in London, July 17, 1787; the fourth, in Paris, February, 1788, and the Delaware society in the same year.   An anti-slavery society was formed at Newport, Rhode Island, in 1780; in Connecticut, 1790; in Virginia, 1801; in New Jersey, 1802, and one at Chestertown, Kent County, Maryland, in 1803—Poole, p. 50.

"Constitution of the Maryland Society for promoting the abolition of slavery and the relief of free negroes and others, unlawfully held in bondage.

“The present attention of Europe and America to slavery seems to constitute that crisis in the minds of men, when the united endeavors of a few may greatly influence the public opinion, and produce from the transient sentiment of the times, effects extensive, lasting and useful.

"The common Father of mankind created all men free and equal, and His great command is, that we love our neighbor as ourselves, doing unto all men as we would they should do unto us.

"The human race, however varied in color or intellects, are all justly entitled to liberty; and it is the duty and the interest of nations and individuals, enjoying every blessing of freedom, to remove this dishonor of the Christian character from amongst them. From the fullest impression of the truth of these principles; from an earnest wish to bear our testimony against slavery in all of its forms, to spread it abroad as far as the sphere of our influence may extend and to afford our friendly assistance to those who may be engaged in the same undertaking; and in the humblest hope of support from that Being, who takes as an offering to himself what we do for each other. We, the subscribers, have formed ourselves into 'The Maryland Society for promoting the abolition of slavery, and for the relief of free negroes and others, unlawfully held in bondage.'

George Matthews, Isaac Griest, William Wilson, John Brown (currier), Henry Wilson, David Shields, David Brown, Joseph Williams, Philip Rogers, Enoch Levering, Joseph Townsend, Alexander McKim, Elias Ellicott, George Carnaghan, Adam Fonerden, George Buchanan, Elisha Tyson, Hugh Stewart, John Mitchel, James Allen, Jesse Tyson (of Harford), William Winchester, Job Smith, John Kirgan, William Hawkins, Mones Dorling, James Gary, John Griffith, Gerrard Hopkins, Thomas W. Griffith, Archibald Robinson, David Emmit, Nicholas Jones, John Mason (of Harford), John Brown (potter), John McKim, William Trimble, Henry Payson, Jacob Eichelberger, Aquila Jones, Leonard llarhaugh, Robert Smith, James McCannon, Moses Haslctt, George Dent, Reuben Gilder, John E. Roes, Alexander McCaskey, Amos James, John Lewis, William Brown, John Lee (Fell's Point), James Hicks, Samuel Sterett, Robert Cornthwait. Hczekiah Waters, William Wood, William Lynch, William Riley, Jesse Hollingsworth, Abraham Larsch, Peter Hoffman, Zebulon Hollingsworth, James Angcll, Thomas Dickson, John Talland, John Lee, Martin Eichelberger, Stephen Wilson, Richard Lawson, Aaron Levering, George Devilbiss, Andrew Aitken, John Killen, James Oglehy, Henry Wilson, Sr., George Presstman, Samuel Hopkins, John Bankson, John Hayes, Thomas Buckingham, Thomas Coulson, William Goddard, John Stump (of Harford), John Deaver, Herman Stump (Harford), Elisha Dawes, William Tilghman (E. Shore), Nathan Tyson, Job Haines (Nottingham).

"Officers Of The Society. "President, Philip Rogers ; Vice-President, James Carey; Secretary, Joseph Townsend; Treasurer, David Brown; Counsellors, Zebulon Hollingsworth and Archibald Robinson ; Honorary Counsellors, Samuel Chase and Luther Martin; Electing Committee, James Ogleby, Adam Fonerden, Isaac Greist, Jacob Eichelberger, George Matthews, William Hawkins, George Presstman, William Wilson, Henry Wilson, Thomas Dickson, John Bankson, Gerrard Hopkins; Acting Committee, John Brown, Elias Ellicott, Elisha Tyson, William Trimble, James McCannon, George Dent.

"THE CONSTITUTION.

"I. The Officers of the Society are, a President, Vice President, Secretary, a Treasurer, four Counsellors, an Electing Committee of twelve, and an Acting Committee of six members. All these, except the Acting Committee, shall be chosen annually, by ballot, on the first seventh day, called Saturday, in the month called January.

"II. The President, or, in his absence, the Vice President, shall subscribe all the public Acts of the Society.

"III. The President, or, in his absence, the Vice President, shall, moreover, have the power of calling a special meeting of the Society, whenever he shall judge proper, or six members require it.

"IV. The Secretary shall keep fair records of the proceedings of the Society; he shall also conduct the correspondence of the Society, with a committee of three, appointed by the President; and all letters, on the business of the Society, are to be addressed to him.

"V. Corresponding members shall le appointed by the Electing Committee. Their duty shall be, to communicate to the Secretary and his assistants any information that may promote the purposes of this institution, which shall be transferred by him to the Acting Committee.

"VI. The Treasurer shall pay all orders drawn by the President or Vice President; which orders shall be his vouchers for his expenditures. He shall, before he enters on his office, give a bond of not less than two hundred pounds, for the faithful discharge of his duty.

"VII. The duty of the Counsellors shall be to explain the laws and constitutions of the States, which relates to the emancipation of slaves, and to urge their claims to freedom, when legal, before such persons or courts as are authorized to decide upon them.

"VIII. The Electing Committee shall have the sole power of admitting new members; two-thirds of them shall be a quorum for this purpose, and the concurrence of a majority of them by ballot, when met, shall be necessary for the admission of a member. No member shall be admitted who has not been proposed at a general meeting of the Society; nor shall an election for a member take place in less than one month after the time of his being proposed. Foreigners, or other persons, who do not reside in this State, may be elected corresponding members of the Society, without being subject to an annual payment; and shall be admitted to the meetings of the Society during their residence in the State.

"IX. The Acting Committee shall transact the business of the Society, in its recess, and report the same at each quarterly meeting; they shall have a right, with the concurrence of the President or Vice President, to draw upon the Treasurer for such sums of money as shall be necessary to carry on the business of their appointment; four of them shall be a quorum. After their first election, at each succeeding quarterly meeting, there shall be an election for two of their number.

"X. Every member, upon his admission, shall subscribe the Constitution of the Society, and contribute ten shillings annually, in quarterly payment?, towards defraying its contingent expenses. If he neglects to pay the same, for more than six months, he shall, upon due notice being given him, cease to be a member.

"XI. The Society shall meet on the first seventh day, called Saturday, in the months called January, April, July and October, at such time and place as shall he agreed to by a majority of the Society.

"XII. No person, holding a slave as his property, shall be admitted a member of this Society; nevertheless, the Society may appoint persons of legal knowledge, owners of slaves, as Honorary Counsellors.

"XIII. When an alteration in the Constitution is thought necessary, it shall be proposed at a previous meeting, before it shall take place. All questions shall be decided, where there is division, by a majority of votes. In those cases where the Society is equally divided, the presiding officer shall have a casting vote." [Maryland Journal of Dec. 15, 1789]

This society increased its membership rapidly from among the best people of the State, and in the year 1797, numbered two hundred and thirty-one members, and the third largest in the United States. On the fourth of July, 1791, Dr. George Buchanan delivered in Baltimore, before this society, a remarkable oration, of the most radical type, "upon the moral and political evil of slavery," in which he asserted that the negro race was equal in its capacity for improvement, to the white race. That this address was not offensive to those before whom it was delivered, is evident, for the society unanimously " resolved, that the president present the thanks of the society to Dr. George Buchanan, for the excellent oration by him delivered this day, and, at the same time, request a copy thereof in the name and for the use of the society." [Chronicles of Baltimore, p. 258]

Scharf, John.  History of Maryland. 1879


©2018 Patricia Bixler Reber
Forgotten history of Ellicott City & Howard County MD