Lewis Howard Latimer, National Park Service photo.

Lewis Latimer was born on September 4, 1848 in Chelsea, Massachusetts.  Just six years earlier his parents, George and Rebecca Latimer, escaped from slavery.

Lewis was the youngest of their four children.  In our Short Story of the Week, last week, we discussed some of the accomplishments Lewis Latimer achieved in his lifetime.  The amazing part of his story, however, begins with his mother and father.

His Mother and Father

George and Rebecca Latimer were enslaved in Virginia and, on October 4, 1842, they escaped.  Rebecca was pregnant and she was determined not to have her child (or any of their children) born in slavery.  George was very fair-skinned and during a portion of their trip he disguised himself as Rebecca's "owner".  

They made their way all the way to Massachusetts.  Unfortunately for George, he was spotted right away by someone who knew his former "owner" and in a short time he found himself in prison.  George's "owner" came to Boston from Virginia and had George arrested.  

 As you may know, Massachusetts was a "hot bed" of abolitionist activity and when the word spread that George Latimer had been arrested, famous abolitionists like William Lloyd Garrison came to his defense.

Free African-Americans in the area also rose to support George--some three hundred African-American men came down to the courthouse where George was being kept and demanded that his "owner" not be able to do anything unlawful in his attempt to take George back to Virginia.

By this time Frederick Douglass was also in Massachusetts and was active in the anti-slavery movement, so Massachusetts was the center of anti-slavery activity in many ways.

Thousands of people began to demand that Latimer be set free; not only that....many citizens also began to demand that taxpayer supported facilities and officials (like jails, courthouses, police officers, and government authorities) not be used to send human beings back into slavery.  

 A journal was created (the Latimer Journal and North Star) to support George Latimer and to get the word out about anti-slavery activity.  There was so much commotion that George was eventually freed.  After court deliberations and the activism of many citizens, George's "owner" was paid $400 by a kind African-American reverend, who was able to raise the money for George's emancipation.  

Rebecca, during all this time, was hidden in a secret location.  Her owner sent word that she would be taken back once George was sent back, but since George was freed and so much attention was on his case, Rebecca's owner never bothered to try to capture her.

George and Rebecca were able to have their children, including Lewis Latimer, on free soil.  If they had not had the courage to escape in the first place, Lewis Latimer might never have been able to make the contributions he did to commercial lighting and to the understanding of electricity!

Copyright 2014, Red and Black Ink, LLC

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References:

California Energy Commission.  Super Scientists:  Lewis H. Latimer, Accessed September 2014.