Of him Whittier wrote: ‘No duty could overtax him; no need his will outrun; Or ever our lips could ask him; His hands the work had done. George L. Stearns was born in Medford, Massachusetts on January 8, 1809, the eldest son and second child of Luther and Mary Hall Stearns. In response to illiteracy among freed slaves, Stearns instigated schooling for new trainees. [3]. In the darkest hour of the republic Believing the military would not investigate properly, Stearns encouraged black men to enlist or to volunteer to work on the railroad in order to impress the authorities and the public. Later he also enlisted black soldiers for the U.S. . Then in 1866, Stearns experienced a change in fortune. He was honored in 1811 by an honorary degree from Harvard. His father died when he 11 years old, so from an early age he developed a strong work ethic to provide for his family. He personally owned the 200 Sharps rifles Brown brought to Harper's Ferry. The nobility and generosity of George Luther Stearns had been familiar with hard work all this life. Citizenship Sort by relevance. Following Brown's arrest, Stearns briefly fled to Canada but returned to Medford to face inquiry following Brown's execution. To his unresting devotion and unfailing hope George Luther Stearns (January 8, 1809 – April 9, 1867) was an American industrialist and merchant in Medford, Massachusetts, as well as an abolitionist and a noted recruiter of black soldiers for the Union Army during the American Civil War. Stearns had owned the pikes and 200 Sharps rifles taken to Harpers Ferry by Brown and his followers. George Luther Stearns (January 8, 1809 – April 9, 1867) was an American industrialist and merchant in Medford, Massachusetts, as well as an abolitionist and a noted recruiter of black soldiers for the Union Army during the American Civil War. Massachusetts owes Massachusetts Governor John Andrew asked Stearns to recruit the first northern state African-American regiment, the 54th Massachusetts Infantry, recently made famous by the Hollywood movie Glory. L. (George Luther), 1809-1867. The senior Stearns later opened a private preparatory school for boys in Medford; many students came from the American South and the West Indies. His personality was sober but optimistic, sometimes appearing naïve in the ways of the world, but he was dedicated to the cause; whatever he did, he poured his entire soul into it. At first, Stearns’s political involvement strictly involved providing monetary donations to the individuals and groups he supported. While recuperating from this injury, he was introduced to Mary Elizabeth Preston, whose mother was sister of the famous Medford resident and feminist Lydia Maria (Preston) Child. George Luther Stearns memorial - Mount Auburn … Soon after the opening of the Civil War, Stearns advocated the enlistment of African Americans in the Union Army. It was said that Stearns never fully recovered from her loss and never spoke of it to anyone, instead pouring himself into his work. His wife was called for, but the treatments of the homeopath she brought with her failed to cure him. Died April 9, 1867.”, A well-to-do businessman whose wealth came from his dedication to his businesses, Stearns donated liberally to many causes of the day. George Luther Stearns (January 8, 1809 – April 9, 1867) was an American industrialist and merchant in Medford, Massachusetts, as well as an abolitionist and a noted recruiter of black soldiers for the Union Army during the American Civil War. He found that black men were being forcefully pressed into duty as laborers for the U.S. Army. Talk:George Luther Stearns. The two spent the early years of their marriage living with George’s widowed mother in Medford until acquiring their own property near Walnut Hill (later College Hill), a place George called the Evergreens. colored troops, Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the U.S. Confederate States presidential election of 1861, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=George_Luther_Stearns&oldid=1007143316, People of Massachusetts in the American Civil War, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2019, Articles needing additional references from February 2016, All articles needing additional references, Wikipedia articles incorporating text from Appleton's Cyclopedia, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from Appletons' Cyclopedia with no article parameter, Wikipedia articles with SNAC-ID identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 16 February 2021, at 17:49. Stearns' father, Luther Stearns, was born on February 17, 1770, the eldest of five children born to Captain Josiah Stearns, a soldier in the American Revolutionary War. No need his will outrun; Letter, 1863 December 20, Concord, New Hampshire, to George L. Stearns. Stearns, Geo. ", "A man who asked not to be great; George Luther Stearns (January 8, 1809 – April 9, 1867) was an American industrialist and merchant, as well as an abolitionist and a noted recruiter of blacks for the Union Army during the American Civil War. To earn money, young George sometimes tended the locks on the Middlesex Canal in town. Stearns began taking a more active role by aiding fugitive slaves at his home and office; funding the Massachusetts Emigrant Aid Company, which sent Free State settlers to Kansas to ensure that it would vote to become a free state; and in 1856 he became chairman of the Massachusetts State Committee, which provided material aid to Free State settlers being threatened by proslavery forces. He married Mary Elizabeth Preston on October 12, 1843. In January 1964, he resigned from his post and returned to his family in Medford. (Note: The pages have been combined into a single image.). His friends and neighbors appealed to him to run for Congress, but he declined. Later in his life, Reverend Samuel Johnson said of him, “The church, as an institution, did not interest him; he knew well enough that a true man carries prophet and covenant with him, and makes his communion where he goes.” He had always supported abolition, but it wasn’t until he attended the 1848 political convention in Worcester that resulted in the formation of the Free Soil Party that he became more actively involved. George Luther Stearns (January 8, 1809 – April 9, 1867) was an American industrialist and merchant, as well as a noted recruiter of blacks for the Union Army during the American Civil War. In the three months Stearns was in Tennessee, he built several recruitment centers and recruited more than 6,000 troops (six regiments’ worth). He is credited with recruiting more than 13,000 African Americans. George Luther Stearns (January 8, 1809 – April 9, 1867) was an American industrialist and merchant, as well as a noted recruiter of blacks for the Union Army during the American Civil War. Mary escorted George’s body back to Medford, where more than fifty friends attended a private funeral held at the Evergreens. Stearns was commissioned as major through the recommendation of Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton. He died in his hotel room in New York City on April 9, 1867. Later, the lead pipe factory he started solidified his wealth and standing in the manufacturing community. A man who asked not to be great; But as he served and saved the state.’ Born in Medford, Massachusetts, January 8, 1809. Stearns’s recruiting was so successful that an additional regiment was raised, the 55th Massachusetts. To his unresting devotion and unfailing hope, Massachusetts owes the Fifty-fourth and Fifth-fifth Regiments of colored infantry, and the federal government ten thousand troops, at a critical moment in the great war. George Luther Stearns played a major role financing John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry on October 17, 1859. For decades men typically worked as farmers, teachers, and clergymen. Stearns was one of the "Secret Six" who aided John Brown in Kansas, and financially supported him for the raid on Harpers Ferry; Brown was executed for this attack. It supported the settlement of Kansas by antislavery homesteaders. Start Over You searched for: Names Stearns, Geo. After the Civil War ended, he encouraged antislavery societies not to disband so that they could work towards equal rights and treatment of black citizens. There they raised three sons: Harry, Frank, and Carl. He later became an obstetrician. 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