Seven Core Siblings

(1807-1877)  Known by Frances but, more commonly, as Mary. Only surviving daughter of the siblings. Co-taught with the Crandall sisters and her brother William at the Canterbury Female Academy. Married Jesse Ames, and provided elder care to her parents. After her parents had died, the Ames moved to Vineland, New Jersey, an intentional community that made a special outreach to New England farmers.

(1809-1848) The oldest son. Active in Plainfield Anti-Slavery circles before moving to Worcester county in Massachusetts, where he worked as a schoolteacher and merchant. Married Evelina Moore. Remained a member of anti-slavery societies, but not in leadership positions.

(1810-1878) The most famous of the siblings, Charles was an editor of multiple newspapers, even taking over The Liberator for a short time in 1835. His first major Abolitionist venture was editing the pro-Crandall newspaper, The Unionist, during the Canterbury crisis (1833-1834). He was one of the most effective speakers and anti-slavery agents, and a loyal Garrisonian throughout the Abolitionist era. Everyone in Abolition studies has heard of him; few outside of the specialization have. Yet his impressive body of work in Abolition, Peace, Non-Resistance, Opposition to the Death Penalty, and Women's Rights, as well as a consistent anti-racism, deserves attention today. His marriage to Gertrude Kimber Burleigh was a true love story.

(1812-1871) The second most famed sibling, William was a fine editor who took turns at several major anti-slavery publications and temperance magazines. His most significant editorial position was heading up the Connecticut Anti-Slavery Society publications in Hartford, The Christian Freeman, followed by the second series of The Charter Oak (1843-1849). He was also a widely published poet who included the arts prominently in every publishing venture he undertook.  He became involved in political abolition, and campaigned for Abraham Lincoln. His first marriage to Harriet Frink was quiet and peaceful; his second marriage to Celia Tibbets nudged him ever more vigorously into women's rights.

(1817-1884) Baptist minister, teacher, and advocate for moral reform generally. He stayed in the Plainfield area most of his life, and helped to preserve the local memory of the Abolition struggle. While he is perhaps the most conventional of the siblings, he manifested the restless activity that typifies the family. His marriage to Elizabeth Morse Child aligned him with the family of Daivd and Lydia Maria Child.

(1820-1855) The most universally beloved of the brothers, a witty letter-writer and diarist, and an increasingly active Anti-Slavery advocate. He followed his brother Charles to Pennsylvania where he became part of the editorial committee for the Pennsylvania Freeman. He died young of tuberculosis. His marriage to Margaret Jones appears to have been more about assisting the closure of his affairs, happening in the last month of his life, than a romantic liaison. If this is correct, it may signify an early acceptance of LGBTQ lives.

(1821-1903) The youngest sibling was the quietest, not known to have ever given an anti-slavery speech. But he more than made up for this in his voluminous writings. His political work in the 1840s was radical, and his poetry gained the attention of the Transcendentalists, as well as leading writers of the day. He wrote an extended poem decrying the mistreatment of the mentally ill, and embraced women's rights. While he was not a literary genius, his work has enough depth to be more than a mere reflection of his age. His marriage to Ruth Burgess Burleigh brought another fiery abolitionist to the family; she had been a come-outer from her church as a teenager!

The Tree of Intemperance and the Tree of Temperance