When we think of the Underground Railroad, names like Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass often come to mind. Yet another towering figure in that movement was Jermain Wesley Loguen, a formerly enslaved man who became one of the most outspoken and fearless conductors in the nation. During his lifetime, he was widely known as the King of the Underground Railroad.
From Enslavement to Self-Liberation
Born Jarm Loguen on February 5, 1813, in Davidson County, Tennessee, Loguen was born enslaved. His mother was enslaved, and his father was his white enslaver. His early life was marked by hardship, forced labor, and the constant threat of violence.
Loguen’s first attempt at escape ended in capture and punishment, but his determination did not waver. On his second attempt in 1834, he successfully fled northward to Canada. Around age twenty-one, he secretly took his enslaver’s horse and traveled through Kentucky and Ohio before reaching Canada West, present-day Ontario. There, he began rebuilding his life.
Later, he moved to New York, changed the spelling of his surname to Loguen, and added Wesley in honor of the Methodist founder John Wesley. He studied at the Oneida Institute and became both a minister and educator. Eventually, he settled in Syracuse, New York, where his home would become one of the most active Underground Railroad stations in the country.
Defiant Refusal
The passage of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 dramatically increased the danger for formerly enslaved people living in free states. The law required the return of alleged fugitives and punished anyone who aided in their escape. Loguen publicly announced his defiance, fully aware that he could be arrested and re-enslaved. Loguen refused to comply. In response to the law, he boldly declared,
“I don’t respect this law. I don’t fear it. I won’t obey it. It outlaws me, and I outlaw it.”
Jermain Lougen
In his 1859 autobiography, The Rev. J. W. Loguen, as a Slave and as a Freeman, he also challenged enslavers to reclaim him, stating that he would neither run again nor pay for his freedom. His stance made him both a symbol of courage and a target for authorities, who deemed him a fugitive.
The Jerry Rescue
One of the most dramatic moments of Loguen’s abolitionist career occurred on October 1, 1851, during what became known as the Jerry Rescue.
William Henry, known as Jerry, an escaped enslaved man living in Syracuse, was arrested under the Fugitive Slave Act. The arrest sparked outrage in the abolitionist stronghold of Syracuse.
That evening, a coalition of Black and white abolitionists organized a rescue. A crowd gathered outside the jail. Protesters forced entry into the building. After a struggle with federal marshals, Jerry was freed. He was hidden and transported through the Underground Railroad networks to Canada.
Loguen was among the key leaders involved in organizing resistance. Accusations surfaced that he had assaulted a federal marshal during the rescue. Facing possible arrest and re-enslavement, Loguen temporarily fled to Canada for safety. When federal prosecution did not proceed against him, he returned to Syracuse and resumed his work openly. The Jerry Rescue became one of the most significant acts of organized resistance to the Fugitive Slave Act in American history.
A Home of Freedom
Caroline Storum Loguen
Loguen married Caroline Storum, who was born near Jamestown, New York. She was biracial and from a free, educated, abolitionist family. Jermain and Caroline had six children. Loguen and his wife transformed their Syracuse home into a well-known station on the Underground Railroad. Unlike many who operated in strict secrecy, the Loguens were remarkably open about their mission.
Historians estimate that approximately 1,500 freedom seekers passed through their home on their journey northward, though precise numbers are difficult to confirm because of the secrecy surrounding Underground Railroad operations. Their work made Syracuse a symbol of abolitionist resistance and earned Loguen his enduring nickname, the King of the Underground Railroad.
Later Life and Legacy
After the Civil War and the abolition of slavery, Loguen continued serving as a leader in the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church and eventually became a bishop. He died on September 18, 1872, in Syracuse, New York, after a brief illness. He was fifty-nine years old and was buried in Oakwood Cemetery.
His legacy continued through his activism, writings, and children. His daughter, Dr. Sarah Loguen Fraser, became one of the first African American women physicians and later the first woman doctor in the Dominican Republic.
Sarah Loguen
Through resistance, bravery, and spiritual conviction, he helped carve pathways to liberation for countless others.
Another installment of Melanated Mail has been delivered. Ponder, reflect, and pass it on.
