News: Famed philanthropist Johns Hopkins revealed to have been slaveowner

[Bruce Vail]

This was a startling news item for those of us who live in Baltimore, who have been told for decades that Hopkins was a dedicated abolitionist:

Johns Hopkins, Long Believed An Abolitionist, Actually Owned Slaves, University Says

Researchers found census records showing the entrepreneur and philanthropist owned slaves as late as 1850, contrary to the long-held belief that his family freed all slaves when he was a boy.

www.npr.org

Read through and you will see the evidence is fairly thin at this point.

So far, there are no loud calls for renaming the University.

 

[James N.]

I love it when the skeletons come out from the closets of all the supposed do-gooders - I can still remember the look on the face of the smug and sanctimonious Ken Burns when Louis Gates informed about HIS Maryland slave-owning ancestor!

 

[Bruce Vail]

I love it when the skeletons come out from the closets of all the supposed do-gooders - I can still remember the look on the face of the smug and sanctimonious Ken Burns when Louis Gates informed about HIS Maryland slave-owning ancestor!

I too love the sound of skeletons falling out of the closet. Even my own. Learned in recent years that one of my Vail ancestors had an out-of-wedlock child and and that his first wife obtained a rare divorce (for 1799) as a result. He was also kicked out of the Quaker church.

 

[donna]

Everyone has skeletons. No one is perfect. That is no reason to change every name, take down every statue.

These people would find that God had flaws.

 

[Bruce Vail]

Everyone has skeletons. No one is perfect. That is no reason to change every name, take down every statue.

These people would find that God had flaws.

Frankly, the new evidence that has been discovered is pretty small beer, if you ask me. As I understand it, it is not even conclusive that Johns Hopkins himself was the actual owner. At one time a lot of Quakers were slaveowners -- they didn't start agitating against slavery till late 1700s.

 

[RobertP]

Everyone has skeletons. No one is perfect. That is no reason to change every name, take down every statue.

These people would find that God had flaws.

At the risk of being thumped I will say this. We once had a member who would with condescending sanctimony argue like a bulldog about the evils of the Confederacy and treat the anyone here the same way if their sympathies lay with the participants on that side. It went on for years until he was revealed as a pervert in a relationship with another member who thought exactly the same way he did. You have to wonder if the man’s wife would care more about that behavior or whether Mr. Johns Hopkins owned 4 slaves. Just sayin’.

 

[lelliott19]

As I understand it, it is not even conclusive that Johns Hopkins himself was the actual owner.

Johns Hopkins of Baltimore, MD is listed by name as the owner in the 1850 US Census Slave Schedule. Although only two enslaved people show up in the snip, there are actually four enumerated on the schedule --- all males, ages 45, 50, 25, and 18.

What I can't figure out is why the article doesn't mention the 1860 US Census Slave Schedule for District 2 (Bladensburgh District) which lists a Johns Hopkins as owner of 12 enslaved people --- including mostly children and babies with no easily identifiable mother enumerated among the group. I suppose it's possible that there were other people living in this part of Maryland named Johns Hopkins, but it seems like the author of the article would have mentioned the 1860 slave schedule and explained why this slave owner Johns Hopkins is not the Johns Hopkins of the University? It's possible that these enslaved people were enumerated at the Maryland Agricultural College, although that is just my hypothesis because of where they appear in the schedule.

That "2" over in the right hand column below is for the "number of slave houses" and seems to indicate that all 12 enslaved people were living in TWO houses. The male baby enumerated on line 39 is 10 months old, indicated by 10/12, and designated as Mulatto. The female baby enumerated on line 40 is 6 months old, indicated by 6/12, and designated as black. If the 16 yo female designated as mulatto is the mother of the 10 month old male baby, she is pretty young to be having babies. And who is the mother of the 6 month old female baby? There are no other women of child bearing age in the group.

 

[unionblue]

Everyone has skeletons. No one is perfect. That is no reason to change every name, take down every statue.

These people would find that God had flaws.

I have to admit, when I face God, I will have a LOT of questions.

 

[Bruce Vail]

Johns Hopkins of Baltimore, MD is listed by name as the owner in the 1850 US Census Slave Schedule. Although only two enslaved people show up in the snip, there are actually four enumerated on the schedule --- all males, ages 45, 50, 25, and 18.
View attachment 385454
View attachment 385455

What I can't figure out is why the article doesn't mention the 1860 US Census Slave Schedule for District 2 (Bladensburgh District) which lists a Johns Hopkins as owner of 12 enslaved people --- including mostly children and babies with no easily identifiable mother enumerated among the group. I suppose it's possible that there were other people living in this part of Maryland named Johns Hopkins, but it seems like the author of the article would have mentioned the 1860 slave schedule and explained why this slave owner Johns Hopkins is not the Johns Hopkins of the University? It's possible that these enslaved people were enumerated at the Maryland Agricultural College, although that is just my hypothesis because of where they appear in the schedule.
View attachment 385452

That "2" over in the right hand column below is for the "number of slave houses" and seems to indicate that all 12 enslaved people were living in TWO houses. The male baby enumerated on line 39 is 10 months old, indicated by 10/12, and designated as Mulatto. The female baby enumerated on line 40 is 6 months old, indicated by 6/12, and designated as black. If the 16 yo female designated as mulatto is the mother of the 10 month old male baby, she is pretty young to be having babies. And who is the mother of the 6 month old female baby? There are no other women of child bearing age in the group.
View attachment 385453

Thanks for adding this material.

I guesss I misunderstood something I read. There were several articles and at least one implied that there was no proof that Hopkins was an actual owner. My mistake.