John C. Whinnery:
Abolitionist
John C. Whinnery House
292 S. Lincoln Ave. Salem, OhioWhinnery's house was one of 16 houses in Salem that was part of the Underground Railroad. His house had a hidden loft over the kitchen. A well-conealed trap door in the kitchen ceiling provided entrance to a space that could hide six people.
Many of these houses are still occupied by families today. When they were part of the Underground Railroad, runaway slaves were hidden in secret rooms, attics, root cellars, cabinets with hidden doors, behind false walls, in hidden staircases and in basements -- some with secret entrances.
Handbill
Announcing the Burial of Edwin CoppockEdwin Coppock was hanged for his role in John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry, Virginia. His body was returned to be buried quietly, in the Quaker fashion, at New Garden (now Winona) Meeting burial ground. The anti-slavery leaders of nearby Salem, including John Whinnery, believed that Edwin Coppock was deserving of a more elaborate expression of public respect and sympathy. Thus they arranged for reburial in the Salem burial grounds.
The burial was attended by thousands of sympathizers eager to pay their respects to Edwin Coppock and hear the funeral oration in the evening.
John C. Whinnery's Daughter
Abbie Outsmarts Slave Hunters
By Melissa Edler
Abby, a young Quaker girl, swings back and forth on a white fence gate, while her father, Dr. John C. Whinnery, observes from inside the house. She watches as a group of men approach; it’s the 1860s, and the men are a cohort of slave hunters.
Whinnery nervously reaches for the door, but stops to listen as his daughter talks nonchalantly to the men. The hunters ask Abby if there are any slaves in her house. She tells them no, and the group leaves, knowing a Quaker girl would not tell a lie.
Whinnery walks outside and asks Abby if she has just told a lie, since they both know six fugitives are hiding inside their home. She assures her father she didn’t lie and simply tells him that her religion has taught her no man is a slave.
The 1860 census lists Abby Whinery being 14 years old.
John C. Whinnery
1816-1895Abbie Whinnery
Abbie Whinnery later became a well-known singer and singing teacher.
Originally published in "Local History Writ Large:
Kent State Salem instructor, students examine mighty impact of a small Ohio town line"This story is just one of the few precious nuggets of history in a small town’s past. In the same way archaeologists dig for artifacts left behind by ancient cultures, a teacher and her students from Kent State Salem are discovering the remarkable heritage of a quaint town in eastern Ohio.
Four students from Sandra Eaglen’s playwriting class are penning short scripts based on their research about different aspects in Salem’s history; topics include the Civil War, the Underground Railroad, the first permanent settlers and one of the top American watercolorists of the 20th century.
Interesting Links
Underground Railroad in the Ohio Hill Country
Self-Guided Tour of Underground Railroad Sites
Salem, a historic Quaker community, was active in both the abolitionist and women’s suffrage movements. A number of buildings in the community have been researched and documented as Underground Railroad sites. The community recently published a four-color self-guided tour brochure of Underground Railroad sites in Salem.
Eaglen, ’85, a lecturer of English, theatre and speech, will combine the four scripts and her own text into one play to be performed at the Salem Community Theater this July in honor of Salem’s bicentennial year, 2006.
Source: http://www.kent.edu/Magazine/Summer2006/LocalHistoryWritLarge.cfm
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Source: Dale E. Shaffer, Salem: A Quaker City History. Making of America Series Arcadia Publishing June 01, 2002 http://books.google.com/books?id=zZmgbfUV8pkC&pg=PA43&lpg=PA43&dq
Picture of Whinnery House from Dale E. Shaffer, Salem: A Quaker City History. Making of America Series, p. 42 Photo of Abbie Whinnery from http://www.picturehistory.com/product/id/23610
John Carroll Whinnery
1880
Click for larger Image
Relationship
Our common ancestor (between the Tests and the Whinneries) goes back to William Whinnery (1752-1819).
On the Whinnery Side William Whinnery (1752-1819)
James Whinnery (1787-?)
John C. Whinnery (1816-1895)On the Test Side
William Whinnery (1752-1819)
Robert Whinnery (1776-1845)
Lydia Whinnery (1804-1841)
Elizabeth Brantingham (1833-1916)
Joseph Brantingham Dean (1858-1901)
Mary Elizabeth Dean (1887-1946)
H. Raeburn Test (1915-1995)
