James Townsend (August 31, 1786 – November 3, 1851) was an American farmer, politician, and abolitionist who was among the early pioneers of Putnamville, Indiana.
James Townsend | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 31, 1786[1] |
| Died | November 3, 1851 (aged 65)[1] |
| Occupation | Farmer |
| Spouse | Katherine Davis |
| Relatives | John Selby Townsend James Robert Townsend |
Biography
Townsend was descended from Richard Townsend, who emigrated from England, settling in Jamestown, Virginia in 1620. He was raised in Snow Hill, Maryland and married Katherine Davis, a cousin of the Radical Republican Henry Winter Davis.[2] In 1808, Townsend left Maryland and established a plantation near Henderson, Kentucky, operated by 30 slaves he had inherited.[2]
Around 1830, according to later recollection by his grandson, Townsend, "a man of strong religious convictions, becoming convinced of the evils of slavery, liberated his thirty slaves".[3][4][5] He exhorted them to follow him in an exodus to Indiana – a free state – pledging that he would build houses for any who chose to accompany him, while those who opted to remain in Kentucky would instead be paid a cash settlement.[6] Eight of his former slaves ultimately traveled with him to Indiana and assumed Townsend's surname as their own, as was customary at the time.[6][a]
In Indiana, Townsend worked as a merchant and donated the land for the establishment of the Putnamville Presbyterian Church.[4][8] Townsend was financially ruined by the Panic of 1837.[4] In 1838 he was elected to the Indiana House of Representatives and later moved to Clay County, Indiana.[9][1] He died in 1851.[1]
Among Townsend's children was John Selby Townsend.[10] His grandchildren included James Robert Townsend and James Layman, who sat in the Indiana State Senate.[2][11] James Robert Townsend's son, also James Townsend, was one of the original 1,000 participants in Lewis Terman's Genetic Studies of Genius.[12]
The Townsend/Layman Museum in Putnamville is named after Townsend.[6]