Robert Pleasants letterbook, 1754-1797
Wednesday, December 14th, 2005Emily Higgs, a student assistant in Special Collections, has completed an annotated index to the Robert Pleasants letterbook, a part of the records of Baltimore Yearly Meeting (item #168). Pleasants (1722-1801), a member of Curles Monthly Meeting, Virginia Yearly Meeting, is known for his work as an abolitionist. He freed his eighty slaves and urged the ratification of a law proposing gradual emancipation for the children of slaves. Pleasants established the Gravelly Hill School for the free children of slaves. The letterbook covers the period 1754-1797 and centers on matters of religion and abolition. We anticipate making the letterbook web-accessible in the near future.