Emily Thomas (Tubman) shown in a portrait painted when she was 16 living in Kentucky.

      In a life that stretches from the presidency of George Washington to Grover Cleveland, Mrs. Emily Tubman danced the minuet with General Lafayette, built churches, managed a successful plantation, freed her slaves before freedom was legal and earned the titles philanthropist and humanitarian.

      Emily Harvie Thomas' life began on March 21, 1794 in Ashland, Virginia. As an infant she traveled with her father and mother along the buffalo trail, now becoming the wilderness road, to the newly formed state of Kentucky.

      Emily met and fell in love with Richard C. Tubman and married him in 1818. The two lived a happy and full life together until 1835 when Richard died in Emily's arms.

      Richard Tubman, the grower and exporter of tobacco, cotton and indigo had amassed a sizeable fortune. Emily found herself in charge.

      Her life of Christian giving began when she was entrusted to carry out her late husband's last will and testament. Richard had requested that all of his slaves be given freedom. Twenty years before the "Act of Emancipation" slaves could not be free citizens in Georgia so she took matters into her own hands. She gave her slaves the choice to stay with her as free, paid servants or they could go "home" to Liberia. Sixty-nine slaves chose freedom in Liberia while 75 chose freedom on the Tubman Plantation. Fearing that the slaves would be captured and sold back into slavery upon arrival in Maryland, Emily accompanied them as they began their journey "home."

      Emily became an admirer of Alexander Campbell and in 1836 joined the first group of Disciples in Augusta, Georgia. Her wealth was used to translate her faith into action. Later that year, Emily built the first Disciples church in Augusta.

      Calling both Frankfort, Kentucky and Augusta home, Emily spread her wealth generously among the two cities and states. In Frankfort, Emily rebuilt the First Christian Church, which was destroyed by fire. In Paris, Kentucky, she established a free school for under-privileged children. Emily established the Midway Orphan School for children orphaned by the cholera epidemic; this school later became Midway College.

      Through this generosity, Emily never lost her focus or her sense of humor. Emily's minister approached her for a donation to rebuild the church after a fire. She told him she would gladly do it if the church honored Christ in its name. The minister tried to convince her there was nothing in a name. After a lengthy discussion, she gave him a check for a handsome sum, signed with the name of one of her servants. The bank refused to cash her check saying, "this name is not known to us." When the minister returned to Emily with the problem, she replied, "You said there was nothing in a name." The First Christian Church stands in Augusta, Georgia, glorifying Christ in its name.

      The spirit of Christian philanthropy was not limited entirely to the Disciples Church. During the Civil War, Emily was concerned with the plight of the wounded soldiers. To give relief of their suffering, Emily brought the first ice machine to America. Her concern did not stop when the war was over; she provided free transportation home for the Confederate soldiers. Victorious Union soldiers were charged for their train ride.

      On June 9, 1885, Emily Tubman died in her home in Georgia. Her last words were, "Father, I am weak and weary; if it please thee, let me rest." After her funeral service at First Christian Church in Augusta, the pew where she sat was draped for the remainder of the year. In the church there is a black marble tablet with this inscription: "Si monumentum Reqiuris Circumspice" or "If you seek her monument, look around."

      After her funeral she made her final trip home to Kentucky. She was laid to rest in the Old Frankfort Cemetery, within sight of another Kentucky pioneer, Daniel Boone.

      Peppering the landscape of Kentucky and Georgia with churches, schools and homes for the aged, Emily Tubman provides an example of a powerful link in our Disciples history and our nation's evolution.

      She links us to our nation's and our church's origins.

      Look around and see the schools, the churches, the homes for the aged, the families of her liberated slaves and praise God for the monumental witness of one of our most generous stewards.

      The electronic version of Lynne Morgan's "Emily Tubman: Christian, Emancipator, Humanitarian" was first published in Were History! Vol. 4, Issue 3 (Winter 1999), p. 6. It has been reprinted as an electronic text with the kind permission of the publisher, The Disciples of Christ Historical Society, and the author.

      Addenda and corrigenda are earnestly solicited.

Ernie Stefanik
373 Wilson Street
Derry, PA 15627-9770
e_stefanik@email.msn.com

Created 27 December 1999.