Sometimes when doing genealogy you find skeletons in your closet (oh goodness, the skeletons I have found...)... But sometimes you find people that just make you so proud to be their descendant. Heres a story about my 3rd great grandfather that I just discovered in a history of my mothers county in Kansas. He was a pioneer in that county, served as their towns first postmaster and later became a Kansas State Representative. Some may not realize that Kansas held a pivotal role in actions that led to the Civil War. It was truly a battleground state in more than one sense. D. C. Auld, an abolitionist, had been appointed justice of the peace for the Vermillion district.The territorial laws, as passed by a pro-slavery Legislature, required that all officials should take an iron-clad oath to support the United States fugitive slave law. This law was antagonistic to Mr. Aulds principles and he refused to take the oath. McClosky appealed to Judge Burrel to qualify Mr. Auld without requiring the oath and Judge Burrel wrote out a Pennsvlvania oath and administered it to Auld, who qualified, served out his term and felt free to assist any fugitive slave who, in his flight for freedom, happened to pass his way.
Posted on: Sun, 09 Nov 2014 20:51:34 +0000
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