Abolition in the Archives #5

“Anecdotes and Memoirs of William Boen, a Coloured Man…”

This pamphlet memorializes the life of a black Quaker who was born into slavery. Notably, Mr. Boen eventually won acceptance as a full member of the Mount Holly, New Jersey Friends’ Meeting, in an era when even Quakers were uncomfortable with the races mingling socially as equals. The booklet belonged to Maria Farrington, herself a Quaker and a descendant of John Bowne. It is not clear if she had some association with William Boen (who despite the similar-sounding name was not connected to the Bowne family) or with the Mount Holly Meeting; or if she simply kept the pamphlet as an inspirational biography. Maria was a member of the Flushing Female Association, founded in 1814, that ran a school for African-American and poor children who would otherwise be denied an education. The Association met in the parlor of the Bowne House in its early years.

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