Westwood Cemetery: A Resting Place for the Fighters
Westwood Cemetery serves as a resting place for the men and women who suffered from slavery and fought for the end of this unjust system. Its graves are home to numerous fugitives from slavery, abolitionists who fought against slavery, and the fundamentalists and agents of the Underground Railroad. The cemetery is also a resting place for many other historical figures and serves not only as a beautiful historical landmark, but also as a memorial to those buried there. Created in July of 1864 and located on Morgan street in Oberlin Ohio, Westwood cemetery, has over nine thousand burials across its forty seven acres. It is currently owned by the city of Oberlin. Besides being a historical landmark, the location also attracts many visitors who come to walk along its paths and enjoy nature. It is home to a variety of wildlife, which include thirty nine different types of trees that surround the area.
The Topic of this article will focus mainly on three select people who are buried within the cemetery, while also giving a historical background of the area in which it is located to better help the readers to understand why it is suitable place for such a historical grave site/memorial. However, please keep in mind that the people we have chosen to highlight represent only a small fraction of the incredible people buried within the cemetery. Each and every person buried there has a unique story of their own. A couple others who are briefly worth mentioning include Hiram Alonzo Pease and Wilson Bruce Evans. Hiram A. Pease was an abolitionist as well as a member of Oberlin underground railroad. He was also a Captain of the 41st Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War. Wilson B. Evans was also an abolitionist who was apart of the Underground Railroad within Oberlin. He was imprisoned in the near by town of Wellington Ohio, for his participation in the Oberlin-Wellington Rescue. Once freed, he then went on to serve one year in the Union Army during the time of the Civil War.
While the cemetery itself was not one of the original stop along the underground railroad for slaves trying to escape from slavery. The city of Oberlin has quite a history dealing with the topic. The city and surrounding areas were in fact on route for runaway slaves to pass through, as they tried to make their way into Canada. During the time of slavery, the city of Oberlin was home to numerous individuals who opposed its ideals, and did what they could to fight against it. One of the best examples of this comes from a documented incident in September of 1858 which has been named the Oberlin-Wellington Rescue. During this incident, a runaway slave named John Price was arrested in Oberlin under the Fugitive Slave Law and taken to Wellington, Ohio. When some of the citizens of Oberlin (thirty seven to be exact) found out, they gathered together and forcefully took the slave back from the marshals who had arrested him.They then helped the escaped slave to freedom across the Canadian border. The incident received national attention as the rescuers were tried in federal court, and the defendants argued that the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 was unconstitutional. While the outcome of the trial didn’t lead to any major changes, it kept the discussion of slavery relevant on a national level leading up to the Civil War. Thus given the rich history of abolitionist movements and relevance of the underground railroad surrounding the city of Oberlin, it serves as rightful burial place for the abolitionist and slaves who now rest there.
One person who is buried in Westwood Cemetery is James M. Fitch. James M. Fitch was an abolitionist (someone who opposed slavery) who was alive from 1816 to 1867. Originally from New York, James attended Oberlin College in 1836. When the institute that James was attending closed in 1837, James decide not to return to the college and in 1838, he married Jane Busnell. During the time he was attending Oberlin college, he heard the news that Great Britain (or the British Empire as it was called back then) was abolishing slavery in its territory. While this was happening, a mission was established in Jamaica to educated the freed slaves and help them adjust to their new lives. Both James and his wife Jane, went to Jamaica to help with the missionary work and did not return to Oberlin until 1844. When he returned, James went into the printing business producing the Oberlin Evangelist, as well as catalogs and volumes for the college itself. He also opened a campus bookstore and worked at Oberlin’s Sunday School. James became an active Underground Railroad conductor in Oberlin, constructing secret rooms in his house to harbor slaves. While James’ house is not still there, the secret rooms were hid behind a closet as well as in the attic.
Slaves were frequently brought to the house where they were fed and kept safe while transport arrangements were made to send them to Elyria. From Elyria, the slaves would board a vessel on the Black River, which would then send them into Canada. James played a role in the Oberlin-Wellington Rescue case, helping the slave John Price escape to Canada for his freedom. The federal government arrested James and others for violating the Fugitive Slave Law. While in jail for 3 months, James was able (thanks to sympathizers in the prison) to set up a printing press and print copies of his own abolitionist newspaper, called The Rescuer. James and his wife Jane’s families are buried side by side in Westwood Cemetery. His cause of death was a protracted (long lasting) illness.
Another person buried in Westwood Cemetery is the abolitionist Simeon Busnell. Simeon Busnell is actually the younger brother of James Fitch’s wife, Jane Busnell. Simeon worked as typesetter and clerk in James’ bookstore. Most of his family were abolitionists, as much of his family worked as conductors of the Underground Railroad. He attended Oberlin College in 1852. Simeon played a major role in the Oberlin-Wellington Rescue. While John Price was in Wellington, Simeon was of the many people who came to set John free. After John was freed, Simeon rode him in a buggy back to Oberlin. Because he and many others (37 to be exact) were found guilty of breaking the Fugitive Slave Act. Both Simeon and another man (Charles Langston) became martyrs (Someone who is killed for their beliefs) for their cause. He did have a wife, Elizabeth Busnell and a baby daughter, Jane Busnell who unfortunately died at 6 months. While his birth year is unknown, Simeon died and was buried in December 1861.
Wiley Jennings is a slave who’s resting place is Westwood Cemetery. Born in 1854 and having died in 1902, Jennings made it through the abolition of slavery. While most details of his early life are uncertain due to lack of care towards slaves, we do know that he once was a slave and survived long enough to see his own freedom. We also that later in his life after being freed, he came to Oberlin and studied at the Oberlin College for a single year. Jennings was a hard worker, but seemed to be a trouble-maker. He was trying to marry a white women, which at that time was not publicly acceptable, and very frowned upon. However despite the norms, he tried to “advertised” in a newspaper for a white women to marry. Eventually a woman moved from Illinois to Oberlin looking to wed. However Jennings left out one detail and once she noticed his race, she fled quickly. At the end of Jenning’s life, he practiced very peculiar religious ceremonies and believed he was a healer. This led him to a mental hospital, where he eventually died and then was later buried in Westwood Cemetery. Sadly despite his efforts, he had never married in his life.
James Fitch, Simeon Busnell, and Wiley Jennings are only three of the numerous people who have fought against and survived Americas period of slavery. However many of the names and stories of other fighters who reside within Westwood have been lost due to poor record keeping and lack of head stones. Without names, the stories of many others who might have impacted the history of slavery are lost in time. This cemetery was created as a memorial for what the former slaves went through, and as a dedication to the people who helped them along the way. It is a reminder to those who risked their lives to help change America and abolish slavery, while risking death to make sure every human had the rights they deserve. This is why Westwood cemetery is a resting place for the fighters.
Bibliography
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“Fugitive Slave Act of 1850.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 29 Nov. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fugitive_Slave_Act_of_1850.
Gorman, Ron. “The Secret Rooms of the Fitches.” Oberlin Heritage Center Blog, Oberlin Heritage Center, www.oberlinheritagecenter.org/blog/tag/james-fitch/.
“Oberlin-Wellington Rescue Case.” Battle of Lake Erie - Ohio History Central, www.ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Oberlin-Wellington_Rescue_Case.
“Oberlin-Wellington Rescue Case (Sept., 1858) From Anti-Slavery Tracts. No. 15. New Series. The Fugitive Slave Law and Its Victims.” World War II Oral Histories, www.ohiomemory.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/siebert/id/8472/rec/11.
“Oberlin–Wellington Rescue.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 30 June 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oberlin–Wellington_Rescue.
“The Legend of a Principled Abolitionist.” Oberlin Heritage Center Blog, www.oberlinheritagecenter.org/hiramalonzopease.
“Underground Railroad.” Battle of Lake Erie - Ohio History Central, www.ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Underground_Railroad.
Westwood: a Historical and Interpretive View of Oberlins Cemetery. Oberlin Historical and Improvement Organization, 1997.
“Westwood Cemetery.” City of Oberlin, www.cityofoberlin.com/for-residents/westwood-cemetery/.
“Wilson Bruce Evans House.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Sept. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilson_Bruce_Evans_House.
Created by Kevin Elliott, Wendy Hager, Joseph Stefanek, Jonathan Sturtz (Fall 2018)
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Elliott, Kevin et al. “Westwood Cemetery: A Resting Place For the Fighters.” Quilting African American Experiences In Northeast Ohio, http://scalar.usc.edu/works/quilting-african-american-experiences-in-northeast-ohio/westwood-cemetery-a-resting-place-for-the-fighters. Accessed date month year.
