Freedom’s Gardener: James F. Brown, Horticulture, and the Hudson Valley in Antebellum America PDF
Preview Freedom’s Gardener: James F. Brown, Horticulture, and the Hudson Valley in Antebellum America
Freedom’s Gardener This page intentionally left blank Freedom’s Gardener James F. Brown, Horticulture, and the Hudson Valley in Antebellum America Myra B. Young Armstead a NEW Y ORK UNIVERS ITY P RESS New York and London NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS New York and London www.nyupress.org © 2012 by New York University All rights reserved References to Internet websites (URLs) were accurate at the time of writing. Neither the author nor New York University Press is responsible for URLs that may have expired or changed since the manuscript was prepared. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Armstead, Myra Beth Young Freedom’s gardener : James F. Brown, horticulture, and the Hudson Valley in antebellum America / Myra B. Young Armstead. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978–0–8147–0510–0 (cl : alk. paper) ISBN 978–0–8147–0791–3 (ebook) ISBN 978–0–8147–0792–0 (ebook) 1. Brown, James Francis, 1793–1868. 2. African Americans—Social conditions— Hudson River Valley (N.Y. and N.J.)—19th century. 3. Free blacks—Hudson River Valley (N.Y. and N.J)—Biography. 4. Gardeners—Hudson River Valley (N.Y. and N.J.)— Biography. 5. Fugitive slaves—Maryland—Biography. 6. Hudson River Valley (N.Y. and N.J.)—History—19th century. 7. Hudson River Valley (N.Y.) and N.J.)— Biography. I. Title. F127.H8A76 2011 635.092—dc23 [B] 2011028251 New York University Press books are printed on acid-free paper, and their binding materials are chosen for strength and durability. We strive to use environmentally responsible suppliers and materials to the greatest extent possible in publishing our books. Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 For Matthew and Nathan Like valleys they spread out, like gardens beside a river. This page intentionally left blank Contents Acknowledgments ix Introduction 1 Part I. LIFE A S A S LAVE 1 What Can a Man Do? 11 2 Into the Promised Land 28 Part II. FR EE MAN AND FR EE L ABORER 3 A Horticultural Community 41 4 A Gardening Career 54 5 Cultural Meanings of Gardening 70 6 Escaping Wage Slavery 88 Part III. FR EE MAN AND CITIZEN 7 A Whiggish Sensibility 99 8 James F. Brown, Voting Rights Politics, and Antislavery 112 A ctivism 9 The Informal Politics of Association 129 Conclusion 152 N otes 163 Index 205 About the Author 209 | vii This page intentionally left blank Acknowledgments Many eyes, minds, hands, and hearts have contributed to the com- pletion of this book. I am very grateful for the assistance of the staffs of the Frederick County (Maryland) Historical Society, the Maryland Historical Society, the Maryland State Archives, the Edward H. Nabb Research Center for Delmarva History and Culture, the Poplar Hills Mansion Museum, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, the Monmouth County (New Jersey) Historical Association, the New York Botanical Garden (New York Horti- cultural Society Records), the New-York Historical Society, the New York Public Library, the New York State Law Library (Albany and Poughkeepsie), Pace University Law Library, the Newburgh (New York) Free Public Library, Mount Gulian Historic Site, the Dutchess County Historical Society, the Dutchess County Clerk’s Office, and the Adriance Memorial Library. Indi- viduals associated with these research centers, officially or as volunteers, who deserve special recognition include Linda Duyer, L. Paul Morris Jr., Nancy Marasco, and Stephanie Mauri. Elaine Hayes, Executive Director at Mount Gulian, was an invaluable support all along, and I also benefited greatly from the help of Susan Konvit while she was Director of Education and Public Pro- gramming there. Bard College colleagues who served as cheerleaders, advisers, and readers include Mark Lytle, Alice Stroup, Rob Culp, Ellen Lagemann, Joel Perlmann, Christian Crouch, Greg Moynahan, Omar Encarnacion, Julia Rosenbaum, Wendy Urban-Mead, Stephen Mucher, Mercedes Ebbert, Derek Furr, Jaime Alves, and Yuval Elmelech. Janet Schulze was a price- less student research assistant, and the students in three Bard MAT Pro- gram courses I taught—Mystic Chords of Memory (Summer 2008, Fall 2009–upstate, Fall 2009–NYC)—graciously heard and provided feedback on the book introduction that follows. Bard Web Services Coordinator Juliet Meyers lent her expertise to the production of the maps. Evelyn Krueger’s secretarial skills were crucial for the consistency in word pro- cessing the text. | ix
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