George Fayerweather III (1802– 13 November 1869) was an American blacksmith and activist for abolitionism. He was of mixed Narragansett and African Ancestry from South Kingstown, Rhode Island, United States.[1][2]

Early life and education

Fayerweather was born to George Fayerweather, a blacksmith who built the 1820 Fayerweather homestead, and a Narragansett woman who was the descendant of a sachem.[1] His father was descended from slaves freed after the American Revolutionary War.

Work

Like their father, Fayerweather and his brother Solomon took up blacksmithing as a skilled trade, as did several of their descendants. It was a key position in a 19th-century village.

Fayerweather moved to Canterbury, Connecticut, where in 1833 he married Sarah Harris (1812–1878), a free black woman born in Norwich, Connecticut, to free parents. She was the first African-American girl admitted to Prudence Crandall’s school in Canterbury.[3] Several parents took their daughters out of the school, and it was closed under the notorious Connecticut Black Law of 1833.[4]

Fayerweather and his family moved to Kingston in 1855 to the Fayerweather homestead; he followed his father and brother Solomon as the village blacksmith.[2][5] Their residence became a center of anti-slavery activity in the community, and they entertained numerous famous abolitionists in their home.[5]

Fayerwether died on 13 November 1869 in Kingston, and was buried at Old Fernwood Cemetery.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 "George Fayerweather genealogical data". geni.com. Retrieved 28 December 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 "Fayerweather House". Kingston Improvement Association, Kingston, Rhode Island. Retrieved 28 December 2011.
  3. ↑ Jurmain, Suzanne. (2005). The Forbidden Schoolhouse: The True and Dramatic Story of Prudence Crandall and Her Students, Houghton Mifflin, New York. 160pp. ISBN 978-0-618-47302-1
  4. ↑ "Black Law of 1833". Yale University. Archived from the original on 19 October 2012. Retrieved 29 December 2011.
  5. 1 2 "Sarah Harris Fayerweather". African American Resource Center. Archived from the original on 26 April 2012. Retrieved 28 December 2011..
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