With Courage and Conviction: Orland, Indiana and the Abolitionist Movement

In the village of Orland, Indiana, many residents voiced their abhorrence of the institution of slavery. Their active participation in the Underground Railroad and the blatant efforts of those who fostered the abolitionist cause, made the town a focal point of the movement in the 1850s. The arrest of five citizens who were caught moving slaves through Orland in 1853, thrust the community into the national spotlight. They had dared to defy a Federal mandate and the nation watched as they were arraigned in Federal court in Indianapolis. This history examines the events surrounding the arrests and depicts many of the players involved. The incidents in Orland acted as a catalyst that initiated subsequent abolitionist activities in the surrounding communities. These activities resulted in the formation of new antislavery societies that functioned until the beginning of the Civil War. Their endeavors are also outlined in this narrative. The story explores the relevant political events transpiring at the national, state, and local levels, as well as those within the abolitionist movement. The proponents of the movement in Orland received widespread notoriety in abolitionist circles for their brazen violation of the law and their known aversion to slavery. This notoriety, triggered by the Federal court case, brought some of the national leaders in the abolitionist ranks to Orland and to northeast Indiana to help with fund raising, organization, and education. These leaders included Stephen and Abby Kelly Foster, Josephine Griffing and Sojourner Truth. The history ends with the Civil War and how it affected the lives of these proponents of the movement. By the 1860s, many of the abolitionists were too old to participate in the conflict. However, their children took up arms and fought for these principles of freedom. The book is drawn from extensive resources and includes many photos and maps that add to the story. Local historian, Michael T. Biesiada, has created a telling story of the abolitionists’ struggle. The text weaves an exciting narrative of courage and conviction in northeastern Indiana in that turbulent antebellum era.