By Adam Patterson
Certain people throughout history have likened the past as an afterthought, telling those who would listen to live for the day and move forward, disregarding what once came before them for the sake of making a better future. Clichés like that may work for people with regrettable pasts, but for those who never knew what came before them, or even what could be with them, the past is a stronger motivator for a better future than all other things.
Don Papson, founder of the North Country Underground Railroad Historical Association knows this better than most. For five years, through great effort, Papson has unearthed historical people, places, and documents about abolitionists and freedom seekers in the North Country. He has uncovered houses with dirt on their floors that once clung to abolitionists boots. He has found letters written by black men written in the 19th century, thanking a man named Gerrit Smith for the land he gave them so that they could vote. He literally coined the phrase the Champlain Line of the Underground Railroad. But Papson was slapped once by the giant that is history, and the story, one of his favorites, he recounted to me.
Papson told me the story of Gerrit Smith over the phone, and the undeniable historian came out; he never missed a fact or date, and he took maybe two breaths in twenty minutes of non-stop talking. As the story went, Gerrit Smith was an abolitionist who said he would give three thousand black men land so they could bypass a law saying they couldn’t vote if they didn’t have land. One such man, John Thomas from Bloomingdale, was the author of the letter of thanks written to Gerrit Smith. Papson ploughed on, and realized that John Thomas had relatives.
Living, breathing, relatives that survived him. Not only were they alive and unknowing of their past, they lived in the North Country. About three miles from where their great, great grandfather Thomas, was buried, lived Oscar Morehouse.
Oscar, of the town of Franklin, is an extremely private man. It was through his wife that I was able to excavate details about his realization of his abolitionist roots.
I called the number Papson gave me for their residence several times, both at night like he suggested, and a young voice answered both times. In the background I heard deep conversations, distant yelling, and the sounds of babies crying. But every time that young lady answered the phone, her manners were impeccable. She could not have been over the age of 12. Finally she was able to hand the phone to her mother.
Donna is quiet and polite, almost unnervingly so seeing as a journalist was prying about what was undoubtedly one of the most important moments of her husbands life, but she never refused a question.
According to Donna, her husband had no family ties outside of his household, only knowing of his brother in Lake Placid, and lived a quiet life, never questioning his existence or exploring his past.
After Papson showed his finding to Oscar, the town of Franklin had a reunion for the family.
“It was exiting. It was up in our park.”
She said quite succinctly that it definitely was an emotional moment for her husband to realize he had this family, but simply answered “naw” when I asked if her husband cried, jumped for joy, or showed any overly-outward emotions.
When Oscar was reunited with his family, composure was kept. He was left unchanged, and any indication that his life had forever changed, from what I could gather, was kept between him and his wife, and still is.
Donna revealed a man wedged between two worlds; the life he had, and the life knew his family once had. Between excitement and emotional drainage.
Donna herself was either naturally short on words, or very gently telling me she wouldn’t give away details about her husband when my questions were met with very short answers. The husband she is letting me know through these terse replies is a introverted man. Quiet and strong.
But the only quote that I know of that came from Oscars mouth was said to Papson:
“The level of my existence has changed.”
Papson was also right in what he told me before giving me their contact information:
“Donna is the spokeswoman. Her husband is a private man.”
Private, but now, acknowledging his past in the present, the level of his existence has changed.
For me this was an interesting read. Great job overcoming the limits of individuals who wish not to comment on the subject. Since this was primarily a phone interview the lack of visual details is fine. The tactile senses fall mostly under the category emotional and behavioral detail. There is some description of tension, reservation, frustration, fear, disinterest, general politeness and so on can be sensed throughout the writting. Surprising considering the handicap.
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