Priest was a conductor: Aided slaves via underground railroad

Many New Yorkers felt it was their moral obligation to assist these desperate people. Due to the extraordinary humanitarian efforts of local farmers, blacksmiths and canal workers, many people were able to obtain work and live as dignified human beings, rather than exist as slaves who were bound to serve their owners in less than human conditions. In one year alone, between 1855 and 1856, more than 287 fugitives made their way through Albany and the surrounding area.

According to the president of the Historical Society for the Preservation of the Underground Railroad, Patrick Sorsby, those who helped "were a handful of people who went against the 'norm' of their society, not simply because they felt it was the moral thing to do but [also because they] realized that the glory in doing it would not come from man, but from God."

Priest's efforts

"We call on our fellow citizens, here and elsewhere, to aid us in funds to help the poor, unfortunate fugitives who come to us daily, in many cases destitute of clothing, weary of traveling and hungry," reads a poster of the times. "We appeal to the sympathy of ladies and gentlemen everywhere. We are in want of material aid and cast off clothing. All funds forwarded to Stephen Myers, William H. Topp, or any gentleman of the committee will be faithfully applied. All letters directed to this office will be duly answered."

Those words appear on a document for public posting in Albany, circa 1850. The Underground Railroad Society has obtained it in its research on fugitive activity in the area.

"The evidence we have heavily supports the fact that this request for community support was written by Father Kelley," said Mr. Sorsby.

Immigrant

Bishop John Dubois of New York City, then the only diocese in the state, ordained him in 1833. In 1837, Father Kelley was assigned to minister to Catholics in the Albany area as a circuit priest. His ministry included the parishes of St. Mary's in Albany and St. Peter's in Troy. Father Kelley also ministered to rural parishioners on a circuit that included Greenwich, Argyle and Cambridge.

For a time, he was based at St. Mary's in Sandy Hill (later Hudson Falls) and is noted for saying the first Mass in Saratoga Springs. In 1839, he purchased St. Paul's Episcopal Church at Ferry and Dallius Streets in Albany. It became St. John's, serving south Albany and Greenbush residents.

Efforts for slaves

"Fugitives were not necessarily hidden away in dark rooms," said Mr. Sorsby. "Rather, they were assimilated into the working community, regaining their human dignity as free individuals while still being concealed from the slave catchers."

He cited one example of a man who had shipped himself in a wooden crate from Philadelphia to Albany, nearly dying in the process, in order to attain his freedom.

"Once here," Mr. Sorsby related, "he took the time to write a letter of thanks to the man in Philadelphia who helped him obtain that precious freedom."

Reclaiming history

According to Mr. Sorsby, one man who made it to Troy, Charles Nalle, was saved by Harriet Tubman and her supporters, who took him directly to the Hudson River and put him onto a boat, barely missing his hunters.

Around 1840, Father Kelley volunteered to travel to the Sierra Leone region of Africa, where he stayed for three years, ministering to and evangelizing the inhabitants of the area. He considered this time to be the "golden years" of his priestly ministry.

He was stricken with malaria, however, and forced to return to the U.S. After recovering, he was assigned to St. Peter's Church in Jersey City, N.J. Mr. Sorsby believes that Father Kelley continued his efforts to assist runaway slaves through the Albany area.

Riot stopped

"Father Kelley was respected by all, Protestants as well as Catholics," the letter notes. "He controlled the draft riots of 1863. These riots threatened to burn down the city. His calm counseling saved the city from rioting that often took place in New York City. He was referred to as The Apostle of Jersey City."

(The Historical Society for the Preservation of the Underground Railroad, based in Queensbury, continues its research into Underground Railroad activities in New York State. They maintain a web page at www.undergroundrr.org. The office can be contacted by calling 792-1165. Items from Father Kelley's underground railroad activity can be seen during October at Russell and Waite Stationery in Glens Falls.)

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