New York City
Charles Ray
The workings and structure of the Underground Railroad in New York City, which during the antebellum period was essentially Manhattan, has been difficult to fully comprehend despite some revealing documents that have come down, notably the First Annual Report of the New York Committee of Vigilance for the Year 1837.
This vigilance committee, which in its early years was led by David Ruggles, Theodore Wright, and Charles Ray, originated to protect blacks who were being threatened by slavecatchers operating in the New York City area. The city had become a haven for runaway slaves, many of whom escaped aboard ships out of the southern ports in Virginia, and North and South Carolina. Over time, the committee became integrated, and after the departure of Ruggles during the early 1840's and the death of Wright in 1846, white abolitionists like Isaac Hopper and Gerrit Smith took leadership positions. Ray, however, maintained his position of leadership throughout, acting as the committee's secretary.
In a biography published by his family, Ray is quoted as saying that “New York was a kind of receiving depot, whence we forwarded to Albany, Troy, sometimes to New Bedford and Boston, and occasionally . . . Long Island . . . . When we had parties to forward from here, we would alternate in sending between Albany and Troy, and when we had a large party we would divide between the two cities. We had on one occasion, a party of twenty-eight persons of all ages . . . . We destined them for Canada. I secured passage for them in a barge, and Mr. Wright and myself spent the day in providing food, and personally saw them off on the barge. I then took the regular passenger boat . . . . Arriving in the morning, I reported to the Committee at Albany, and then returned to Troy and gave Brother Garnet notice, and he and I spent the day in visiting friends of the cause there, to raise money to help the party through to Toronto, Canada, via Oswego. We succeeded . . . to send them all the way from here with safety”
Above is the former home of black abolitionist, Rev. Theodore Wright, in the Soho District of Manhattan
Longtime pastor of the Shiloh Church, Theodore Wright was the mentor of Henry Garnet and president of the New York Committee of Vigilance, which formed in 1835. It had close contact with among others, the Syracuse, Albany, Rochester, Philadelphia, and Boston Vigilance Committees. Influential New York City abolitionist Arthur Tappan said it was the model upon which all later Underground Railroad organizations would be organized.
Wright collaborated with Charles Ray and William Johnston in arranging the transport of fugitive slaves from New York City. He was active in the National Negro Conventions and in first the American Anti-Slavery Society and then the American Foreign and Anti-Slavery Society.