The Ambassadors

A Tale Of Two Sets Of Cousins

The Thomas Jackson letters would not have been written were it not for the lasting relationship between Thomas and his English cousin, Caleb Slater. The family bonds and shared experiences of growing up near each other in England survived many decades after Thomas had moved to live in America and built his business there. The ongoing relationship between the two cousins living in two countries served as the lubricant that caused these letters to be written. Now four generations and nearly 150 years later, two other cousins have worked together to make Thomas Jackson’s powerful testimony against slavery available for all on the internet. In a striking parallel to Thomas and Caleb, these cousins also grew up near each other in England but then one moved to America to live for most of his adult life while the other stayed in England (living in the same community where Caleb used to have his rope walk). They too stayed in close touch all their lives and were like-minded in wanting these family letters to become more widely known. They also felt the responsibility to make them available as the basis of further research and, in time, to pass the originals on to an appropriate organization for posterity. John Paling (great-grandson of Caleb Slater and on the left in the above photograph) is one of the two cousins from the present generation who see their role to be “Ambassadors for Thomas Jackson”. Like Thomas Jackson, he left England and is now a long-time American citizen who has settled in Florida. David Machin (also a great-grandson of Caleb Slater) was the second cousin who makes up the self-proclaimed “Ambassadors”. Like Caleb, he was a long-time, active member of the community in Eastwood, Nottinghamshire, England but most recently lived with his wife and family in Canterbury, England. Thomas Jackson represents a great uncle for both John and David. John and David’s mothers were daughters of Charles Lincoln Slater and stayed close to each other all their long lives. They both shared the characteristics of being endlessly cheerful, making do with little through two world wars, and dedicating themselves selflessly to their families. It is an outcome of their strong love of family that their two surviving sons have come together to produce this website. They dedicate it to the memories of their mothers.

Helen Paling, nee Slater (L) and Elsie Machin, nee Slater.

Notes On The Letters By The Thomas Jackson Ambassadors

Although neither John Paling nor David Machin views themselves as experts on American history, they felt it would be worthwhile to add their own Notes to accompany each letter. Even though these somewhat amateur commentaries might seem elementary to some readers, they hoped that their own research and their familiarity with the family relationships throughout the whole collection might make the letters more meaningful to readers.   They have added their own commentary to each of the contents of this collection as “Ambassadors’ Notes”.

The Ambassadors want to make this site as valuable as possible to all visitors, not just by making public Thomas Jackson’s words written long ago but also by encouraging others to comment on the contents. Visitors are encouraged to contact us.

Later News about the Ambassadors

David Machin passed away on October 25, 2005. He was an active partner in this project from the outset and was able to provide firsthand information from England about the Slater family and its associations in the local communities of Eastwood and Ilkeston in Derbyshire.

John Paling, his cousin living in Florida, continues to research and develop the story behind Thomas Jackson’s letters along with an increasing number of supporters. He has now established a not-for-profit group Friends of Thomas Jackson Letters.inc to take over all the projects arising out of this trove of old letters to ensure it is available for visitors for years to come.