Passionate Abolitionist and
Witness to the American Civil War
Passionate Abolitionist and
Witness to the American Civil War
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) 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 living in Florida.
David Machin (also a great-grandson of Caleb Slater) is 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 now lives 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.
Although neither John Paling nor David Machin view 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.
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.
