Home > United States of America > Iowa > Polk County > Franklin Township > Franklin Cemetery > Ishmael Lee

Ishmael Lee

Birth	:	23 May 1815
Death	:	22 Apr 1879
Burial	:	Franklin Cemetery, Franklin Township, Polk County, USA
Coordinate	:	41.7145267, -93.3807206
Description	:	This information was submitted by Kent Gebhard: Ishmeal Lee, who was born in Blount County, Tenn., May 22, 1815, moved to Wayne County, Ind., and from there, in 1834, to this county, where he lived for many years in Section 1, about one-half mile south of the Air Line depot of Cassopolis. In 1852, he removed to Iowa, where he died near Mitchellville, April 22, 1879. He was twice married, first to Miss Sallie East, daughter of William East, who died April 22, 1840; and then to Miss Marion Marmon, daughter of Peter Marmon. We extract the following from the pioneer necrology... Read More	This information was submitted by Kent Gebhard: Ishmeal Lee, who was born in Blount County, Tenn., May 22, 1815, moved to Wayne County, Ind., and from there, in 1834, to this county, where he lived for many years in Section 1, about one-half mile south of the Air Line depot of Cassopolis. In 1852, he removed to Iowa, where he died near Mitchellville, April 22, 1879. He was twice married, first to Miss Sallie East, daughter of William East, who died April 22, 1840; and then to Miss Marion Marmon, daughter of Peter Marmon. We extract the following from the pioneer necrology regarding him: Mr. Lee was "one of the most faithful and successful conductors on the Underground Railroad, and many a wagon-load of fugitive slaves have been piloted by him through the woods of Michigan on their way to Canada and freedom. He was a prominent actor in the well-known Kentucky slave cases of 1848 (see general history-below), which occurred here in that year, and was one of those sued by the Kentuckians for the value of the escaped fugitives, and he paid a large sum of money to compromise the litigation. --The Underground Railroad and the Kentucky Raid in Cass County, MI. In Cass County, the houses of Ishmael Lee, Stephen Bogue, Zachariah Shugart and Josiah Osborn (all Quakers), were stations of much importance. W. S. Elliott, conductor, brought fugitive slaves through to these men from L. P. Alexander, agent at Niles, and they were sent onward toward Canada by way of Flowerfield, in St. Joseph County, and Schoolcraft, in Kalamazoo County. William Wheeler was the agent at the former, and Dr. Nathan M. Thomas at the latter station. William Jones, of Calvin, known as "Nigger Bill," and Wright Modlin, of Williamsville, were famous "nigger runners," and made frequent trips to the Ohio River, and sometimes to Kentucky soil, for the purpose of assisting and guiding fugitives to freedom. The number of runaway slaves who passed through Cass County, prior to 1848, and who were given aid in one way or another by the Abolitionists, was probably not less than fifteen hundred. Dr. Thomas, of Schoolcraft, estimated that he had assisted at least a thousand upon their way, and he by no means received all who journeyed through this county. In February, 1848, the Kentuckians brought suit to recover the value of their slaves, in the United States Circuit Court, at Detroit. The defendants were D. T. Nicholson, Stephen Bogue, Josiah Osborn, Ishmael Lee, Zachariah Shugart, Jefferson Osborn, William Jones and Ebenezer McIlvain, Abner Pratt, of Marshall, and Francis Trautman (the Kentuckian who acted as leader in the Calhoun County raid) appeared in behalf of the plaintiffs, and Jacob M. Howard, of Detroit (afterward United States Senator) James L. Jerneygan, of South Bend, Ind., and Ezekiel S. Smith, were the attorneys for defendants, the last named being the attorney of record. The case was continued several times, and finally came to trial in the latter part of 1850. In January, 1851, it was concluded, the jury disagreeing. The principal witness for the prosecution, Jonathan Cruise, of South Bend, was arrested on the charge of perjury as soon as he left the stand, and the jury before which he was tried, stood nine to three for his conviction. At the disagreement of the jury, D. T. Nicholson paid the sum of $1,000 to clear himself and Ishmael Lee. This virtually settled the cause of the Kentucky slave owners against the Michigan Abolitionists. The total costs of the case, which amounted to about $3,000, were borne by the several defendants, Nicholson included. The number of witnesses subpoenaed by both sides was somewhere from forty to fifty, and many depositions were taken, especially by the plaintiffs. The witnesses for the defense charged, as a rule, only the amount of their actual expenses. Had they received the legal fees, the costs of the suit would have been much larger. The sum of $1,000 paid by Mr. Nicholson, was according to rumor, appropriated by Abner Pratt, Esq., as his fee in the case, and the slave owners never received any portion of it. And so ended, as far as the Cass County people were immediately interested, this "celebrated ease." The Kentucky raid, however, had other effects than those locally observable. With the Van Zant case in Ohio, it had a strong bearing upon the passage of the fugitive slave law of 1850, which, in turn, brought slavery into a more pronounced position as a political issue, and powerfully influenced in one way or another all subsequent legislation upon the "peculiar institution." From: History of Cass Couny, Michigan With Illistrations and Biographical Sketches of some of its Prominent Men and Pioneers. Waterman, Watkins & Co., Chicago 1882.

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is Ishmael Lee's memorial?
Ishmael Lee's memorial is located at: Franklin Cemetery, Franklin Township, Polk County, USA.
When did Ishmael Lee death?
Ishmael Lee death on 22 Apr 1879 in
Where are the coordinates of the Ishmael Lee's memorial?
Latitude: 41.7145267
Longitude: -93.3807206

Family Members:

Spouse

Miriam Marmon Lee

(1817 - 1903)

Children

Eliza Ann Lee Lee

(1837 - 1885)

Hannah Lee Waltz

(1838 - 1924)

Peter H Lee

(1843 - 1865)

Sally Elizabeth Lee Woodrow

(1846 - 1926)

Ruth S. Lee Bliler

(1848 - 1870)

Lydia M Lee Wilson

(1850 - 1937)

Nathan W Lee

(1854 - 1899)

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Franklin Cemetery
Franklin Township, Polk County, USA
Coordinate: 41.7145267, -93.3807206

2. Mitchellville Cemetery
Mitchellville, Polk County, USA
Coordinate: 41.6724790, -93.3505460

3. Iowa Industrial School for Girls Cemetery
Mitchellville, Polk County, USA
Coordinate: 41.6606950, -93.3676460

4. Bondurant Cemetery
Bondurant, Polk County, USA
Coordinate: 41.6995727, -93.4530705

5. Sams Pioneer Cemetery
Jasper County, USA
Coordinate: 41.7472000, -93.3016968

6. Old Altoona Cemetery
Clay Township, Polk County, USA
Coordinate: 41.6577666, -93.4446564

7. New Altoona Cemetery
Clay Township, Polk County, USA
Coordinate: 41.6521988, -93.4458008

8. Holy Cross Cemetery
Washington Township, Polk County, USA
Coordinate: 41.7934900, -93.4015000

9. Graham Cemetery
Mingo, Jasper County, USA
Coordinate: 41.7839500, -93.3182140

10. Shipp Cemetery
Oswalt, Jasper County, USA
Coordinate: 41.6972108, -93.2668723

11. Greencastle Cemetery
Green Castle, Jasper County, USA
Coordinate: 41.7431000, -93.2654000

12. Farrar Cemetery
Farrar, Polk County, USA
Coordinate: 41.8058776, -93.3690155

13. McKeever Cemetery
Colfax, Jasper County, USA
Coordinate: 41.7192001, -93.2517014

14. Fisher Cemetery
Jasper County, USA
Coordinate: 41.7392006, -93.2508011

15. Byers Cemetery
Elkhart, Polk County, USA
Coordinate: 41.7872009, -93.4781036

16. Colfax Cemetery
Colfax, Jasper County, USA
Coordinate: 41.6705704, -93.2432480

17. Canfield Cemetery
Clay Township, Polk County, USA
Coordinate: 41.6046982, -93.4257965

18. Church of the Brethren Cemetery
Washington Township, Polk County, USA
Coordinate: 41.8347340, -93.4017630

19. Ashton Chapel and Cemetery
Mingo, Jasper County, USA
Coordinate: 41.8163000, -93.2855000

20. Prairie Belle Cemetery
Prairie City, Jasper County, USA
Coordinate: 41.5980690, -93.3137360

21. Elkhart Cemetery
Elkhart, Polk County, USA
Coordinate: 41.7908648, -93.5166872

22. Mount Zion Cemetery
Washington Township, Polk County, USA
Coordinate: 41.8352610, -93.4345230

23. Enterprise Cemetery
Douglas Township, Polk County, USA
Coordinate: 41.7134890, -93.5521410

24. Berwick Cemetery
Delaware Township, Polk County, USA
Coordinate: 41.6735992, -93.5472031