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James W. Duffin

(From the March 1991 Historical Society Newsletter)

In 1821, New York State expanded the voting rights of white males and restricted those of free black men. To be eligible to vote, African Americans had to have been New York State citizens for three years and own $250.00 in real property. In 1846, a constitutional convention was held to reconsider this legislation. Recognizing the possibility that changes would not be made, famed white abolitionist Gerrit Smith (father of Geneva’s Elizabeth Smith Miller) offered to give tracts of land of forty to sixty acres each to African Americans.

Genevan James W. Duffin was asked to determine who in Ontario, Yates, Seneca, and Livingston Counties should receive deeds that were not “already in easy circumstances, as to property” and were not “drunkards.” Duffin was well known among northern African American leaders. Suffrage was a key interest of his having convened the first free suffrage meeting of New York’s African Americans on September 8, 1845 in Geneva.

James W. Duffin began the task of collecting eligible names for Smith and had apparently sent him a list by early September 1846.  On September 5, 1846 Smith wrote Duffin enclosing a note from Henry N. Baker who had evidently complained of his exclusion from the list. The following letter is Duffin’s response to Smith and is reprinted here as it was written.

Geneva Sept. 9, 1846

My Dear Sir,

Yours of the 5th with a letter from Henry N. Baker came to hand this morning. I was not surprised to receive his letter I heard that he had written his second letter (illegible) your answer to his first letter was shown me by a friend I could according to the directions given me send his name, though I should have been glad to have sent his and others were it not for their love of strong drink previous to receiving Brother Wards letter informing me of my appointment we had got in fine operation a Division of the Philanthropic Order of the Sons of Temperance numbering some 20 members in the place and some 8 or 10 in adjoining countys in endeavoring to interest all of our people here in the Temperance cause we had conversations with all of our people so that we obtained their views with regard to Temperance before we heard anything of your noble gift amongst our Strongest opponents was this H.N. Baker and a few others that are urging him on. I know that as I set myself about this work that I should call down upon my head the curses and misrepresentations of all that were not qualified to be reported to you  instead of charging their loss to their evil propensities they charge it to partiality and a desire to crush the poor & c. Mr. Ward required me to send him the names as soon as I could I send all except from one county (Livingston) last Friday I endeavored such and such only as were qualified but in no county have we been able to get the requisite number except in this (Ontario) this is owing to the sons of Temperance here we (illegible) we drew the names of the presence of a room full our most respectable citizens contained in the list are the names of 5 or 6 men that have each of them a house and lot but upon each there are mortgages ranging from $200.00 to $500.00 dollars. I supposed that such could not be considered in easy circumstances I have marked the names however on the list that I sent the name of Jason Jeffrey amongst the marked ones it should not be  he does not own any thing there are other names that I think are worthy perhaps that they might be [illegible] for other countys I cannot express to you Sir the gratitude that our people feel towards you for this very benevolent gift. You have conferd upon us a temperal blessing which will never no never be forgotten. It has been suggested Sir that you sign the deeds to be given all upon one day.  Excuse the length of this letter  I could not say less

Respectfully yours,

J.W. Duffin

James W. Duffin submitted the names of 41 Ontario county residents including 28 Genevans to Gerritt Smith. All were granted lots in towns of Totten and Crossfield in Hamilton County. None of the grantees settled the Hamilton County land, but did use the grants to qualify them automatically for suffrage.  Duffin remained active in the African American politics, attending national colored people’s conventions, serving as a member of the eight-man New York State Council of Colored People, organizing the New York State Suffrage Association and supporting Gerrit Smith’s unsuccessful 1858 bid for New York State Governor, running on the Liberty Party ticket.

Although he was one of Geneva’s largest African American property holders, he emigrated to Haiti in 1860. Illness and the loss of his crops forced him to return to the United Sates penniless in 1863. James W. Duffin is believed to have returned to Geneva and to have died here but no record of his death is known to exist.

State referendums to repeal property qualifications for African American men failed in 1846 and 1860. Consequently, many African American men were disenfranchised in New York State until 1870 when the fifteenth Amendment was passed.

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