#HAMPTON INN SARATOGA

[mommydearestella]

[friendlyneighborhoodhistorian]

January 4, 1853

“Twelve Years A Slave”: Solomon Northup regains his freedom after being kidnapped and forced into slavery

Solomon Northup was born a free person of color in what is now Minerva, New York/ His father, Mintus was born into slavery but freed upon the death of his master, Captain Henry Northup. His mother, who’s name is lost to history (ofc), was a free woman of color. Mintus was a successful farmer, able to own enough land to vote and provide an unusually high level of education for both Solomon and his brother, Joseph. As boys, Solomon and Joseph worked on their father’s farm, a job Solomon would continue to do, establishing his own farm in Kingsbury, New York in 1832. Soloman married Anne Hampton, a free woman of color, on Christmas Day 1828 and, in 1834, the couple sold their farm and moved to Saratoga Springs, New York with their three children. Anne worked as a cook in inns and taverns, soon becoming a cook of some renown. Solomon developed a reputation as a superb violinist, working as a professional musician in the summer months and as a carpenter the rest of the time. 

While looking for employment in March 1841, Solomon was approached by two men introducing themselves as the owners of a circus company looking for musicians for several performances in New York City. Without informing his family, Solomon took the job, only intending to join the men’s circus for their New York City performances. The men, however, offered Solomon a large sum of money and the cost of his return trip home if he would just continue on with them to Washington, DC. When they arrived in early April 1841, Solomon was subsequently drugged and sold to a slave trader called James Birch. Solomon, severely beaten into submission, was shipped off to New Orleans where he was sold at a slave market under the name Platt Hamilton to William Prince Ford, a preacher with a small farm on Bayou Boeuf in the Red River region of Louisiana. Solomon described Ford as a kind master, but due to financial difficulty, Ford was forced to sell Solomon to John Tibaut, who was never known for his niceties.

After two fights against Tibaut’s brutality, Ford (who, on a technicality, still retained forty percent ownership of Solomon) demanded that TIbaut either lease or sell Solomon. Tibaut agreed to sell, passing his ownership of Solomon on to Edwin Epps. Solomon continued on as a slave on Epps’ sugar plantation for ten years, being given odd tasks as a carpenter, field hand, and “driver” in charge of other slaves. Solomon attempted to escape several times over that decade but always failed. He wouldn’t be able to coordinate his release to freedom until 1852 when an anti-slavery carpenter from Canada called Samuel Bass visited Epps’ farm. Through Bass, Solomon was able to get letters written to his friends and family in upstate New York, alerting them to his situation and setting a plan in motion for his rescue. One of these letters was sent to his wife, Anne, who enlisted the help of New York attorney Henry B. Northup, a grandnephew of the man who had owned and subsequently freed Solomon’s father, Mintus. Northup gathered wide-spread support for Solomon and, under an 1840 statute that called for the rescue of free New York citizens sold into slavery, Northup was made an agent of the State of New York to find Solomon. Northup took copies of Solomon’s free papers and letters from prominent government officials and traveled to Lousiana, where he hired local counsel and started the search Solomon, an increasingly difficult task as Solomon was known only by his slave name, Platt. For this, Northup needed the help of Samuel Bass. There was just one problem: no one knew who Samuel Bass actually was. 

As an itinerant from Canada, Bass had no family in Louisiana. In fact, he had apparently left a wife and child in Canada and was currently living with a free woman of color in Louisiana. Secrecy was important in the coordination of Solomon’s rescue. Fearing the letters would fall into the wrong hands, Solomon didn’t state exactly where he was being held, and Bass didn’t even sign his own name. When Northup came to Louisiana to orchestrate the rescue, he found himself a wild goose chase for two elusive figures: the unnamed Samuel Bass and the misnamed Solomon Northup. Despite the difficulty, Northup was able to locate Bass, who told him Solomon was being held at Epps’s plantation on the Red River and, together with the sheriff of Marksville, Bass and Northup made the trip to Bayou Beouf and Edwin Epps’s plantation. When Northup confronted Epps with the documentation proving that Solomon was a free man, Epps flew into a rage. Northup, though, remained cool, explaining that any attempts by Epps to contest the free papers in a court of law would be futile. Epps was forced to concede and sign the papers, giving up all claim to Solomon. It took four months, but on January 4, 1853, Solomon Northup left Louisiana a legally free man.

En route to New York, Northup and Solomon stopped off in Washington, DC, where Solomon attempted to bring charges against slave dealer James Birch. Due to legal technicalities that prevented Solomon from testifying due to his race, the case was dropped. The trial attracted national attention, with The New York Times publishing an article about it on January 20, 1853, just two weeks after Solomon’s rescue. Solomon was able to reunite with his family in late January 1853, and he would go on to write one of the most important pieces of anti-slavery literature, a memoir titled Twelve Years A Slave: Narrative of Solomon Northup, citizen of New-York, kidnapped in Washington city in 1841, and rescued in 1853, from a cotton plantation near the Red River in Louisiana. The book went on to sell 30,000 copies in just three years, earning a bestseller spot alongside Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin. The book became so popular it triggered a national speaking tour and the memory of New York county judge Thaddeus St. John.

St. John remembered seeing two boyhood friends called Alexander Merrill and Joseph Russell in the company of Solomon while journeying to Washington, DC. When St. John saw the two men later, they were without Solomon but in possession of fancy new clothes and flashy accessories. Using St. John’s lead, Solomon was able to identify Merrill and Russell as his kidnappers and the two were arrested in July 1854. A hearing was held in the Saratoga County Courthouse, and Merrill and Russell spent a few months behind bars before the case fizzled out. There was some confusion about jurisdictions (had the crime taken place in New York on Washington, DC?) and the statute of limitations, and after two years of appeals, the case was officially dropped by New York’s district attorney in May 1857. Washington DC, too, failed to bring justice. Authorities declined to prosecute Merrill and Russell.

 We last see Solomon Northup in the summer of 1857 in Canada. He was there giving a series of lectures on the abolitionist movement and his time in slavery. He is reported being seen in Streetsville, Ontario, but a hostile crowd prevented him from speaking. There is no documentation of his whereabouts after this time. Rumors spread that he had been again kidnapped and sold into slavery, but there is no true documentation of this occurrence, and it is popularly believed that Solomon died of natural causes sometime in 1863. There have been film and stage adaptations of Twelve Years A Slave, the most recent being in 2013. Sharing a name with the memoir, the film stars Chiwetel Ejiofor as Solomon Northup, Michael Fassbender as Edwin Epps, and Brad Pitt as Samuel Bass. Directed by Alexander McQueen and Adapted for the screen by John Ridley, the film won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2014, making it the first film written, directed, and produced by a black filmmaker to do so.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solomon_Northup

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Solomon-Northup

https://www.biography.com/writer/solomon-northup

https://freedomcenter.org/journey-to-freedom/about-solomon-northup

https://www.history.com/news/solomon-northup-after-his-12-years-a-slave

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelve_Years_a_Slave

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/new-york-times-1853-coverage-solomon-northup-hero-12-years-slave-180949944/

Additional Reading:

As always, Project Gutenberg delivers with a copy of the full text of Solomon Northup’s memoir Twelve Years A Slave. Available digitally, you can find links here.

[livethefuel]

Recorded a quick tips video with Andy Schreiber at my hotel tonight. Videos are king right now for your social media. Stay tuned for their weekly tips video next week with our client @purevitaminclub Make sure to like and follow them, we also personally use their epic pure vitamins! . . . #socialmediamarketing #socialmediamarketingtips #socialmediamarketer #socialmediamarketingstrategy #marketingstrategies #marketingvideo (at Hampton Inn & Suites Saratoga Springs Downtown) https://www.instagram.com/p/B5rO3i8FOxy/?igshid=gsycw9htlpg4

[johnsimon]

Over the weekend, we headed out to the amazing beautiful Wölffer Estate Vineyard in Sagaponack, New York for the James Beard Foundation‘s 27th annual Chefs & Champagne summer fundraiser. One of our favorite events of the year. This year, the foundation honored multiple James Beard Foundation Award–winning chef, author and restaurateur Marcus Samuelsson. More than 1,000 filled the outdoor tent for a night of philanthropy, music, laughs, delicious cuisines from over 35 prestigious chefs, and endless bubbly and wines from Wölffer Estate Vineyard and Champagne Barons de Rothschild.

Chefs & Champagne’s guest of honor, Marcus Samuelsson, joined the ranks of gastronomic giants such as Martha Stewart, Carla Hall, Bobby Flay, Emeril Lagasse, and Wolfgang Puck, who have all been fêted at prior events. Some of you may know Samuelsson from his many restaurants like Red Rooster Harlem, Ginny’s Supper Club, and Streetbird Rotisserie. He is much more than just his restaurants. Marcus has a slew of New York Times best sellers, planned and executed the Obama Administration’s first State dinner, and has won multiple James Beard Foundation Awards including Best Chef. Now you can add Chefs and Champagne honoree to his many accolades.

“This year’s summer fundraiser honoring Marcus Samuelsson was one of our most successful ever,” said Susan Ungaro, president of the James Beard Foundation. “Marcus is a role model for chefs, restaurateurs and culinary entrepreneurs worldwide. His extraordinary talent, philanthropic endeavors, and boundless energy to help others complements our mission to celebrate, nurture, and honor chefs and other leaders making America’s food culture, more delicious, diverse, and sustainable for everyone.”

Marcus Samuelsson wasn’t the only winner of the night, Jordan Werner received the 2017 Christian Wölffer Scholarship and the ICC Intensive Sommelier Course tuition waiver. Established in 2006, the Christian Wölffer Scholarship assists students in their study of food and wine. Also in attendance was multiple Christian Wölffer Scholarship recipient Christina Cassel and JBF National Scholars recipient Earlene Cruz.

Many of the funds raised at Chefs & Champagne were through the silent auction. The auction included one-of-a-kind dining experiences, wines and spirits, cookware, and culinary travel packages. The auction raised over $100,000 to support the James Beard Foundation’s mission, scholarship, education and James Beard Foundation Impact Programs, which include the annual Food Summit and Leadership Awards that help promote a better food system.

Chefs & Champagne participating chefs included: Matt Abdoo, Pig Beach Brooklyn, NY and Pig Bleeker, NYC; James Ahearn, Verde Wine Bar, Deer Park, NY; Greg Baxtrom, Olmsted, Brooklyn, NY; Pastry Chef Sherry Blockinger, Sherry B Dessert Studio, Chappaqua, NY and NYC; Stephan Bogardus, The North Fork Table & Inn, Southhold, NY; P.J. Calapa, The Spaniard, NYC; Denisse Lina Chavez, El Atoradero, Brooklyn, NY; Brian Cheewing, Wölffer Kitchen, Sag Harbor and Amagansett, NY; Graeme Cockburn, Windstar Cruises; Matt Conroy, Virginia’s, NYC; Philippe Corbet, Lulu Kitchen & Bar, Sag Harbor, NY; Pastry Chef Britt-Marie Culey, Coquette Patisserie, Cleveland, OH; Andy D’Amico, Marseille and Nice Matin, NYC; Tom Fraker and Marco Zapien, Melissa’s Produce, CA; Robb Garceau, Neuman’s Kitchen, Events & Catering, NYC; Alex Guarnaschelli* and Michael Jenkins, Butter, NYC; Bryan Hunt and Pastry Chef Abby Swain, Fowler & Wells, NYC;  Oliver Lange,  Zuma, NYC; Shane McBride, Augustine and Balthazar, NYC; Jeffrey McInnis and Janine Booth, Root & Bone, NYC, and Stiltsville Fish Club, Miami; George Mendes, Aldea and Lupulo, NYC; Junghyun Park, Atoboy, NYC;  Pastry Chef Carolina Perego, Citarella, multiple locations in NY and CT; Dominic Rice, Calissa, Water Mill, NY; Todd Richards, Richards’ Southern Fried, Atlanta; Marcus Samuelsson*, Red Rooster Harlem and Streetbird, NYC, and Marcus at the MGM National Harbor Hotel, Washington, D.C.; Chad Shaner, Freek’s Mill, Brooklyn, NY; Pastry Chef Daniel Skurnick, Le Coucou*, NYC; Roxanne Spruance, Kingsley, NYC; Fumio Yonezawa, Jean-Georges Tokyo, Tokyo; Galen Zamarra*, Mas Farmhouse, NYC, and the Halyard, Greenport, NY.

*James Beard Award winner

Sponsors for the James Beard Foundation’s Chefs & Champagne include Wölffer Estate Vineyard (host venue); Champagne Barons de Rothschild (exclusive champagne); Neuman’s Kitchen, Events & Catering (VIP after-party); Alfredo Prodotti, Audi, Big Green Egg, Brewery Ommegang, FreshDirect + FoodKick, Gokokuya, Hamptons.com, Hamptons Magazine, KAMUT®, Melissa’s Produce, The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Miami Beach, Royal Cup Coffee and Tea, Saratoga Spring Water, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, VerTerra Dinnerware, Windstar Cruises, and WVVH.

For more information, visit jamesbeard.org/chefsandchampagne.

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“This year’s summer fundraiser honoring Marcus Samuelsson was one of our most successful ever,” said Susan Ungaro, president of the James Beard Foundation. “Marcus is a role model for chefs, restaurateurs and culinary entrepreneurs worldwide. His extraordinary talent, philanthropic endeavors, and boundless energy to help others complements our mission to celebrate, nurture, and honor chefs and other leaders making America’s food culture, more delicious, diverse, and sustainable for everyone.”

@beardfoundation’s Chefs & Champagne Honors @MarcusCooks @beardfoundation @SusanUngaro #jbfchefsandchampagne Over the weekend, we headed out to the amazing beautiful Wölffer Estate Vineyard in Sagaponack, New York for the 

[neduno]

#mytwin #IMDiaz #EDiazJr #proudmoment #happybirthday #happy41thbirthday (at Hampton Inn & Suites Saratoga Springs Downtown)

[mommydearestella]

FATHER OF THE YEAR

DENNIS FELCHER REFUSES TO PAY ME ANY OF THE MONIES HE OWES ME ALONG WITH FELCHER FINANCIAL GROUP.  WHAT A PUTZ!  HE IS SUCH A SHMUCK, AS I SEE IT, IT IS UNBELIEVABLE.  THIS IS SOMEONE ENTRUSTED WITH HANDLING THE PUBLICS MONEY.  I THINK THE TOTAL IS SOMEWHERE AROUND $250,000.

[mommydearestella]

WHO GOES AROUND SAYING NASTY THINGS ABOUT A LOVELY WOMAN LIKE IVANKA TRUMP?

THE ORCHESTRATORS OF THIS CAMPAIGN DIRECTED AT ME FOR THE LAST 5 YEARS AND 9 MONTHS.

WHO MAKES DISPARAGING STATEMENTS ABOUT DONALD TRUMP?

THE IDIOTS INVOLVED IN THIS CAMPAIGN DIRECTED AT ME.

[mommydearestella]

Over the past few centuries, arsenic poisoning has been a particularly popular way to kill someone. It's  odorless, tasteless, and builds up in the human body.    A large dose will kill someone in hours, while a steady, small dose will cause someone to become ill and appear to die from natural causes. The poison used to be extremely difficult to detect after death, until James Marsh developed a reliable test in 1832. Even after that, only the victims of suspicious deaths were tested—so many arsenic killers tallied up multiple victims before being caught.

QUESTION:  DOES ANYONE KNOW IF ELLA OLIVIERI FELCHER, TODD OLIVIERI, ALLISON OLIVIERI OR ANYONE THEY ARE WITH WERE EVER ACCUSED OF POISONING ANYONE OR THEIR PETS OR IF THEY HAVE TIES IN ANY WAY TO MANUFACTURERS OF POISON?

[mommydearestella]

ILLEGAL SURVEILLANCE IN A PRIVATE RESIDENCE

IS ELLA OR ANYONE  AWARE OF ANY X RATED TYPE VIDEO FILMED IN THE TOWNHOUSE LOCATED AT 1610 NE 1 STREET #7, FT. LAUDERDALE IN THE KITCHEN WITH 3 PEOPLE HAVING SEX.  ONE EARLY 20’S ABOUT 5’7” OR 5’8”, ONE ABOUT 6’1” BOTH ATTRACTIVE TONED GUYS AND A YOUNG WOMAN APPEARING AT THE TIME ABOUT 22 YEARS OLD DRESSED UP IN SOME BLACK AND WHITE VICTORIA’S SECRET TYPE GETUP MAIDS OUTFIT THAT WAS OWNED BY MYSELF AND MY EX FOR MANY YEARS AND RENTED OUT?

DOES SHE OR ANYONE KNOW WHO THOSE PEOPLE ARE IN THAT VIDEO AND HOW AND WHY SUCH A VIDEO WAS FILMED IN A TOWNHOUSE THAT MY EX AND I USED TO OWN AND RENTED OUT FOR MANY YEARS UNTIL WE SOLD IT ABOUT 5 YEARS AGO?

WAS TODD OLIVIERI IN THAT VIDEO DISGUISED OR DOES HE KNOW WHO IS IN THAT VIDEO?

ARE ELLA OLIVIERI FELCHER, TODD OLIVIERI, ALLISON OLIVIERI, ARMAND OLIVIERI, PERSONS WORKING AT ADVANCED INSURANCE UNDERWRITERS OR RISK STRATEGY CONSULTANTS AWARE OF ANY ILLEGAL SURVEILLANCE INVOLVING ME, ANY FRIENDS OF MINE, ON ANY PROPERTY THAT I HAVE EVER HAD AN OWNERSHIP INTEREST IN?

HAVE ANY OF THESE PEOPLE OR BUSINESSES EVER BEEN CHARGED WITH SPYING, PSYCHOLOGICAL TORTURE, HARRASSMENT, MAIL THEFT, TRYING TO RUIN SOMEONE, BANKRUPT THEM OR DRIVE THEIR FRIENDS AWAY?

HAVE ANY OF THE PERSONS AND/OR PERSONS WORKING WITH ADVANCED INSURANCE UNDERWRITERS AND RISK STRATEGY CONSULTANTS NAMED IN THIS POST EVER MET MY EX NATHAN JAMES SMITH, ANY FRIEND OF MINE FROM JACKSONVILLE FLORIDA OR FT. LAUDERDALE FLORIDA?

[mommydearestella]

WHO IS THE WICKED WITCH OF SARATOGA?