Ohio Abolitionist Rev. John B. Mahan, of Sardinia, Ohio, grabbed our nation's attention September 1838 while shackled in a Kentucky prison for a crime he did not commit. He was a close friend of Abolitionist Rev. John Rankin. The Slave Power, in trying to destroy Mahan and the Underground Railroad, unknowingly made Mahan into a national martyr.
He gave his life to end slavery, bravely helped fugitive blacks find freedom, and inspired others to do likewise. Mahan may have been the nation's first victim of "lawfare," i.e., being embarrassed, emotionally harassed, and bankrupted through legal means by an opponent -- in this case, a Kentucky slave owner, William Greathouse. Mahan was involved in four legal trials.
Yet through the trials and persecution and false accusations, Mahan's Christian faith carried him through. His letters written while in prison were published throughout the nation and uplifted many. His unfair treatment contributed to Ohio Gov. Joseph Vance losing re-election in October 1838. He died young at age 43 and left behind a grieving wife and family. Mahan's gravestone reads: "A Victim to the Slave Power." This is the first and only biography ever written about this great abolitionist, Rev. John B. Mahan.
Read what others are saying about "Rev. John B. Mahan: Ohio Abolitionist, National Martyr."
"This book belongs on every coffee table in the state of Ohio."-Kristina Estle, Museum Director, Underground Railroad Museum Ohio Valley. (Flushing, Ohio.)
"Readers will feel like they have been transported back to the 1830-40s. By book's end, you will feel like you personally know Mahan and his friends. Mahan was a humble Christian who lived his faith with courage and conviction."- Thomas Homans, Principal, Christian Community Center Homeschool Co-op, inner-city Baltimore, Maryland.
"Despite all his tribulations, this Methodist preacher remained true to the religious faith that led him to work unceasingly against the "Slave Power." This story of righteous perseverance deserves to be told, and Daniel J. Vance tells it very well."-Dr. William Vance Trollinger, Jr., Professor of History, University of Dayton.
"How wonderful to have a book shed light on our local hero, John B. Mahan, and on the volatile era in which he lived. The amount of detail was amazing. It is great having such a reference."-Sandra Purdy, Sardinia (Ohio) Historical Society.
