Lovejoy – Not Just a Surname

On Valentine’s Day, a day filled with Love and Joy, I am reminded of the name Lovejoy, that is repeated in my family tree. The first, Owen Lovejoy Dunbar (1844-1916), was brother of my second gr-grandfather, Perry Commodore Dunbar. Owen was a Civil War veteran – in fact 5 Dunbar brothers served for the North, and all came home alive.

Several men with the middle name Lovejoy descending from Owen. I wondered why his parents, Hiram R. Dunbar and Jemima Wolf gave him that middle name, and suspected that one day, I’d find that their parents or grandparents had the surname Lovejoy.

The Dunbars, my religious Scots-Irish side, (Congregationalists) spent most of their lives in Atkinson, IL, a tiny rural community, raising their 10 children there. My German side, the Smarsty’s had lived near Princeton, IL. Today, it’s a cute historical town. Although the towns are about 40 miles from each other, they are across county lines and in the early and mid-1800’s not an easy ride.

A couple of years ago, I went to the Princeton Public Library, to look up obits for my German relatives. It’s a modern library, with a room dedicated to Princeton history. I spent a delightful morning finding new information on the German side. Just before I left, I decided to walk and browse the bookshelves. That’s when I saw IT!

An entire bookshelf dedicated to “Owen Lovejoy”! I realized my gr-uncle was named after a real person, who did “something”. I couldn’t wait to find out.

Owen Lovejoy (1811-1864) was a lawyer and a Congregational minister. His brother, Elijah Lovejoy, owned a southern Illinois newspaper in the 1830’s filled with articles that supported freeing slaves.  In 1837, while both Owen and Elijah were printing the next edition, the building was ransacked by a gang of pro-slavery men, and Elijah was killed for his beliefs. Owen who managed to live, was determined to continue his brother’s brave legacy. As a Congregational minister, he moved to Princeton, IL in about 1840 and his fiery speeches were well attended. He became known throughout the United States, was a congressman, and a friend of Abraham Lincoln’s and a supporter of Lincoln’s presidential campaign. He died of cancer a year before the Civil War ended, not knowing that his dream for black people freedom came true.

What was he doing in 1844, when Owen Lovejoy Dunbar was born? Besides being a minister in Princeton, IL, he was bravely delivering fiery anti-slavery speeches and he was a conductor in the underground railroad. He assisted fugitive slaves gain their freedom, by hiding them in his own home. The home is a museum in Princeton today.

That day at the Princeton Public Library, I learned a lot about my Dunbar relatives. They lived near Princeton for a short period of time in the 1840’s. In fact, Owen Lovejoy Dunbar was born in Princeton in 1844. My Dunbars were ahead of their time, supported freeing the slaves, and named their son after a famous abolitionist. Almost 20 years later, five of their sons, including Owen, fought for the freedom of slaves. I was inspired.

The power of a small town library!