Pekin Home
Cellar Inscription:
Mr. C B C
Dear Sir,
By tomorrow evening's mail you will receive two volumes of "Irrepressible Conflict" bound in black. After perusal, please forward and oblige.
Yours Truly,
G W W
IN HONOR OF THOMAS ROOT /PEKIN, NY:
Private Residence
Owners: John and Gail Reinbird, 3106 Upper Mt. Rd., Sanborn, NY 14132
Thomas Root, a Justice of the Peace for over forty years in Cambria, was a kind-hearted Quaker who devoted his life to the service of others. During the Underground Railroad Movement, he not only provided transportation for the enslaved, but also traveled to African-American settlements at the Canadian Boarder to provide provisions and supplies. Root had an ally boarder guard who would allow him to cross without incident simply by reciting the code message, "We have a load of (whatever) and Southern Calico (cotton cloth).", and this would enable him and his passengers to pass freely.
He was always cordial and respectful to his guests, addressing them as "Mr. or Mrs., Sir or Ma'am", and insisting they eat at the same table during mealtime. The descendants of Root have recalled that they remember coming down to breakfast to find several new faces in their midst. They surmised that they must have been transported to the Root farm the previous night.
The journal of Elias Root, son of Thomas Root, refers to several trips Thomas made on a frequent basis to Lewiston, NY. It can be presumed that the Tryon brothers and Root were aware of each other. The Tryon house could have been the enslaved people's next stop on the Underground Railway before Canada.
THIS HOME IS A PRIVATE RESIDENCE. PLEASE DO NOT VISIT WITHOUT CONSENT OF THE OWNERS!!