William Cooper Nell born in 1816 in Boston, MA. He spent virtually all his life working tirelessly for social justice and public reform, specifically in the realm of Education. A major achievement of his a Reform leader was petitioning the state of Massachusetts to end racial segregation in Boston's schools, which thanks to much effort occurred in 1855.
Nell was instrumental in helping found the New England Freedom Association and later the Committee of Vigilance, to aid refugee slaves. The Committee of Vigilance supported resistance to the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, which had increased penalties against even citizens in free states who aided refugees fleeing from slavery.
William Cooper Nell wrote some of the first works of African-American History. His most notable work was The Colored Patriots of the American Revolution. In writing this work he hoped to not only record the acts of black soldiers and citizens for history, but also to show that peoples of African descent were instrumental in the founding of the American Republic, and deserving of equal rights and freedoms.
From 1847 to 1851 Nell lived in Rochester, New York working with Frederick Douglass as publisher to The North Star, Frederick Douglass's famous abolitionist newspaper. Though the two were initially close, he and Douglass would eventually have a falling out over disagreements regarding social and political opinions.
During his stay in Rochester, Nell actually lived with Amy and Isaac Post in their home on Sophia Street, the de facto center of Spiritualism in Rochester at the time. Nell was introduced to the Fox Sisters, and would sit with the “Rochester Circle” for seances. This was the earliest Spiritualist home circle in Rochester. His active participation in the Rochester Circle makes Nell one of the earliest believers in Spiritualism.
Although his stay in Rochester was brief, Nell kept a continuing correspondence with the Posts over the years, attended seances held by Spiritualist Societies in Boston, and held a belief in Spiritualism for the rest of his life.
Years later he would write to Amy Post reflecting on how far the Spiritualist movement had come stating: “Who would think so long a time had elapsed since my first acquaintance with the Rochester knockings at 36 Sophia Street - now its believers are counted by millions”
