See below for links to our most comprehensive list of biographies of abolitionist and anti-slavery individuals, organizations and political parties. Sources include Appletons’ Cyclopaedia of American Biography and Scribner’s Dictionary of American biography, among others.

For a list of biographies specifically from Scribner’s Dictionary of American biography, click here.

Please also visit our American Abolitionists website by clicking here. It is presently the largest online database of United States antislavery and abolitionist history.

Individual Abolitionists and Anti-Slavery Activists

This is the largest database of abolitionists and anti-slavery activists available. It is presently more than 5,000 printed pages of biographies, with thousands of entries, from multiple scholarly sources.
Sources: Appletons’ Cyclopaedia of American Biography, Scribner’s Dictionary of American Biography, and others.

A

Aar-Ada: Aaron through Adams, John
Ada: Adams, John Quincy, through Adams, William
Alc-And: Alcott through Andrus
Ant-Aye: Anthony through Ayers

B

Bab-Bal: Babbit through Ballou
Ban-Bay: Bancroft through Bayard
Bea-Bex: Beaman through Bexley
Bib-Bir: Bibb through Birney
Bla-Bol: Blackburn through Bolles
Bon-Boy: Bond through Boynton
Bra-Bro: Brackett through Brown
Bru-Buf: Bruce through Buffum
Bur-Buz: Burchard through Buzby

C

Cad-Cat: Cady through Catto
Cha: Chace through Chase
Che-Cin: Cheadle through Cinque
Cla: Claflin through Clayton
Cle-Col: Clement through Colwell
Com-Cow: Comings through Cowles
Cox-Cri: Cox through Crittenden
Cro-Cuy: Crocker through Cuyler

D

Dag-Day: Daggett through Dayton
Deb-Dic: DeBaptiste through Dickson
Dig-Dow: Digges through Downing
Dra-Dye: Drake through Dyer

E

Eam-Ell: Eames through Ellsworth
Emb-Ett: Embree through Etting
Eva-Ewi: Evans through Ewing

F

Fai-Fin: Fairbank through Finney
Fis-Fol: Fish through Follen
Fon-Fow: Fonerdon through Fowler
Fra: Frances through Fraser
Fre-Fus: Freeman through Fussell

G

Gad-Gan: Gadsen through Gano
Gar: Gardner through Garrison
Gas-Ger: Gasson through Gerry
Gib-Goo: Gibbons through Goodyear
Gor-Gra: Gordon through Gray
Gre: Greeley through Grew
Gri-Gut: Griffin through Guthrie

H

Hab-Hal: Habersham through Halstead
Ham: Hambleton through Hammond
Han-Haw: Hanby through Hawley
Hay-Haz: Hayden through Hazard
Hea-Hen: Hearn through Henson
Hep-Hit: Hepburn through Hitchcock
Hoa-Hor: Hoar through Horton
Hot-How: Hotchkiss through Howland

I

I: Ide through Ives

J

Jac-Jan: Jackson through Janney
Jay-Jes: Jay through Jessup
Joc-Jus: Jocelyn through Justice

K

Kag-Key: Kagi through Keys
Kil-Kor: Kilbourn through Korner

L

Lad-Lew: Ladd through Lewis
Lib-Lin: Libby through Lines
Lip-Lou: Lippencott through Louge
Lov: Love through Lovejoy
Low-Lym: Lowe through Lyman

M

Mac: McAboy through McPhail
Mad-Man: Madison through Mansfield
Mar: Marcy through Marvin
Mas-May: Mash through Maynard
Mea-Met: Meacham through Metcalfe
Mid-Mit: Middleton through Miter
Mof-Mor: Moffitt through Morris
Mor-Myr: Morrow through Myrick

N

Nea-New: Neal through Newton
Nic-Nye: Nicholas through Nye

O

O: O’Connor through Owen

P

Pac-Pal: Packard through Palmer
Par-Pay: Parker through Payne
Pea-Pho: Peabody through Phoenix
Pic-Plu: Picton through Plumly
Pol-Pyl: Poland through Pyle

Q

Q: Quincy through Quinn

R

Rab-Ray: Rabun through Rayner
Rea-Rho: Read through Rhodes
Ric-Rob: Rice through Robinson
Roc-Row: Rock through Rowley
Rub-Ryl: Rublee through Ryland

S

Sac-Sca: Sackett through Scarlett
Sch-Scu: Schaff through Scuddy
Sea-Sey: Sears through Seys
Sha-Sis: Shadd through Sisson
Ski-Smy: Skinner through Smyth
Sno-Spr: Snow through Springstead
Sta: Stafford through Staughton
Ste: Stearns through Stewart
Sti: Stickney through Stillwell
Sto: Stocking through Stowe
Str-Sum: Stranahan through Sumner
Sun-Szo: Sunderland through Szold

T

Tab-Tha: Tabor through Thayer
Tho-Thr: Thomas through Throop
Thu-Tow: Thurston through Townsley
Tra-Tys: Tracy through Tyson

U

U: Underwood through Ury

V

Vai-Vau: Vail through Vaux
Ven-Vro: Venard through Vroom

W

Wad-Wan: Wade through Waner
War-Way: Ward through Wayne
Wea-Web: Weaver through Webster
Wee-Wet: Weed through Wetmore
Wha-Whi: Whaley through Whiting
Whi: Whitman through Whittlesay
Wil: Wilcox through Wiltenberger
Wim-Wit: Wimple through Wittson
Woo-Wyt: Wood through Wythe

X

Y

Y: Yale through Young

Z

Z: Zachos through Zane

Sources:
Dictionary of American Biography, Volumes I-X, Edited by Dumas Malone, New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1930.

Appletons’ Cyclopaedia of American Biography, Volumes I-VI, Edited by James Grant Wilson & John Fiske, New York: D. Appleton and Co., 1888-1889.