John Van Zandt

The only known possible image of John Van Zandt is a drawing of John Van Trompe from Uncle Tom's Cabin, whose basis is believed to be Van Zandt.

John Van Zandt (d. 1847) was an Underground Railroad hero. He is believed to have been the basis for John Van Trompe, a character in Uncle Tom's Cabin. While living in Evendale, Ohio, he often illegally harbored slaves in his basement and helped them escape. In the 1840s, he was caught and excommunicated from Sharon Methodist Episcopal Church, South, of which he was a trustee and helped found, for "immoral and un-Christian conduct." Despite this, he continued to harbor slaves, but was caught again. He then lost all his land and property, and his eleven children were scattered across the country to various relatives.

On June 19 2005, Sharonville United Methodist Church (the pro-slavery Souhtern faction rejoined the mainline Methodist Church in the 20th century) made newspaper articles across the country when it restored Van Zandt's membership and about a dozen Van Zandts (or Van Sandts) travelled to the city to receive a letter of apology for the expulsion of their ancestor.

References

*Amos, Denise Smith (June 20, 2005). Church rights a wrong, rescinds 1841 expulsion The Enquirer.