Ashes to Ashland: Reverend George Gordon and His Crime Against Inhumanity

When discussing the most well-known criminals of 19th-century Ashland County, the names that come to mind are Charles Steingraver, George Horn, and Henry Gribbon. The crimes we tend to think of as most notable are murder, theft, and the like. There is one criminal in the county’s history who ought to be lauded as a hero, not for overcoming his criminal past, but for his unshaking determination to continue his life as an outlaw. This criminal was known by the name of Reverend George Gordon.

George Gordon was born in 1806 in Washington County, PA.[1] He was the oldest of five children with two younger brothers and two younger sisters. He spent much of his life there, and in 1837 he married Ann Finney of Holmes County, OH – the sister of Reverend John Finney. In 1851 he and his brother Joseph were among the first preachers of the Free Presbyterian Church. Little did he know at the time, but this would be considered one of his first public steps toward criminality. [2]

By 1860 he had been living in Iberia in Morrow County for some time, having been appointed as the first president of Iberia College.[3] The college was founded and operated by the Free Presbyterian Church, and was open to all regardless of race or gender. The Free Presbyterian Church was founded by members who left the Presbyterian Church due to its support of slavery. George and Joseph were both staunch abolitionists, dedicating much of their lives to the cause of ending the evil practice. While serving as president of Iberia College he regularly travelled to Ashland County to preach at the Free Presbyterian Church in Savannah.[4]

For 14 years, from 1850-64, the law of the land was the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. The act made it legal to return “fugitive” freedom seekers to slavery even if they had escaped to states where slavery was illegal, in addition it mandated that citizens of the free states had to cooperate in the capture and return of the freedom seekers. Many slave catchers and those seeking wealth could kidnap freemen and those who escaped to freedom and return them to slavery. This act caused massive outrage in many anti-slavery communities and continued to stoke the flames of the slavery issue. On September 22, 1860, George Gordon became an outlaw.[5]

George Gordon’s own words can be found, unedited in the Wilber Siebert collection via OhioMemory:

“The thing occurred in the neighborhood of Iberia, Morrow County, Ohio. About dark, eight men came up on the train, rang the bell themselves, and stopped it about two miles below the station, got off, and divided into companies. One of these got to their place before any alarm was given, rushed into the house with their revolvers and bowie knives, seized their stray man, and fettered and bore him away. Another company invaded a second house, and searched it, but the alarm had been given, and the man or ‘chattel’ escaped. In the yard, they encountered two young colored men, students of Iberia College. Marshal Lowe (of Oberlin notoriety), seized one of them by the collar, probably mistaking him for the fugitive; the young man resisted, the Marshal fired his revolver twice, wounding him in the hand, and putting another bullet through his clothes. At this juncture, the other colored man struck with his gunbarrel, and a shot was fired as a signal, some distance off, upon which the redoubtable official put the steam to his pedals and escaped. The third company was still less fortunate. They broke into the dwelling of a Mr. James Hammond, did not find the fugitive, but reports says seized and bore off a watch instead. Mr. Hammond soon came in, learned what was done, took up a corn cutter, and followed them. He soon overtook and stopped them. After keeping them at bay a short time, he had others come to his assistance. The men were disarmed, taken to the woods and whipped, in the midst of their receiving a castigation I came up; was told they had received but little, and I stood by, consenting to their receiving from ten to fifteen lashes more. I then told the Deputy why he was chastised, the kind of men who did it, and that he had received but a small Instalment, a mere taste of what he was endeavoring to inflict on men as good as he was. He humbly confessed the charge, said he would go home, resign his office, and do so no more.”[6]

George was soon charged with “resisting process” and the court found him guilty and sentenced him to pay a fine of $300 in addition to $1,000-1,500 for the cost of prosecution (roughly $120,000 in 2026), and 6 months of “Close Confinement”.[7] Before he was taken into custody, George fled to Canada. He waited to turn himself in until the new Lincoln administration was in power. Once 1861 came and Lincoln was inaugurated, Gordon returned and turned himself in. He was incarcerated immediately and his many friends wrote the president for a petition requesting a pardon for Gordon’s actions. The pardon was granted. Despite a short time spent in prison his health began to rapidly deteriorate while imprisoned. George would never fully recover from prison and according to the death record he died on December 11, 1867, from Parotitis Open Abscess (cheek abscess).[8] George Gordon was a criminal, but in his mind, he only broke the law of man. He sacrificed his own freedom to ensure that it would not be denied to others.

[1] “Columbiana, Ohio, United States records,” images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89ZR-V9FV-D?view=explore: Feb 23, 2026), image 89 of 234; Ohio. County Court (Columbiana County).

Image Group Number: 004017361

[2] “Mercer, Pennsylvania, United States records,” images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6QGS-5QT?view=explore : Feb 23, 2026), image 70 of 807; United States. National Archives and Records Administration.

Image Group Number: 004205100. ; “Holmes, Ohio, United States records,” images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939K-PXS1-NS?view=explore : Feb 23, 2026), image 255 of 658; Ohio. County Court (Holmes County).

Image Group Number: 004701450. ; Jolliffe, John. IN THE MATTER OF GEORGE GORDON’S PETITION FOR PARDON. Pamphlet, 1862. Pp-1-3.

[3] Ibid, pp 1

[4]Mrs, A.M. Buchanan. Mrs. A.M. Buchanan letter to Wilber Siebert, 1894, Mrs. A. M. Buchanan letter to Wilbur Siebert – Page 1 – Wilbur H. Siebert Underground Railroad Collection –

[5] United States Fugitive Slave Law. The Fugitive slave law. Hartford, Ct.?: s.n., 185-?. Hartford, 1850. Pdf. https://www.loc.gov/item/98101767/.”

[6] Gordon, Rev. George. George Gordon Underground Railroad activity, Nov. 1861. Manuscript, https://ohiomemory.org/digital/collection/siebert/id/5479/rec/4

[7] Gordon, pp. 1

[8] Columbiana Death Records 1867. Pp 86-87