Elisha Tyson

Elisha Tyson (18 December 1750 – 16 February 1824) was a European-American colonial millionaire and philanthropist who was active in the abolition movement.

In 1772, he set up in the milling business with his brother, buying Bond's Water Mill in Harford County, Maryland. They came from a Quaker family based in German Town, Pennsylvania. Elisha was particularly vocal in maintaining the values of the Quakers, often recalling the protest of 1688, which had been the first public protest against the institution of slavery.

In 1789 he became one of the founders of the Maryland Society for the Abolition of Slavery, the first abolitionist society in the state. Three years later he became a supporter of the African Academy, which in 1797 opened the first school for free African-Americans.

Tyson was also active in offering practical assistance to fugitives from slavery, providing a safe house which was part of an Underground Railroad helping these fugitives to make their way to Pennsylvania.

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