Abel Brown was born November 9, 1810, in Springfield, Massachusetts, and moved with his parents to New York State at age 11. As a young man, he entered the Christian ministry and soon felt called to action in the abolitionist movement. Brown was an eloquent voice crying out against slavery, publishing letters and reports in The Liberator and other periodicals with abolitionist leanings, as well as in his own paper, The Tocsin of Liberty (later The Albany Patriot). The founder and corresponding secretary of the Eastern New York Anti-Slavery Society, he traveled widely, preaching the message of abolition, often accompanied by fugitive slaves.

Brown's death one day before his 34th birthday was a blow to New York's abolitionist movement and devastating for his wife, Catharine, who published this biography in 1849 as a way of keeping his memory alive. The work draws heavily on Abel Brown's correspondence, journals, and newspaper articles, allowing him to tell the story in his own words. This newly edited version preserves the 1849 original while offering clarification and context. The result is an unusual first-hand look at America's anti-slavery movement. Appendices contain excerpts from additional correspondence and sermons of Abel Brown.