Thomas Rutling, 97 Valley Drive, Harrogate, N Yorks
Posted by: 
bill&ben
N 53° 59.409 W 001° 33.018
30U E 595046 N 5983398
A plaque indicating the home of Thomas Rutling at 97 Valley Drive
Waymark Code: WMRQ21
Location: Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 07/21/2016
Views: 2
Thomas Rutling was born a slave in Wilson County, Tennessee. His mother made many attempts to escape slavery, being caught each time and whipped on her return. In 1863 Rutling was liberated by Union forces and moved to Nashville with his brother and sister. Thomas’s sister gave him a rudimentary education. A Union Army surgeon recommended Thomas to the President of Fisk Free Coloured School. Thomas went to Fisk for 5 years.
Rutling joined the Fisk Jubilee Singers and performed with them for the seven years of their three tours. At the end of the tours Rutling refused to return to America and remained as a music teacher in Britain. IN 1915 Rutling suffered a fatal stroke at Morecambe.
The plaque reads
“Thomas Rutling was born into slavery in Tennessee in 1854. After emancipation in 1865, he enrolled at the newly founded Fisk Universityin Nashville, joining the famous Fisk Jubilee Singers in 1871. During an 1873 tour of Europe , the singers performed for an appreciative Queen Victoria. Rutling remained in England , where he gave recitals and worked as a voice teacher, moving to Harrogate where he was known as “The African Tenor”. Living at 97 Valley Drive at the time of his death on 26th April 1915, Rutling’s friends paid for his funeral and plot in Grove Rd Cemetery.”
Blue Plaque managing agency: Harrogate Civic Society
Individual Recognized: Thomas Rutling
Physical Address:
97 Valley Drive
Harrogate, N Yorks UK
Web Address: [Web Link]
|
Visit Instructions:
To log an entry for a "Blue Plaque," please try to include a picture of you next to the plaque!
Recent Visits/Logs:
| There are no logs for this waymark yet. |
|
|
|