White Matlack
American abolitionist
About White Matlack
Lived 1745 – 1824 (aged 78). White Matlack was a watchmaker.
White Matlack (October 7, 1745; Haddonfield, New Jersey – January 7, 1824) was a New York Quaker and abolitionist. He was born to Elizabeth Martha Burr Haines and Timothy Matlack: a couple that had both lost their first spouses. His grandparents were William Matlack and Mary Hancock; and Henry Burr and Elizabeth Hudson. His siblings were Sybil, Elizabeth, Titus, Seth, Josiah and Timothy Matlack.
He married Mary Hawhurst on March 6, 1768. They had four children; White, Timothy, Mary, and Hannah.
White was a watchmaker and silversmith in New York City from around 1769 to 1775. In 1775, he also worked in Philadelphia. Then he ran a brewery located not far from the Fraunces Tavern. By the 1780s he moved into steel manufacturing.
In 1782, he and Isaac Howell signed a document titled The memorial and remonstrance of Isaac Howell and White Matlack, in behalf of themselves, and others, who have been disowned by the people called Quakers, &c. White and his brother Timothy had been disowned by Orthodox Quakers for their support of the American Revolution. They formed a group with others called the Society of Free Quakers.
In 1786, he signed a letter to the Senate and assembly of the State of New York, against the shipping of African slaves through the port of New York. on Long Island, aged 80.
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Important facts
People in White Matlack's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped White Matlack's
Frequently asked questions
Who was White Matlack?
American abolitionist
When was White Matlack born?
White Matlack was born on 7 October 1745.
When did White Matlack die?
White Matlack died on 7 January 1824.
What was White Matlack's occupation?
White Matlack was a watchmaker.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). White Matlack. https://biography.guide/white-matlack/
MLA: "White Matlack." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/white-matlack/.
Chicago: "White Matlack." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/white-matlack/.
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