David Ruggles was born Lyme, Connecticut to David and Nancy Ruggles in 1810. His parents were both free blacks. The family moved to Norwich, where his father was a blacksmith and woodcutter and his mother a caterer. They were devout Methodists. David was the oldest of eight children. He was educated at Sabbath Schools, and was so bright that neighbors paid for a tutor from Yale to teach him Latin. In 1826, sixteen year old Ruggles moved to New York City. There he opened a a grocery store. Initially, he sold liquor but latter embraced the temperance movement and stopped. Becoming involved in...