John Frederick Weishampel Jr.


John Frederick Weishampel Jr. was an American printer and publisher based at 484 West Baltimore Street in Baltimore. Weishampel was a third-generation Prussian-American and son of Rev. John Frederick Weishampel.

Noah Davis

In 1859 Weishampel published A Narrative of the Life of Rev. Noah Davis, a Colored Man, a slave narrative and autobiography written by Noah Davis, a Baptist minister who had bought his freedom from slavery. Davis had been born into slavery in Madison County, Virginia and learned various trades. In 1818 he moved to Fredericksburg, where he learned to read and write. In 1831 he was baptized into the Fredericksburg Baptist Church. Davis married a fellow church member and eventually purchased his own freedom using funds raised while working as a missionary in Africa. By 1851, Davis purchased his wife's freedom and continued working in order to purchase the freedom of his several children. He thought to raise money by writing an account of his life, and Weishampel's publication of his work assisted in this effort. From the sales of the book and money raised by himself and his wife, Davis was able to free five of their seven children.

Publications