John Van Zandt (d. 1847) was an Underground Railroad hero. He is believed to have been the basis for John Van Trompe, a character in Uncle Tom's Cabin. While living in Evendale, Ohio, he often illegally harbored slaves in his basement and helped them escape. In the 1840s, he was caught and excommunicated from Sharon Methodist Episcopal Church, South, of which he was a trustee and helped found, for "immoral and un-Christian conduct." Despite this, he continued to harbor slaves, but was caught again. He then lost all his land and property, and his eleven children were scattered across the country to various relatives. Image File history File links Vanzandt. ... Uncle Toms Cabin Uncle Toms Cabin is a novel by American abolitionist author Harriet Beecher Stowe which treats slavery as a central theme. ... 1847 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Uncle Toms Cabin Uncle Toms Cabin is a novel by American abolitionist author Harriet Beecher Stowe which treats slavery as a central theme. ... Evendale is a village located in Hamilton County, Ohio. ... Sharonville is a city located in Butler and Hamilton counties in Ohio. ... The Methodist Episcopal Church, South was the so-called Southern Methodist Church resulting from the split in the Methodist Episcopal Church which had been brewing over several years until it came out into the open at a conference held in Louisville, Kentucky in 1845. ...

On June 19, 2005, Sharonville United Methodist Church (the pro-slavery Southern faction rejoined the mainline Methodist Church in the 20th century) made newspaper articles across the country when it restored Van Zandt's membership and about a dozen Van Zandts (or Van Sandts) travelled to the city to receive a letter of apology for the expulsion of their ancestor. June 19 is the 170th day of the year (171st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 195 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the current denomination in the United States. ...