Greek evangelical missionary turns abolitionist

While large numbers of Greeks did not arrive in the US until the 1880s, quite a few made their way across the Atlantic much earlier. In my own state of Maryland, archives indicate that Michael Ury (Youris) became a naturalized citizen by act of the General Assembly of Maryland in 1725. In the early 1800s, many young Greeks were sent to the US, owing to the devastation of the Greek War of Independence and such natural disasters as the plague. Brought over by philhellenes, they were adopted by American families mostly in New England, received excellent educations, and went on to lead accomplished lives and make great contributions to their adopted land.

Lesser known is the story of the boys recruited by British and American evangelical Congregationalists, Protestants of the reformed tradition, for missionary work. Their concern for the boys notwithstanding, American...