John Remond

Birth: not known

Death: March 6, 1874

Burial Location: Ridge Avenue, Lot 666, Grave 6

John Remond was born in Curacao and sailed from there to Salem at the age of 10. All he brought with him was a bottle of gin given to him by his mother. He was listed as John von Reman. Once he arrived in Salem, he became a delivery boy for a local bakery. He moved to Boston where he was able to learn barbering and hairdressing as well as catering. By 1805 he was once again living in Salem, as a resident in Hamilton Hall. He was able to use all he had learned and became very popular, as he was quickly known for his kind and pleasant personality.

On October 29, 1807, John Remond married Nancy Lenox of Watertown. The couple was married at the African Baptist Church of Boston by Rev. Thomas Paul. The new bride was known for her talent in baking cakes, as well as hairdressing. Both were hard workers and their services were in great demand. On May 2 1811 John Remond became an American citizen. Eventually the couple would have eight children. Education was a priority and when the Salem schools would not accept the children because of the city’s segregation policies, the family moved to Newport Rhode Island. Eventually, when the policies changed, they moved back to Salem. The catering business was known for its elaborate meals and some of these became famous, such as the dinner given for the Marquis de Lafayette on August 31, 1824, during his last visit to America. Nancy and John Remond developed a collection of fancy wines to add to the meals they presented. John also held a monopoly on oysters. He had stores in Derby Square and Higginson Square. By 1848, he was ready to retire. He turned his businesses over to his son in law, James Shearman, husband of the oldest child, Nancy.

John Remond was also an active abolitionist. In 1835, he became a member for life in the American Antislavery Society. His children would follow in his footsteps both in their careers and in their causes. John Remond died at the age of 88, in 1874.

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Photo: Hamilton Hall, Salem, MA.

Sources Consulted:

• Article: The Remonds of Salem Massachusetts: A Nineteenth Century Family Revisited. Dorothy Burnett Porter, For the Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society: Worcester, Massachusetts 1985.
• Internet:
  • Cemeteryfind.com: Remond Burial Records, Harmony Grove Cemetery, Salem Massachusetts.
  • FindaGrave.com /memorial/59843636/john_remond
  • HowOld.com Caroline Remond Putnam Biography
  • Noblenet.org/salem/wiki/index.php? title=Remond John& oldid=10688
  • Phillips Library Finding Aids: Remond Family Papers: 1823-1869, undated, pem.org/visit/library.
  • Wikipedia.org/w/index php? title=Caroline_Remond_Putnam &oldid.1047994427
  • Wikipedia.org/w/index php? title=Charles_Lenox_Remond &oldid. 1071128971
  • Wikipedia.org/w/index php? title=Sarah Parker Remond &oldid. 1068399573.

Remond Sisters

Nancy, Cecelia, Maritcha, Sarah and Caroline Remond were all active abolitionists and were members of the Salem Women’s Anti Slavery Society and the Massachusetts Women’s Antislavery Society. When the two youngest sisters were in high school, they were expelled. Salem schools were going to be segregated. The family moved to Newport Rhode Island so that Sarah and Caroline could continue their educations. Sarah went on to be a lecturer, like her brother Charles. Eventually she moved to London and studied medicine there. Moving to Italy, she married and practiced medicine. She died in 1894 and was buried in Rome. The other sisters followed in their parents’ footsteps and pursued catering and hairdressing as well as wig making Susan and Cecilia both appear in the listings for the gravesite of their parents.

Sources Consulted:

• Article: The Remonds of Salem Massachusetts: A Nineteenth Century Family Revisited. Dorothy Burnett Porter, For the Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society: Worcester, Massachusetts 1985.
• Internet:
  • Cemeteryfind.com: Remond Burial Records, Harmony Grove Cemetery, Salem Massachusetts.
  • FindaGrave.com /memorial/59843636/john_remond
  • HowOld.com Caroline Remond Putnam Biography
  • Noblenet.org/salem/wiki/index.php? title=Remond John& oldid=10688
  • Phillips Library Finding Aids: Remond Family Papers: 1823-1869, undated, pem.org/visit/library.
  • Wikipedia.org/w/index php? title=Caroline_Remond_Putnam &oldid.1047994427
  • Wikipedia.org/w/index php? title=Charles_Lenox_Remond &oldid. 1071128971
  • Wikipedia.org/w/index php? title=Sarah Parker Remond &oldid. 1068399573.