James Townsend (August 31, 1786 – November 3, 1851) was an American farmer, politician, and abolitionist who was among the early pioneers of Putnamville, Indiana.
[2] In 1808, Townsend left Maryland and established a plantation near Henderson, Kentucky, operated by 30 slaves he had inherited.
[2] Around 1830, according to later recollection by his grandson, Townsend, "a man of strong religious convictions, becoming convinced of the evils of slavery, liberated his thirty slaves".
[3][4][5] He exhorted them to follow him in an exodus to Indiana – a free state – pledging that he would build houses for any who chose to accompany him, while those who opted to remain in Kentucky would instead be paid a cash settlement.
[6][a] In Indiana, Townsend worked as a merchant and donated the land for the establishment of the Putnamville Presbyterian Church.