This excerpt from “The Underground Railroad” by William Still documents the escape of a fugitive from the ownership of Walter Tyler, a brother of a former President of the United States. This is the second account in the book where the Tyler family appears. We also have an excerpt on how President John Tyler’s household … Read more
This excerpt from “The Underground Railroad” by William Still documents the escape of a fugitive from the clutches of the Governor of North Carolina. This fugitive was William Jordan, who took the alias of William Price. Before he could find help on the Underground Railroad, he hid for ten months in a cave in the … Read more
This excerpt from “The Underground Railroad” by William Still documents the escape of a group of fugitives who drew guns when accosted by slave catchers. Six had escaped by stealing their master’s horses and carriage. They were stopped by a group of white men and were forced to brandish their concealed weapons. Four of the … Read more
This excerpt from “The Underground Railroad” by William Still documents the escape of three brothers from Virginia. Jackson Turner arrives in Philadelphia first and is followed later by Isaac and Edmondson. What stands out about this trio is that their elderly blind father was residing in the city and had thought he wouldn’t meet his … Read more
This excerpt from “The Underground Railroad” by William Still documents the escape of Cordelia Loney from her well-heeled and seemingly pious mistress. The mistress had brought her servants with her for a stay in Philadelphia. But Cordelia knew that the Pennsylvanian laws might help secure her freedom. She reached out to the local committee on … Read more
This excerpt from “The Underground Railroad” by William Still documents the reaction of a successful black caterer in Philadelphia in the 1850s to being asked to track down an escaped slave. A leading pastor of an Episcopal Church was a friend of the mistress slave owner. He stopped Thomas Dorsey in the street and demanded … Read more
This excerpt from “The Underground Railroad” by William Still documents the escape of John Thomposon who travelled by hiding on top of a rail car. This was possibly the most dangerous method described in the book. [The headings and italicized text in the excerpts below were added by the website editor. The rest is verbatim … Read more
This excerpt from “The Underground Railroad” by William Still documents the escape of a group of fugitives from Cambridge, Maryland. Because another fifteen had escaped a few days earlier, the journey was even more dangerous. Every owner and slave-catcher were on the alert. The excerpts in this article concern these brave members of the group: … Read more
This excerpt from “The Underground Railroad” by William Still records the escape of Aaron and Daffney Cornish with six of their children. One child was an infant and wasn’t named in the book. The other children were named as: Solomon George Anthony Joseph Edward James Perry Lake The family joined a larger group of fugitives … Read more
This excerpt from “The Underground Railroad” by William Still documents the escape of two brothers on a schooner. The main challenge for Robert and Joseph Robinson was to raise the funds needed to pay the captain. But Robert worked for a slave trader. He took the opportunity to grab the money from a day’s worth … Read more