#FreedomSeekers
In November 1850 I ran from #110 Burgundy Street in New Orleans, and I was not found at least through January 1851. I may have left New Orleans to work as a hairdresser at a place I would get paid for my efforts. My name was AIME or EMMA. #slavery #Blackhistory #NOLA #freedomseekers
January 8, 2026 at 11:20 PM
I ran from James K. Melvin about November 1850; his mother’s farm was at Cypress Creek in Bladen County, NC, not far from Angola Swamp and Holly Shelter, where I might find a community of other fugitives to start a new life. I was called ANTHONY. #BlackHistory #slavery #freedomseekers
November 27, 2025 at 11:46 PM
In October 1850, I ran from the farm of James H. Gale in Still Pond, Kent County, Maryland. Gale was still looking for me in January 1851 but I was free. My name was JOE WRIGHT. #BlackHistory #slavery #freedomseekers
November 13, 2025 at 1:02 PM
Speaking on Lord Dunmore's proclamation, here's a dramatic account of the battle of Kemp's Landing, where a newly free man ended up fighting in close quarters against his former master: #skystorians #freedomseekers #americanrevolution #ushistory #250yearsago
November 9, 2025 at 9:41 PM
Slaves in Paris: Hidden Lives and Fugitive Histories
Miranda Spieler
newbooksnetwork.com/slaves-in-pa...
among other things: letters of cachet were used by the well connected to override freedom papers
#legalhistory #ancienregime #frenchhistory #booksky #freedomseekers #paris
Miranda Spieler, "Slaves in Paris: Hidden Lives and Fugitive Histories" (Harvard UP, 2025) - New Books Network
newbooksnetwork.com
November 1, 2025 at 6:32 PM
I ran from Judge Thomas B. Berry’s plantation in Charles County, Maryland in October 1850; I might have headed for Washington, DC, hoping for help from my friends, or tried to go north. My name was JIM ENDERSON or ANDERSON. #blackhistory #slavery #Maryland #freedomseekers
October 28, 2025 at 12:55 PM
I ran from Joseph D. Murphy’s farm east of Clarkesville, Habersham County, Georgia in August 1850; I might have gone north into the woods of North Carolina from there. He was still looking for me in October. My name was WATT. #slavery #BlackHistory #freedomseekers
October 24, 2025 at 6:07 PM
In October 1855 I ran from the farm of James Penny, which was 6 miles south of Raleigh, NC. I had a wife who lived on Simeon M. Williams’ farm, not far away. Penny would have hunted me there, but I was still free in December 1855. My name was SYLVESTER. #slavery #freedomseekers #blackhistory
October 13, 2025 at 1:27 PM
I ran from Thomas Harrington’s Moore County, NC farm in September 1850. He offered only $10 for my capture, but raised it to $25 before giving up in March 1851. I might have found work in Fayetteville or hid in the forest nearby. My name was WESLY. #blackhistory #slavery #freedomseekers
October 9, 2025 at 10:25 PM
In July 1850 I ran from butcher George W. Pappler of Baltimore, Maryland, near Hampstead Hill Street and Castle Alley. I managed to hide from him at least through September of that year. My name was ALEVIA. #blackhistory #slavery #freedomseekers
September 26, 2025 at 1:27 PM
In September 1850, I ran from the area near Elkridge Landing on the Patapsco River, in Anne Arundel County, Maryland; I left with a friend from the nearby Bradford farm. I might have found help and shelter in Baltimore. My name was NED TOOGOOD. #slavery #maryland #blackhistory #freedomseekers
September 24, 2025 at 9:03 PM
I ran from the Mayo estate in Elkridge, Maryland, then in Anne Arundel County, in mid-September 1850. I may have been making a break for freedom and running north. My name was JAMES HUNTER. #freedomseekers #slavery #blackhistory
September 22, 2025 at 6:24 PM
In September 1850, I ran barefoot from the Eutaw Street house of William H. McLean, a Baltimore, MD grocer. He only advertised for a couple of days; I might have been caught quickly and brought back to him. My name was RACHEL. #slavery #freedomseekers #BlackHistory #baltimore
September 7, 2025 at 5:30 PM
I broke out of the Chatham County, NC jail in August 1850; I may have headed back to see friends or family at the Brooks place, or gone to nearby Raleigh to live as a free man. They were still looking for me in October. My name was HENRY. #slavery #blackhistory #freedomseekers
September 3, 2025 at 7:15 PM
In August 1850, I ran from ship captain Gassaway Tucker, who lived near Baltimore harbor on Fell’s Point. I may have changed my name and found work as a free man elsewhere in Baltimore. I called myself SAMUEL MYERS. #blackhistory #freedomseekers #slavery #Baltimore
September 1, 2025 at 6:37 PM
In August 1850, I ran from the farm of William Gray in Port Republic, Maryland, near the Chesapeake River. I may have had to leave my children behind when I ran. He was still looking for me a month later. I was called DIODEMA. #BlackHistory #slavery #freedomseekers #maryland
August 30, 2025 at 2:18 PM
When MARTHA and I were sold in June 1850, I carried a free pass with me all the way from Baltimore, MD to Eli Bishop’s farm in Lancaster, SC. On August 22, 1850, I took a horse, got MARTHA and our daughter from the Stinson farm, and rode to freedom. My name was JOHN. #slavery #freedomseekers
August 22, 2025 at 7:55 PM
I ran from the farm of Nicholas Brian on this day in 1850. The farm was in Rossville in eastern Baltimore County, Maryland, not far from the Chesapeake. I might have followed the river north in search of freedom. My name was OLIVER TURNER. #BlackHistory #slavery #freedomseekers
August 20, 2025 at 6:19 PM
On the night of August 7, 1850, I took a horse and ran from the plantation of Joseph Mason in Marshall, Texas; I was 18 years old. He thought I might have been lured or stolen and was on my way to New Orleans. My name was ZACHARIAH. #BlackHistory #texas #slavery #freedomseekers
August 7, 2025 at 5:54 PM
On the night of August 2, 1850, I slipped away from the farm of Emily Beale in Bloomingdale, District of Columbia, a couple of miles from the Capitol. Her son George Beale advertised to get me back. I called myself JOHN PINKNEY. #blackhistory #DC #slavery #freedomseekers
August 2, 2025 at 11:07 PM
On the night of July 31st, 1850, I ran from farmer David Best of Frederick, Maryland. I may have headed north to the Pennsylvania border, or gone south to find family members. My name was LEWIS OWENS. #maryland #slavery #BlackHistory #freedomseekers
July 31, 2025 at 5:56 PM
In July 1850 I ran from John S. Willis’s farm near the Cape Fear River in Bladen County, North Carolina. He searched for me to the southwest in Lumberton, but I was not there; he was still looking for me in February of 1851. My name was MORRIS. #blackhistory #slavery #freedomseekers
July 23, 2025 at 8:35 PM