The Underground Railroad from Slavery to Freedom: A comprehensive historySiebert, Wilbur Henry
History
The Underground Railroad from Slavery to Freedom: A comprehensive history
Siebert, Wilbur Henry
Fugitive slaves -- United States; Underground Railroad
at night across the Delaware River from the vicinity of Dover, in
boats marked by a yellow light hung below a blue one, and were met
some distance out from the Jersey shore by boats showing the same
lights. Landed at Greenwich, the fugitives were conducted north
twenty-five miles to Swedesboro, and thence about the same distance
to Evesham Mount. From this point they were taken to Mount Holly,
and so into the northern or Philadelphia route. Still another branch
of this Philadelphia line is known. It constitutes the fourth road,
and is described by Mr. Robert Purvis[382] as an extension of a
route through Bucks County, Pennsylvania, that entered Trenton, New
Jersey, from Newtown, and ran directly to New Brunswick and so on to
New York.
[381] Conversation with Mr. Oliver, Windsor, Ont., Aug. 2, 1895.
[382] Conversation with Mr. Purvis, Philadelphia, Dec. 23, 1895.
Mr. Eber M. Pettit, for many years a conductor of the Underground
Railroad in western New York,[383] asserts that the Road had four
main lines across his state, and scores of laterals,[384] but he
nowhere attempts to identify these lines for the benefit of those
less well informed than himself. Concerning what may be supposed
to have been one of the lines, he speaks as follows: "The first
well-established line of the U. G. R. R. had its southern terminus
in Washington, D.C., and extended in a pretty direct route to
Albany, N.Y., thence radiating in all directions to all the New
England states, and to many parts of this state.... The General
Superintendent resided in Albany.... He was once an active member
of one of the churches in Fredonia. Mr. T., his agent in Washington
City, was a very active and efficient man; the Superintendent
at Albany was in daily communication by mail with him and other
subordinate agents at all points along the line."[385] Frederick
Douglass, who was familiar with this Albany route during the period
of his residence in Rochester, describes it as running through
Philadelphia, New York, Albany, Rochester, and thence to Canada;
and he gives the name of the person at each station that was most
closely associated in his mind with the work of the station.
Thus, he says that the "fugitives were received in Philadelphia
by William Still, by him sent to New York, where they were cared
for by Mr. David Ruggles, and afterwards by Mr. Gibbs, ... thence
to Stephen Myers at Albany; thence to J. W. Loguen, Syracuse;
thence to Frederick Douglass, Rochester; and thence to Hiram
Wilson, St. Catherines, Canada West."[386] Not all the negroes
travelling by this route went as far as Rochester; some were turned
north at Syracuse to the port of Oswego, where they took boat for
Canada.[387] The Rev. Charles B. Ray, a member of the Vigilance
Committee of New York City, and editor of _The Colored American_,
has left some testimony which corroborates that just given. He knew
of a regular route stretching from Washington, by way of Baltimore
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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