Still, Underground Railroad, page 291; Journal C, August 15, 1855
ADDING LOCAL INFORMATION:
The 1858 Martinet Map of Cecil County shows a Jac Johnson on Elk River Neck, on the south side of Plum Creek.
Stealing Freedom along the Mason-Dixon Line |
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We generally think of kidnapping as an act of physical aggression. But when researching for my book, Stealing Freedom along the Mason-Dixon Line, I found that kidnappers used variety of methods to steal freedom from African Americans that involved deception rather than physical force. William Still recorded an example of one of these methods in August, 1855. James Henson, alias David Caldwell, in addition to being a victim of enslavement, was a victim of an insidious form of kidnapping until he successfully fled from Cecil County. “Henson claimed that he was entitled to his freedom according to law at the age of twenty-eight, but had been unjustly deprived of it. Having waited in vain for his free papers for four years, he suspected that he was to be dealt with in a manner similar to many others, who had been willed free or who had bought their time, and had been shamefully cheated out of their freedom. So in his judgment he felt that his only hope lay in making his escape on the Underground Rail Road.” Henson had been owned by Joel Brown before his bondage was transferred over to Jacob Johnson. In order to escape, Henson had to leave without his wife and child, who were free.
Still, Underground Railroad, page 291; Journal C, August 15, 1855 ADDING LOCAL INFORMATION: The 1858 Martinet Map of Cecil County shows a Jac Johnson on Elk River Neck, on the south side of Plum Creek.
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Freedom Seekers and Freedom Stealers along the Mason - Dixon LineAuthorMilt Diggins, M. ed., an independent scholar, author, public historian, and public speaker. Archives
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