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1809 - Scott Co., Escape of Ned the Fifer
Twenty year old Ned, described as about 5'9" tall departed the property of enslaver John Masterson, near Georgetown on Sunday, July 23, 1809. It was noted that Ned had a talent for playing the fife. A $15 reward was offered for his return.
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1796 - Scott Co., Creasa self-emancipates
At the end of February, 1796, 35-year-old Creasa escaped Georgetown enslaver Thomas Mosby. Creasa was described as slender, with a yellow complexion and a coarse voice. A reward for $10 was offered for her return.
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1796 - Scott Co., the escape of "Smiling Moses"
In July, 1796, Scott County enslaver John Rhodes offered a $10 reward for the return of Moses, who had escaped from Rhodes' property on McConnell's Run. Moses was described as a "fellow of smiling countenance," twenty years old with a dark complexion and was well dressed in clothing that was "chiefly stolen."
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1823 - Scott Co., Charles steals away
Freedom seeker Charles, about 43-years-old, escaped from Scott County enslaver Thomas Dinwiddie in April, 1823. Charles was described as about six feet tall and stout, walked with a limp associated with hip pain. A reward of up to $50 was offered for his return.
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1819 - Scott Co., Escape of John
On January 24, 1819, a freedom seeker named John escaped from Scott county enslaver John Downing. He was described as "about 30 years old" at the time of his escape. A $10 reward was offered and may have been collected. On June 25th, 1854, an enslaved man named John, held by John Downing in Scott County, died of cholera. He was about 60 yrs. old at the time of his death; it's plausible this is the same John.
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1863 - Scott Co., No Emancipation for Bill
On July 8th, 1863, 30-yr-old Bill was captured as a runaway in Garrard County and placed in the jail. Bill named Joseph Kenney of Scott County as the man who enslaved him. Though the Emancipation Proclamation had been issued months prior, it did not apply to states that remained in the Union, like Kentucky. Were Bill unclaimed, he would be eventually be sold by the jailer.
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1811 - Scott Co., A prepared freedom seeker
George, a twenty six year old freedom seeker, escaped Scott County enslaver John Hicks on November 4, 1811. Hicks' property was near Calhoun's Mill. It was noted that George left prepared for the cold, taking two "three point blankets" (woolen wraps common to northern Native American tribes.) A reward of up to $20 was offered for George's return.
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1812 - Scott Co., A persistent enslaver
Enslaver John Hall placed a long-running reward ad for the return Austin, who had escaped Hall's property near Georgetown in July, 1810. Auston's age was not given, but he was described as "about 6 feet high and stout and strong made." The unusually high $100 reward was still being offered 18 months after the escape.
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1839 - Scott Co., Large reward offered
On March 31st, 1839 Abram (27 years old) and Solomon (30 years old) escaped from separate enslavers in Scott County. A reward of $450 was offered for the return of both men and two horses they took with them. Enslaver Newton Craig claimed Abram and John Payne claimed Solomon. It was assumed the men had crossed at Warsaw and were headed toward Cleveland, Ohio or Canada.
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1815 - Scott Co., Escape from a congressman
In September, 1815, Richard Mentor Johnson, who would eventually become the Vice President of the United States, placed an ad in 1815, offering a reward for the return of Kit, a freedom seeker who had escaped his farm in Scott County while he was away in Washington D.C., serving in the U..S. House of Representatives. Johnson had purchased Kit several years prior from the jailer of Scott County, where he was being held, likely as aw runaway. Kit had left during the previous winter, and had been spotted in Gallatin County near the home of Robert Johnson, Richard's father in February, 1815. It was expected that he was in either Ohio or Indiana, or possibly had gone south toward Natchez or New Orleans. Kit was about 40 years old and was a carpenter.
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1813 - Scott Co., Freedom for Dennis
Freedom seeker Dennis escaped from Georgetown enslaver Hugh Emison on May 15, 1813. He was spotted with a white man in Dry Ridge, Grant County, two days later, presumably making his way toward Cincinnati. Dennis was about 27 years old, blind in one eye and was likely to be carrying paperwork from a previously pending freedom lawsuit in Harrison County. A reward of up to $100 was offered for his return.
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1799 - Central Region, Captured in Western Territory
In September, 1799 two Freedom seekers were captured near Fort Wayne, Indiana Territory. John, about 25 yrs old, named his enslaver as Donn Lee and Bill, who was about 23 yrs old, gave the name of Mrs. Mosby as his enslaver. They claimed to have fled from an area between Lexington and Georgetown, KY. The ad was placed by W. Wells.