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Dr. Thomas Trundle was arrested in 1853 for "enticement of slaves." Fearing for his life, he asked for and received a change of venue to Kenton County, where he died of mysterious causes on the morning of his trial. Conflicting news reports claimed Trundle was either an abolitionist or a slave stealer who sold slaves south for financial gain.
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Twelve enslaved persons escaped from the Monroe family. A mother, 10 daughters and one son. Boone County is named, but is possible that the family was based further southeast considering their escape route description.
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Possible Boone County enslaved persons escaped through Boone County crossing points. A report is made of seven separate groups of freedom seekers arriving in Cincinnati within a week, many may have come through Boone County. The first three and the fifth escaped group from Kentucky were comprised of 3 males, 3 males, two males and one male, respectively. The sixth escape was two men from Louisiana, who came on foot. The seventh was a woman and three children on a mail boat from Louisville.
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On November 11, 1852, Jonas Crisler wrote to his family: “there has been at least 30 ran off this faul (sic) 14 at and about Burlington and the rest about Petersburg. Abraham Piatts, Thomas Graves, and William Whittaker all the most valuable I have no doubt if things continue negroes slaves (sic) will be scarce neare the O. River particularly if old Mat Bots and his clan continues their privilege they have had I believe thay have been their pilots and is yet.” Crisler was referring to the other escape of 14 enslved the week before from the aforementioned slaveholders.
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Nancy McGruder was the only slave on the Dinsmore property that is known to have run away. She left the Dinsmore family in September of 1865, after most slaves in the United States had been freed but before those in Kentucky were. She was “excluded” from her church for leaving the state “in a disorderly manner.”
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George Hamilton escaped to Canada. He was seemingly involved in a money-making scam whereby he expressed a desire to return to the ownership of John Barton and requested funds to enable his return. In a letter, mentions Eliza Harris, Lloyd Graves, as well as a person known as Delaney.
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An elderly African American man arrived on the steps of the cabin of Judge Benjamin M. Piatt, in Logan County, KY. Piatt's wife gave the man food and work in the garden. Soon after, slavehunters from Boone County, KY, where the Piatts had married and lived for years stopped at the cabin with two freedom seekers they had caught, tied onto the back of a horse, still looking for additional men. Mrs Piatt, suspecting the old man was part of the group, gave him money and a warning to run. As told by Donn Piatt, son of Benjamin Piatt.
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Joshua Zimmerman's nine enslaved people were reported as "fugitives" after being allowed to visit Billy (and others), who formerly enslaved to Zimmerman, in Clermont County. The enslaved group did not return to Boone County. It was probably an emancipation, but was reported as otherwise.
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Before 1857, eight men perished in an explosion of the "Noah P. Sprague" boat on the Detroit River. Among them, William Sanford, [first name unknown] Tolliver (a.k.a. Talliaferro), and [first name unknown] Stephenson, all listed as "colored" and from Malden, Canada West They were possibly part of a Cass County (Mich.) migrant group.
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Evans Corneal was taken from Boone County to Chariton County, MO in 1857, and escaped in 1863 or 1864 with two other men. He settled in Hiawatha, Kansas. He returned to Missouri for his wife and children after the close of the war and brought them back to Hiawatha. He died in 1923, and is buried in Mt. Hope Cemetery, Hiawatha, KS. His name is possibly a derivative of "Carneal," but he may have been sold to another slaveholder in Boone County before moving to MO.
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Nine enslaved persons escpae from Boone County.
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A coachman of the Piatt family escaped to Rising Sun and was helped to freedom by Woodford Barkshire (a free man of color), a conductor who regularly helped people on the path to Canada. (Escape was circa the mid 1850s).
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Two young women, described as "mulatto" escaped from a farmer by the name of Lodge. The Lodge family was closely associated with the Piatt and Ryle families, so the women may have come from these slaveholders . The escape may have been facilitated by UGRR station master Samuel Barkshire (a free man of color) in the Rising Sun circa 1850s escape.
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Five enslaved people escaped through Rising Sun. They were hidden by Nancy Hawkins, a former slaveholder who became a part of the UGRR network. The slaveholder was James Stephens. The freedom seekers consisted of three men and two momen.
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Shadrach, Lewis, Susan, Wesley, John, Almeda, Jasper, Anderson and Lee were freedom seekers from the Crisler, Walton, Scott and Blankenbeker farms. They were caught and much legal attention was paid to them, like Garner, though the focus was habeus corpus.
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Born in KY, Elias S. Rouse enlisted in the 54th MA infantry, Company K, in 1863 at Readville MA. He had escaped to MA prior to enlistment and listed his place of birth as Malden, CN. Records give a variety of information, possibly to protect him from being identified as a freedom seeker. He was wounded in South Carolina but continued to serve until the end of the war. He settled in Ypsilanti, MI after the Civil War, and married Mary Gay, a widow of another soldier who was lost in the war.
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On March 31, 1864, Tom was committed to the jail in Kenton County, KY. He is "supposed to belong" to Nancy Rogers, a Boone County slaveholder. The jailer placed an ad with a description of Tom, asking the owner to come forward and retrieve him.
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In 1852 ten freedom seekers of slaveholder and emancipationist Ephraim Porter, made their escape to freedom. Sadly, the wagon they were in overturned near the Ohio River, and, fearing capture, they fled without all of their belongings. Later, several of this group contacted Ephraim Porter, who, according to his obituary, sent them supplies to their new home in Malden, Ontario.
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E. Bannister of Walton loses 7 enslaved people. These escapes could be related to the 1849 escape of Mary Ann French. Dennis (an enslaved man) and John Weaver were accused of stealing these enslaved persons. Both were tried, Dennis was acquitted and Weaver was later released.
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Six enslaved to C. Blackburn of Covington, were sold to B. P. Buckner (of Boone County) and were to be shipped south on the steamer “Cambridge.” The steamer sunk and the enslaved people escaped, presumably.
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An unnamed freedom seeker (under slaveholder William Sandford) was one of three men who had attempted escape from Carroll County. This man had been caught at Lochry Creek in Dearborn County, Indiana. One man, referred to as “Berry’s boy” had been shot and killed at Vevay Indiana during the chase. Another man was sold by slaveholder, William Sandford, after being caught.”
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One freedom seeker belonging to William Sanford is captured at Lochry Creek.
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Six slaves escape from G. Weaver, but are caught. A free man of color is implicated, as is a white man named John Edwards.
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On September 22, 1858, an enslaved man from Boone County Kentucky escaped from slaveholder William Donaldson on the back of a "fine mare belonging to Mr. D." The slaveholder gave chase, but no trace of the man or horse was found. Both the horse and the man were valued at about $1000 apiece.
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Two years before the end of the Civil War, in 1863, an enslaved man, James Harvey Patterson (born in Boone County, Kentucky, on Sept. 15, 1831) self-emancipated. He ultimately settled in Kansas, where he died at the age of 94 years.