Thousands of white Virginians owned enslaved African Americans in the nineteenth century. Based on analysis of William Still's book, The Underground Rail Road (1872), we are compiling a list of those slaveholders whose slaves escaped in the 1850s.
To date, we have collected more than 100 narratives of Virginia escapees. The narratives are listed below -- sorted by slave owner.
You may click on the page number under the Still column to read the narrative presented in The Underground Rail Road.
You may find more information on the Underground Railroad (UGRR) at the website of the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.
For more information on this project, you may contact Cassandra Newby Alexander (Project Director) or Jeff Littlejohn (Web Author and Director).
To reach Cassandra Newby Alexander by phone, call 757.823.8828.
| Owner | Occupation |
City/County |
Slave |
Year |
Still |
Mr. Bailey |
Carpenter |
Norfolk |
Samuel Bush |
1853 |
|
David Baines |
Owner |
Norfolk |
Harriet and Celia Paeden |
1854 |
|
Samuel Ball |
Owner |
Richmond |
Richard Bradley |
1855 |
|
John G. Beale |
Lawyer |
Fauquier Co. |
William Robinson |
1854 |
|
Fleming Bibbs |
Farmer |
Richmond |
Charles Thompson |
1857 |
|
Beverly Blair |
Owner |
Richmond |
Frances Hilliard |
1855 |
|
Thomas Baltimore |
Owner |
Norfolk |
Susan Bell |
1855 |
|
Mr. Bockover |
Grocer |
Norfolk |
Thomas and Frederick Nixon |
1855 |
|
Joseph Boukley |
Hair Inspector |
Norfolk |
Peter Petty |
1855 |
|
Henry L. Brooke |
Owner |
Salvington |
Cornelius Scott |
1857 |
|
Elizabeth Brown |
Widow |
Portsmouth |
Sheridan Ford |
1855 |
|
Mary Brown |
Widow |
Portsmouth |
Clarissa Davis (part owner) |
1854 |
1850 C |
Margaret Burkley |
Housekeeper |
Portsmouth |
Clarissa Davis (part owner) |
1854 |
1850 C |
Charles Bryant |
Owner |
Alexandria |
Joseph Viney |
1857 |
|
Mrs. Joseph Cahell |
Widow |
Fredericksburg |
Cordelia Loney |
1857 |
George Carter |
Owner |
Loudon Co. |
Martha Bennett and children |
1855 |
|
Joseph Carter |
Oysterman |
Portsmouth |
John Stinger and Stebney Swan |
1857 |
|
George Carter |
Owner |
Loudon Co. |
D. Bennett's wife and children |
1855 |
|
William H. Christian |
Lawyer/merchant |
Richmond |
James Hambleton Christian |
1853 |
|
Mr. R.J. Christians |
Tobacco |
Richmond |
Elijah Hilton |
1857 |
|
Dr. K. Clark |
Physician |
Richmond |
Joseph Henry Camp |
1853 |
|
Nathan Clapton |
Owner |
Loudon Co. |
Sauney Pry |
1856 |
|
rs. Clayton |
Widow |
Richmond |
John Clayton |
1854 |
|
Edward M. Clark |
Owner |
Alexandria |
Lewis Burrell |
1856 |
|
Ann Colley |
Widow |
Petersburg |
Isaac Jackson & Edmondson Turner |
1857 |
|
A. Judson Crane |
Farmer |
Richmond |
Julia Smith |
1854 |
|
Elliot Curlett |
Owner |
Warrington |
David Greek |
1856 |
|
James Cuthbert |
Owner |
Petersburg |
Harriet Mayo |
1855 |
|
Benjamin Davis |
Negro Trader |
Richmond |
Charles Gilbert |
1854 |
|
Daniel Delaplain |
Flour Inspector |
Richmond |
Charles Hall |
1856 |
383 |
H.B. Dickinson |
Factory Owner |
Richmond |
William White |
1854 |
James Dunlap |
Merchant |
Richmond |
John Hall |
1855 |
|
Thomas Eckels |
Lawyer |
Norfolk |
Susan Brooks |
1854 |
|
Samuel Ellis |
Owner |
Richmond |
Joseph Winston |
1857 |
|
Charles Fortner |
Owner |
Hedgeville |
Daniel Davis |
? |
|
James B. Foster |
Owner |
Richmond |
Samuel Washington Johnson |
? |
|
John F. Franic |
Owner |
Martinsburg |
Robert Brown |
1856 |
|
Catharine Gordon |
Owner |
Norfolk |
Oscar Ball & Montgomery Graham |
1857 |
|
Mr. Grigway |
Timber Merchant |
Norfolk |
Emanuel White |
1857 |
|
Mr. Hall |
Negro trader |
Norfolk |
Robert McCoy |
1854 |
|
William W. Hall |
Owner |
Norfolk |
Rebecca Jones and Isaiah |
1856 |
|
Alexander Hill |
Owner |
Hedgeville |
Adam Nicholson |
? |
|
Lewis Hill |
Owner |
Richmond |
Lewis Giles |
1855 |
|
John & Henry Holland |
Oysterman |
Norfolk |
Anthony and Albert Brown |
1856 |
|
John G. Hodgson |
Owner |
Norfolk |
Harriet Ann Bell |
1854 |
|
James Hurst |
Owner |
Georgetown |
Sam Davis |
1855 |
|
Mrs. Hutchinson |
Widow |
Loudon Co. |
Robert Stewart |
1856 |
|
Mrs. Hutchinson |
Daughter of Widow |
Loudon Co. |
Betsey Smith |
1856 |
|
Benjamin Hall |
Owner |
Alexandria |
Peter Burrell |
1856 |
|
Eliza Jones |
Factory foreman |
Petersburg |
George Walker |
1855 |
|
John Jones |
Farmer |
Norfolk |
Arthur Jones |
1855 |
|
George W. Kemp |
Bank worker |
Norfolk |
Ralph Whiting |
1855 |
|
James Kinnard |
Farmer |
Richmond |
Jeremiah Smith |
1854 |
|
Eliza Lambert |
Owner |
Petersburg |
John Judah |
1855 |
|
Thomas Lee |
Owner |
Petersburg |
Robert Jones |
1855 |
|
Peter March |
Business Owner |
New York |
Caroline Taylor |
1856 |
|
Seth March |
Owner |
Norfolk |
Henry Washington |
1855 |
|
Dr. C.F. Martin |
Dentist |
Norfolk |
Sam Nixon |
1855 |
|
McHenry & McCulloch |
Tobacconists |
Petersburg |
John Pettifoot |
1857 |
|
John C. McBole |
Steam Mill |
North Carolina |
Daniel Carr |
1855 |
|
Mr. McVee |
Farmer |
Loudon Co. |
Barnaby Grigby and Emily Foster |
1855 |
Daniel Minne |
Farmer |
Alexandria |
William Jackson |
1857 |
|
Daniel Minor |
Owner |
Moss Grove |
George Solomon |
1856 |
|
David Morris |
Owner |
Norfolk |
Joseph Harris |
1855 |
|
M.W. Morris |
Owner |
Richmond |
Daniel Payne |
1855 |
|
John Mitchell |
Owner |
Petersburg |
John Henry |
1853 |
|
John Mitchell |
Owner |
Richmond |
John Hill |
1856 |
|
Richard Perry |
Owner |
Petersburg |
Beverly Good |
1855 |
|
Mrs. Peters |
Deceased |
Norfolk |
Anthony Blow |
1854 |
|
Capt. John Pollard |
Owner |
St. Stephens |
George Freeland |
? |
|
Dr. Price |
Owner |
Norfolk |
Edward Peaden |
1854 |
|
Joshua Pusey |
Owner |
Leesburg |
David Aug. |
1856 |
|
James Ray |
US Navy Yard |
Petersburg |
John Atkinson |
1855 |
|
Littleton Reeves |
Owner |
Petersburg |
Mary Epps |
1855 |
|
Joseph P. Reynolds |
Merchant |
Portsmouth |
William Davis |
1853 |
|
Eliza H. Richie |
Owner |
Petersburg |
Eliza Jones |
1855 |
|
William Rose |
Owner |
Fauquier Co. |
James Stewart |
? |
|
Thomas W. Quales |
Owner |
Richmond |
Verenea Mercer |
1855 |
|
James Saunders |
Lawyer |
Norfolk |
James H. Foreman |
1855 |
|
Mrs. Sanders |
Widow |
Nofolk |
Isaac Foreman |
1853 |
|
Richard Scott |
Owner |
Norfolk |
Daniel Wiggins |
1854 |
|
Sarah Shephard |
Owner |
Norfolk |
Elizabeth Frances |
1854 |
|
Jacob Shuster |
Owner |
Norfolk |
Winnie and Elizabeth Patty |
1855 |
|
Andrew Sigany |
Owner |
Norfolk |
Eliza McCoy |
1854 |
|
Samuel Simmons |
Owner |
Norfolk |
Isaiah Nixon |
1855 |
|
John J. Slater |
Coachmaker |
Petersburg |
David Edwards |
1855 |
|
Nathan Skinner |
Farmer |
Loudon Co. |
Vincent Smith |
1856 |
|
Slater |
Owner |
Richmond |
Joseph and Robert |
1855 |
|
Smith |
Owner |
Norfolk |
Washington Somlor |
1855 |
|
George Spencer |
Owner |
Georgetown |
Abe Fineer |
1855 |
|
Dr. Jesse Squires |
Owner |
Petersburg |
Valentine Spires |
1856 |
|
L. Stasson |
Confectioner |
Norfolk |
Louisa Bell |
1855 |
|
James Snyder |
Owner |
Norfolk |
Harrison Bell |
1854 |
|
Capt. James Taylor |
Owner |
Loudon Co. |
Daniel and David Bennett (259; 308) |
1855 |
Waring Talvert |
Owner |
Richmond |
Anthony Loney |
1857 |
|
Nickless Templeman |
Owner |
Richmond |
George Sperryman |
1856 |
|
Hezekiah Thompson |
Sold to trader |
Richmond |
John Thompson |
1857 |
|
Captain Tucker |
US Navy |
Richmond |
Richard Robinson |
1857 |
|
David B. Turner |
Merchant |
Richmond |
Jack Scott (lived in NY with Turner) |
1857 |
|
Margaret Tyler |
Widow |
Richmond |
William Taylor |
1857 |
|
Unknown -- Hired to |
John Stabbard |
Hedgeville |
Reuben Bowles |
? |
|
John Walker |
Manufacturer |
Williamsburg |
James Burrell |
1854 |
|
Col. J.H. Wheeler |
U.S. Minister |
D.C. |
Jane Johnson |
1855 |
|
Josiah Wells |
Owner |
Norfolk |
Anthony Atkinson |
1855 |
|
Abigail Wheeler |
Owner |
Portsmouth |
Moses Wines |
? |
|
Louise E. White |
Widow |
Richomd |
James Mercer & Wm. Henry Gilliam |
1854 |
|
Lovey White |
Widow |
Norfolk |
Alan Tatum |
1855 |
|
Turner and White |
Merchants |
Norfolk |
William Nelson |
1855 |
|
John Williams |
Owner |
Western Shore |
Lucy Garrett |
? |
|
Dr. George Wilson |
Physician |
Norfolk |
Archer Barlow |
1853 |
|
S.J. Wilson |
Merchant |
Portsmouth |
Willis Redick |
1853 |
|
William H. Wilson |
Cashier |
Portsmouth |
Robert Emerson |
1857 |
|
James Woodhouse |
Farmer |
Plymouth, NC |
Henry Stewart |
1855 |
|