Edward H. Nabb Research Center for Delmarva History & Culture Enduring Connections: Exploring Delmarva's Black History

Record Detail

Record #77 from Abstracts from William Still's Underground Railroad

Traveler's Names Henry Chambers
Age 24
Description stout made, chestnut color, good-looking, not quite medium height
Alias
Origin- Town/City Sassafras Neck
Origin- County Kent
Origin- State Maryland
Destination Canada
Birthplace
Slaveowner's Name William Rybold
Chapter Title Sundry Arrivals--Latter part of December, 1855 and Beginning of January, 1856
Page Number 338
Other Travelers Joseph Cornish, Lewis Francis, Alexander Munson, Samuel and Ann Scott, Wm Henry Laminson, Henry and Eliza Washington, Henry Chambers, John Chambers, Samuel Fall, Thomas Anderson
Other Conductors
Additional Names
Method of Travel
Additional Resources
Items in Possession
Full Narrative HENRY CHAMBERS, John Chambers, Samuel Fall, and Jonathan Fisher. This party represented the more promising-looking field-hand slave population of Maryland. Henry and John were brothers, twenty-four and twenty- six years of age, stout made, chestnut color, good-looking, but in height not quite medium. Henry " owed service or labor," to a fellow-man by the name of William Rybold, a farmer living near Sassafras Neck, Md. Henry evidently felt, that he did master Rybold no injustice in testifying that he knew no good of him, although he had labored under him like a beast of burden all his days. He had been " clothed meanly," and " poorly fed." He also alleged, that his mistress was worse than his master, as she would "think nothing of knocking and beating the slave women for nothing." John was owned by Thomas Murphy. From that day to this, Thomas may have been troubling his brain to know why his man John treated him so shabbily as to leave him in the manner that he did. Jack had a good reason for his course, nevertheless. In his corn field-phrase he declared, that his master Murphy would not give you half clothes, and besides he was a " hard man," who kept Jack working out on hire. Thereiore, feeling his wrongs keenly, Jack decided, with his other friends, to run off and be free.

If you are citing this record, please use the following format:

[Author (if known)], Abstracts from William Still's Underground Railroad, [Date (if known)], Enduring Connections: Exploring Delmarva’s Black History, Nabb Research Center, Salisbury University.

Pinned records can be viewed at any time by clicking the More menu in the top right corner of the page, then selecting My Pinned Records.