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

Source Information

Runaway Slave Advertisements (Maryland State Archives: Beneath the Underground database)

Underground Railroad and Runaways • 677 Records • Uploaded September 30, 2022 • Data Website: slavery2.msa.maryland.gov

Included in this source are runaway advertisements that slaveowners placed in local papers in an attempt to retrieve their escaped slaves. Other advertisements were placed by County Sheriffs trying to return runaways to their owners.

This source includes only records from Eastern Shore counties; for records from all other Maryland counties, please visit the Legacy of Slavery website. The Maryland State Archives’ Legacy of Slavery in Maryland includes a database of transcribed records found in the Archives—Beneath the Underground—that relate to slavery and the underground Railroad, especially between 1830 and 1880. The Beneath the Underground website is an ongoing research effort to identify, utilize and make accessible all records which pertain to slavery in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries in Maryland. The extensive website also includes case studies highlighting individuals, interactive maps, and resources for studying the history of slavery in Maryland; the website can be found at the link provided.

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Fields Included

The list below shows the data fields included in this source. If a field is marked as Indexed, it is searchable.

  • Ad Date
  • County Indexed
  • Fugitive Age Indexed
  • Fugitive Date of Birth
  • Fugitive First Name Indexed
  • Fugitive Gender Indexed
  • Fugitive Surname Indexed
  • Owner County Indexed
  • Owner First Name Indexed
  • Owner Surname Indexed
  • Owner Location Indexed
  • Owner State Indexed
  • Press Date
  • Reward Amount Indexed
  • Run Date
  • Details Indexed
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