Record #36 from Abstracts from William Still's Underground Railroad - Enduring Connections

Traveler's Names	Lavina Woolfley
Age	–
Description	–
Alias	–
Origin- Town/City	–
Origin- County	–
Origin- State	–
Destination	–
Birthplace	–
Slaveowner's Name	Samuel Harrington
Chapter Title	Two female passengers from Maryland
Page Number	165
Other Travelers	Ann Johnson, Lavina Woolfley
Other Conductors	–
Additional Names	–
Method of Travel	–
Additional Resources	–
Items in Possession	–
Full Narrative	Lavina, Ann's companion, was the wife of James Woolfley. She and her husband set out together, with six others, and were of the party of eight who were betrayed into Dover jail, as has already been described in these pages. After fighting their way out of the jail, they separated (for prudential reasons). The husband of Lavina, immediately after the conflict at the jail, passed on to Canada, leaving his wife under the protection of friends. Since that time several months had elapsed, but of each other nothing had been known, before she received information on her arrival at Philadelphia. The Committee was glad to inform her, that her husband had safely passed on to Canada, and that she would be aided on also, where they could enjoy freedom in a free country.

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.

Similar Records in this Source

Traveler's Names Ann Jonston

Age 24

Alias –

Origin- Town/City Cambridge

Origin- State Maryland

Destination Canada

Birthplace –

Slaveowner's Name Samuel Harrington and William Moore

All Fields in This Record

Traveler's Names Ann Jonston

Age 24

Description Tall and of a dark chestnut

Alias –

Origin- Town/City Cambridge

Origin- County Dorchester

Origin- State Maryland

Destination Canada

Birthplace –

Slaveowner's Name Samuel Harrington and William Moore

Chapter Title Two female passengers from Maryland

Page Number 164

Other Travelers Ann Johnson, Lavina Woolfley

Other Conductors –

Additional Names –

Method of Travel –

Additional Resources –

Items in Possession –

Full Narrative It is, therefore, a pleasure to thus transfer from the old Record book the names of Ann Johnson and Lavina Woolfley, who fled from Maryland in 1857. Their lives, however, had not been in any way very remarkable. Ann was tall, and of a dark chestnut color, with an intelligent countenance, and about twenty-four years of age. She had filled various situations as a Slave. Sometimes she was required to serve in the kitchen, at other times she was required to toil in the field, with the plow, hoe, and the like.Samuel Harrington, of Cambridge District, Maryland,
was the name of the man for whose benefit Ann labored during her younger days. She had no hesitation in saying, that he was a very " ill-natured man;"he however, was a member of the "old time Methodist Church." In Slave property he had invested only to the extent of some five or six head. About three years previous to Ann's escape, one of her brothers fled and went to Canada. This circumstance so enraged the owner, that he declared he would " sell all " he owned. Accordingly Ann was soon put on the auction block, and was bought by a man who went by the name of William
Moore. Moore was a married man, who, with his wife, was addicted to in-temperance and carousing. Ann found that she had simply got "out of the fire into the frying-pan." She was really at a loss to tell when her lot was the harder, whether under the "rum drinker," or the old time Methodist. In this state of mind she decided to leave all and go to Canada, the refuge for the fleeing bondman.

Click on a field to move that field into top summary row for all records in this source.

View Record

Prev. Record in Source

Next Record in Source

About Abstracts from William Still's Underground Railroad

Print Record

Original Unavailable