Capt. Jonathan Stone house in Belpre. (Photo provided from Ohio Genealogy Express)

The Underground Railroad (“UGRR”) network helped thousands of slaves escape to freedom. We think of it as a heroic cause where the good guys always won. However, for every enslaved person who escaped, many more were recaptured, tortured, even killed. Mary, a recaptured slave girl, ran away again. A reward poster said she had been branded with the letter “A” on her neck. Branding made it easier to identify runaways.

One runaway slave from the Williams settlement opposite Marietta met a violent end in 1804. “Mike” and another slave escaped in a canoe. The two wandered north into Ohio, then still largely a wilderness. Mike was relieved when a farmer near Gaysport on the Muskingum River allowed them to shelter there. He had made it to freedom, he thought, naively unaware that two black men would attract attention. Word of his location got to Mike’s owner, Joseph Tomlinson II, a Williams relative. He was angry; those two slaves together were worth about $1,000 (maybe $15-$20,000 today). Joseph and five family members went after them. Upon arrival, the other slave ran off. Mike was overtaken by Tomlinson’s son Robert. Mike pulled a knife and killed him. Mike was apprehended and “executed” by the Tomlinsons, a tragic outcome for both slave and owner. His body was left in the open near a stream later named Negro Run.

Ohioans then were conflicted about slavery. Abolitionists wanted to end it. Pro-slavers favored it. Others thought slavery was abhorrent, yet tolerated it in the South. Many people were fearful of getting involved on either side. Rewards for returning runaways were attractive to many. So, though Ohio was a non-slave state, a majority of residents did not favor helping runaway slaves. Also, Ohio and Federal law prohibited actively assisting fugitive slaves. UGRR activity was therefore a risky business.

The Marietta Anti-Slavery Society included civic leaders and Marietta College staff. They were often under the threat of violence. October, 1836: Pro-slavery activist A. V. D. Joline approached the First Baptist Church at Fourth and Putnam Streets with confident excitement. His group of toughs planned to intimidate the Marietta Anti-Slavery Society at its annual meeting. They’d done it before at a Harmar meeting, they’d do it again this night. They planned to end the meeting by force and chase Society members to the adjacent Marietta College campus, using the chaos as cover to burn down the College.

Joline’s group had violently ended a previous Society meeting in Harmar. This time, civic leaders were tipped off and prepared. After Joline went inside, a large armed group of civic leaders, including the mayor and prominent citizens, lined up outside the church. They blocked the route to the college. Joline’s group was shouted down and fled when they saw the armed citizens. Guards were posted around the college that night.

Scan to see Underground Railroad map.

Mariettan David Putnam, Jr. exemplified the courage of UGRR workers. He openly took slaves into his home in Harmar. He fought hard for the abolitionist cause, literally. Henry Burke: “he was willing to settle disputes with diplomacy or with his bare knuckles.” He faced down slave bounty hunters. Historian Wilbur Siebert: “…(Putnam) was hated across the Ohio River (in Virginia) and was attacked by roughs” at Parkersburg. John Stone, stationmaster at Belpre, hid runaways on his farm and moved them on to other stations. It’s said he did not cross the Ohio River to Virginia for over 20 years for fear of attack.

Few records of UGRR volunteers remain; they operated with utmost secrecy. A log kept by Putnam indicate that helping slaves was a 24/7 job. In late August 1843, Putnam records 7 arrivals and departures of “passengers” on the Freedom Train. The log reveals the effort and personal sacrifice of UGRR workers. They persevered, helping thousands of slaves gain freedom.