As these checkered scenes of my early life reflectively present themselves to my mind at my advanced state of life, I wonder how I withstood all the abuse and cruelty of these early years. Our lives are largely composed of sorrow and joy, but my cup, it seems to me, has been full to overflowing with sorrow, but God has been my strength and my salvation, and has brought me thus far in the journey of life, and in him I trust, praying that in his good time he will take me to that heavenly home where our earthly trials will cease and where there will be no more sorrow.
—Isaac Mason, preface to Life of Isaac Mason as a Slave (1893)
Acts of Resistance
The mid-19th century, a time shadowed by the cruel institution of enslavement in the United States, bore witness to a series of harrowing escapes that illuminated the indomitable spirit of enslaved individuals. The actions of people such as Isaac Mason, Mary the Slave Girl, and Rachel and Elizabeth Parker were not just fights for freedom but acts of resistance against an oppressive system.
As these checkered scenes of my early life reflectively present themselves to my mind at my advanced state of life, I wonder how I withstood all the abuse and cruelty of these early years. Our lives are largely composed of sorrow and joy, but my cup, it seems to me, has been full to overflowing with sorrow, but God has been my strength and my salvation, and has brought me thus far in the journey of life, and in him I trust, praying that in his good time he will take me to that heavenly home where our earthly trials will cease and where there will be no more sorrow.
Isaac Mason’s Journey to Freedom…
…is a compelling and inspirational story deeply rooted in his experiences in Chester County. Born into enslavement in Kent County, Maryland, Isaac’s quest for freedom began when he was to be sold and sent to New Orleans. Determined to avoid this fate, Isaac sought the help of Joe Brown, a trusted figure in now Galena, Maryland.
His meticulously crafted escape was planned to coincide with the Christmas holidays, a time when the enslaved were usually allowed a modicum of freedom. Isaac exchanged a bushel of oats for a horse and rode to meet Brown. Upon reaching their designated rendezvous point, they were dismayed to find Brown completely intoxicated and in no condition to assist. Looking quickly for an alternative, Isaac led Joshua, a fellow freedom seeker, and George, a young man who was supposed to be sold, to take Isaac’s place. They soon went to his mother’s house, where they were hidden in the attic to wait for the next opportunity to move.
Brown eventually sobered up and instructed them to meet him at Price’s Woods. They took an oath to stand by each other and started a perilous trek to Wilmington, Delaware, that included a close call with a group of fox hunters, which could have ended their quest for freedom.
Once across the Mason-Dixon Line, Isaac worked in Chester County until he found employment in Philadelphia. In 1849, he married Annie (maiden name unknown), and the newlyweds remained in Philadelphia until Mason, working as a construction worker, saw his master’s son in the city. Fearing being returned to Maryland, Isaac Mason and his wife settled in Worcester, MA, after traveling to Ontario, Canada and Haiti. He was involved in civil organizations in Worcester.
Mason returned to Kent County after the Civil War in 1866 as a member of his church’s delegation. He wrote his autobiography, Life of Isaac Mason as a Slave, in 1893, relaying a story that is not just a narrative of escape; it’s a testament to the indomitable human spirit in the face of overwhelming adversity.
Isaac Mason’s courage, resourcefulness, and unwavering determination to be free are profoundly inspiring. He and his companions navigated a landscape of danger and uncertainty, driven by the hope of reaching a land where they could live as free men. His escape from bondage is a powerful reminder of the brutal realities of slavery and the extraordinary lengths to which individuals would go to attain freedom. His journey, marked by fear and fortitude, is a poignant example of the quest for human dignity and self-determination against all odds.
The Cox House at Longwood Farm
Mary, the Slave Girl
“Mary the Slave Girl,” represents another powerful story of resilience and hope. Her life began in the cruel confines of a Virginia plantation where she was subjected to hard labor, constant surveillance, the threat of violence, and separation from family. With little more than the clothes on her back and an unyielding will, she embarked under the cover of darkness.
After she crossed the Mason-Dixon Line into Kennett Township, Mary sought shelter at the cottage of Joseph Wilson, a free African American. No sooner had Wilson’s Irish wife, Jane, admitted her when they heard horsemen and hounds approaching the home. She quickly led Mary upstairs and directed her out the back door and into the creek. After an unsuccessful search of the house, Jane craftily misdirected the bounty hunters’ pursuit.
Mary was soon sent to a Quaker neighbor’s house for a night and then taken to John and Hannah Cox’s Longwood Farm, an Underground Railroad station. She stayed there until the danger had passed. She made her new home at Eber Sharp’s farm (New Garden Township) where she lived until she married Caesar Howard. Had it not been for the quick thinking of the Wilson family, she would have been returned to the Virginia plantation to live out her days in enslavement until the end of the Civil War.
Rachel and Elizabeth Parker
The tragic story of Rachel and Elizabeth Parker, two free African American sisters from Chester County who were kidnapped and sold into slavery, embodies the perilous state of African Americans before the Civil War, even in Pennsylvania, which was supposed to be a “free state.”
The Parker sisters lived in the Nottingham area, in a region that was a hub of abolitionist activity. This was where the nightmare for the Parker family began in 1851. Even though she was a free African American, Elizabeth was abducted from the farm where she lived and worked and taken to Maryland, where she was sold into slavery. Not long after, Rachel suffered the same fate. The kidnappings were orchestrated by bounty hunters who exploited the lucrative business of capturing alleged freedom seekers, which they could do just by deeming them a runaway.
Both black and white abolitionists were outraged and rallied to support their cause, yet when their case eventually went to trial, Thomas McCreary, their abductor, claimed they were freedom seekers. Many residents from the area subsequently traveled to Baltimore to testify on their behalf. Despite their efforts, the immediate trial served only to expose the deeply entrenched racial prejudices and legal biases of the time.
Greatly complicating the matter, amidst the legal battle, Joseph Miller, Rachel Parker’s employer and one of her defenders, was found dead under mysterious circumstances. Initially ruled a suicide, later investigations revealed he had been murdered, likely in connection to his efforts to rescue Rachel. This incident highlighted the extreme dangers faced by those involved in the anti-slavery movement and the lengths to which pro-slavery forces were willing to go to protect their interests.
After a protracted legal battle involving multiple exhumations of Joseph Miller’s body and intense public scrutiny, the Parker sisters were finally released. The intervention of Pennsylvania state officials, including the governor, who appointed high-profile attorneys to represent Rachel in a civil case to establish her identity, was crucial in securing their freedom. Their release in 1853 marked the end of a long, tumultuous ordeal and symbolized a significant victory for the abolitionist cause.
The inspiring tales of Isaac Mason, Mary the Slave Girl, and Rachel and Elizabeth Parker are not just individual narratives of courage and resilience, but they collectively paint a vivid picture of the Underground Railroad’s significance and the pivotal role played by the residents of Chester County. Intertwined with the fabric of history, their stories reveal the community’s unwavering commitment to the fight for freedom and justice.