The Underground Railroad in Virginia

The underground railroad. A record of facts, authentic narratives, letters &c., narrating the hardships, hair-breadth escapes and death struggles of the slaves in their efforts for freedom,

As chairman of the Vigilance Committee of the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society and conductor on the Philadelphia Underground Railroad station, William Still recorded the testimonies of nearly a thousand fugitives who traveled through Philadelphia during their escapes to freedom. This section of Fugitive Data Portraits will include an analysis of the almost three hundred individuals who self-emancipated from Virginia. Still's records include information concerning age, sex, mode of transportation, literacy, date of escape, whether or not an individual was armed, and the reward amount for their capture, if any. Moreover, these records also offer an opportunity to analyze the themes and topics discussed in the testimonies themselves. Each account is rich with reflections on family and friends, joy and pain, freedom and slavery, and a full range of ideas from these freedom fighters.