OHIO STATEWIDE FILES OH-FOOTSTEPS Mailing List *********************************************************************** USGENWEB NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. *********************************************************************** OH-FOOTSTEPS-D Digest Volume 99 : Issue 455 Today's Topics: #1 HAMILTON COUNTY PART 36 [AUPQ38A@prodigy.com (MRS GINA M RE] #2 SAMUEL B. VOYLES - SOUVENIR SKETCH [AUPQ38A@prodigy.com (MRS GINA M RE] #3 COURT RECORDS: RICHLAND CO, TRUCKS ["James McCluer" Subject: HAMILTON COUNTY PART 36 Content-Type: Text/Plain; charset=US-ASCII HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS By Henry Howe, LL.D., 1898 HAMILTON COUNTY PART 36 The reputed President of the Underground Railroad, LEVI COFFIN, philanthropist, was born October 28, 1798, near New Garden, North Carolina, and of Quaker parentage. His ancestors were from Nantucket, and he was a farmer and teacher. His sympathies were enlisted in favor of the slaves, and when a lad of but fifteen he began to aid in their escape. In 1826 he settled in Wayne county, Indiana, kept a country store, cured pork and manufactured linseed oil. Meanwhile his interest in the slaves continued, and he was active in the Underground Railroad, by which thousands of escaping slaves were aided by him on their way to Canada, including Eliza Harris, the heroine of "Uncle Tom's Cabin." In 1847 he removed to Cincinnati and opened and continued for years a store where only were sold goods produced by free labor, at the same time continuing his efforts for the escape of slaves. In the war period he aided in the various cities and collected funds for the Freedmen's Commission. On the adoption of the Fifteenth Amendment he formally resigned his office of President of the Underground Railroad, which he had held for more than thirty years. He died in 1877. He "Reminiscences," published by Robert Clarke & Co., is a highly interesting volume, from which the following narratives are derived in an abridged form. ELIZA HARRIS'S ESCAPE Eliza Harris, of "Uncle Tom's Cabin," the slave woman who crossed the Ohio river on the drifting ice, with her child in her arms, was sheltered for several days and aided to escape by Levi Coffin, he then residing at Newport, Ind. Harriet Beecher Stowe's graphic description of this woman's experiences is almost identical with the real facts in the case. The originals of Simeon and Rachael Halliday, the quaker couple alluded to in her remarkable work, were Levi and Catharine Coffin. Eliza Harris's master lived a few miles back from the Ohio river, below Ripley, Ohio, Her treatment from master and mistress was kind; but they having met with financial reverses, it was decided to sell Eliza, and she, learning of this and the probable separation of herself and child, determined to escape. That night, with her child in her arms, she started on foot for the Ohio river. She reached the river near daybreak, and instead of finding it frozen over, it was filled with large blocks of floating ice. Thinking it impossible to cross, she ventured to seek shelter in a house near by, where she was kindly received. She hoped to find some way of crossing the next night, but during the day the ice became more broken and dangerous, making the river seemingly impassable. Evening came on when her pursuers were seen approaching the house. Made desperate through fear, she seized her infant in her arms, darted out the back door and ran toward the river, followed by her pursuers. Fearing death less than separation from her babe, she clasped it to her bosom and sprang on the first cake of ice, and from that to another, and then to another, and so on. Sometimes the ice would sink beneath her; then she would slide her child on the next cake, and pull herself on with her hands. Wet to the waist, her hands benumbed with cold, she approached the Ohio shore nearly exhausted. A man, who had been standing on the bank watching her in amazement, assisted her to the shore. After recovering her strength, she was directed to a house on a hill in the outskirts of Ripley, which is that shown on page 336 of the "Ohio Historical Collection," this edition. Here she was cared for, and after being provided with food and dry clothing, was forwarded from station to station on the Underground Railroad until she reached the home of Levi Coffin. Here she remained several days until she and her child, with other fugitives, were forwarded via the Greenville branch of the Underground Railroad to Sandusky, and from thence to Chatham, Canada West, where she finally settled, and where years after Mr. Coffin met her. THE MARGARET GARNER CASE One of the most remarkable of the cases that occurred under the Fugitive Slave law and one which aroused deep sympathy and widespread interest during the latter part of January, 1856, was that of Margaret Garner, the slave mother who killed her child rather than see it taken back to slavery. She was one of a party of seventeen who, though closely pursued, had escaped to Cincinnati. The party had separated at this point for greater safety, and Margaret with her four children and husband, Robert, together with Robert's parents, Simon and Mary, had sought shelter at a house below Mill creek, the home of a free colored man named Kite, who had formerly been a slave in their neighborhood. Kite did not consider his house a safe place for the fugitives and had gone to consult Levi Coffin as to measures for their removal along the Underground Railroad and was returning, when he found the house surrounded by the masters of the slaves, with officers and a posse of men. The doors and windows were barred, but a window was soon battered down, and although the slaves made a brave resistance, several shots being fired and slaves and officers wounded, the fugitives were soon overcome and dragged from the house. At this moment Margaret, seeing that escape was hopeless, seized a butcher-knife that lay on a table and with one stroke cut the throat of her little daughter, whom she probably loved best. She then attempted to kill herself and the other children, but was overpowered. The whole party was then arrested and lodged in jail. The trial lasted two weeks, during which time the court-room was crowded. Colonel Chambers, of Cincinnati and Messrs. Wall & Tinnell, of Covington, appeared for the claimants; Messrs. Joliffe & Getchell for the slaves. The counsel for the defence proved that Margaret had been brought to Cincinnati by her owners, a number of years before, and, according to the law which liberated slaves who were brought into free States with the consent of their masters, she had been free from that time, and her children, all of whom had been born since, were likewise free. The Commissioner, however, decided that a voluntary return from a free to a slave State reattached the conditions of slavery. A futile attempt was made to try Margaret for murder and the others as accessories, and State warrants were issued. Lawyer Jolliffe pressed the motion to have them served, for said he, "The fugitives have all assured me that they will go singing to the gallows rather than be returned to slavery." They were finally indicted for murder, but owing to the provisions of the law of 1850 they could not be tried on that charge while in their owner's custody. Margaret was a bright-eyed intelligent looking mulatto, about twenty-two years of age. She had a high forehead, arched eyebrows, but the thick lips and broad nose of the African. On the left side of her face were two scars. When asked what caused them she said: "White man struck me." That was all, but it betrays a story of cruelty and degradation and perhaps gives the keynote of her resolve rather to die than to back to slavery. During the trial her bearing was one of extreme sadness and despondency. The case seemed to stir every heart that was alive to the emotions of humanity. The interest manifested by all classes was not so much for the legal principles involved as for the mute instincts that mould every human heart - the undying love of freedom that is planted in every breast - the resolve to die rather than to submit to a life of degradation and bondage. After the trial the slaves were returned to Kentucky. It was reported that Margaret while being transported down the Ohio river had jumped off the boat with her babe in her arms, that the deck hands rescued her, but the child was drowned. Her subsequent fate is wrapped in obscurity. -continued in part 37 ______________________________ ------------------------------ X-Message: #2 Date: Tue, 6 Jul 1999 15:42:41, -0500 From: AUPQ38A@prodigy.com (MRS GINA M REASONER) To: OH-FOOTSTEPS-L@rootsweb.com Message-Id: <199907061942.PAA13142@mime3.prodigy.com> Subject: SAMUEL B. VOYLES - SOUVENIR SKETCHES Content-Type: Text/Plain; charset=US-ASCII BIOGRAPHICAL AND HISTORICAL SOUVENIR For the Counties of Clark, Crawford, Harrison, Floyd, Jefferson, Jennings, Scott and Washington, Indiana Chicago Printing co., 1889 Page 272-273 SAMUEL B. VOYLES - A prominent lawyer of Salem, was born in Washington County, Indiana, in 1844. His father, William Voyles, is also to the "manor born." He was born in Washington county seventy-three years ago, is still living and is one of the highly respected farmers of the county. William Voyles' father, whose name was also William, was a North Carolinian by birth and was a private soldier in Gen. Gates' army in the war of the revolution. He was among the earliest pioneers in Washington county. S.B. Voyles' mother was Barbara Wilson, a daughter of Richard Wilson, the latter a native of North Carolina, migrating from there to the county, and was among the first who settled here. His mother and a sister older than himself died in 1844. S.B. Voyles remained on his father's farm until he was eighteen years old, when he entered the army in an Indiana regiment, and for three years fought in all the principal battles of his regiment. At the end of his time of enlistment he returned home, going thence to Missouri where he read law, and in 1868 attended the St. Louis Law School. In 1869 he was admitted to practice at Salem where he has successfully continued ever since. At two elections he was chosen Prosecuting Attorney for his Judicial Circuit, composed of Jackson and Washington counties and in this office he served faithfully and energetically for four years. In 1880 after an acrimonious contest for the nomination he was selected and afterward elected to the Indiana Senate for the district composed of Washington and Floyd counties, and while a member of the Senate he was one of the acknowledged leaders of that body and served at the head of several important committees. Mr. Voyles is now serving as one of the Commissioners of the State Monument Board, appointed by the Governor, and as a member of this Board he aided in the selection of the celebrated design for the State Soldiers' Monument at Indianapolis. He was married in 1873 to Miss Maud Huston, of Salem, a woman of superior intelligence and culture. Their children are: Willard, Clara, Tom, Kate and Barbara. Mr. Voyles owns a beautiful home at Salem and is otherwise well fixed in a financial way. He is a good lawyer and is truly a self-made man. He enjoyed none of the educational advantages of the present era, nevertheless he is a man of good natural ability - a student of research, the builder up of his own fortune and the architect of his own fame. ______________________________ ------------------------------ X-Message: #3 Date: Tue, 6 Jul 1999 19:33:42 -0500 From: "James McCluer" To: OH-FOOTSTEPS-L@rootsweb.com Message-ID: <003301bec812$ab350de0$2e914b0c@default> Subject: COURT RECORDS: RICHLAND CO, TRUCKS FAMILY Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Part of an Interesting series of Court documents of the Trucks family in Richland County having legal disputes over the estate of William Trucks Senior. Note the file name matches the court dockett number. *********************************************************************** COURT RECORDS: Deed, Wm Trucks to Elizabeth Slocum October 19, 1831 : Richland County, Ohio Copyright C 1999 by James W. McCluer. This copy contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives. repa@worldnet.att.net ************************************************************************ USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net ************************************************************************ 1839-9-2-6 William Truck deed to Elizabeth Slocum Recd and Recorded Nov. 5th A.D. 1831 Know all men by these presents that I William Trucks Senior of Richland County in the State of Ohio for and consideration of the sum of four hundred dollars to me in hand paid by Elizabeth Slocum the receipt whereof I do hereby acknowledge have given granted, bargained and sold and by these presents do give grant bargain alien release convey and confirm into the said Elizabeth Slocum his(sic) heirs and assigns forever a certain tract or parcel of Said situate lying and being a part of the Northeast quarter of Section Thirty-one Township Twenty Three and Range eighteen of the lands directed to be sold at Canton Ohio beginning at the Northwest corner of the said quarter running thence South to the middle of the Blackfork and thence down the creek in the centre of said creek to the East line of said quarter Section thence North along the East line of said quarter to the North East corner of said quarter. thence west along the North line of said quarter to the place of beginning containing Seventy acres be the same more or less and Situate in Richland County Ohio. To have and to hold the above described premises with their appurtenances to the said Elizabeth Slocum her heirs and assigns to them and their own proper use benefit and behoof forever. And I the said William Trucks Senior for myself any heirs exectutors and administrators do covenant to and with the said Elizabeth Slocum her heirs exectuors adiministrators and assigns that at and until the ensealing hereof I was lawfully seized and [illegible] of the above described premises in fee simple that they are free from all incumbrances and that against all lawful claims and demands of any person or persons whatsoever the said premises of said Elizabeth Slocum and her heirs and assigns I will forever warrant and defend In testimony where of I ahve hereunto set my hand seal this nineteenth day of October A.D. 1831 Signed Sealed and Delivered}William Trucks (seal) in presence of } Samuel Ayers } William Ayers } State of Ohio Richland County Be it remembered that on the nineteenth day of October A.D. 1831 personally appeared before me one of the Justices of the peace in and for said county the above named William Trucks Senior personally known to me to the above named qrantor and acknowledged that he voluntarily executed the above deed for the purpose therin specified. witness my hand and seal James N. Ayers (Seal) Justice of the Peace The State of Ohio Richland County I Wm. W. Irwin Recorder of the aforesaid County do herby certify the foregoing to be a true copy of a deed on Record in my office. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my signature & seal of office at Mansfield the 9th day of Sept. A.D. 1839 Wm. W. Irwin Recorder at Mansfield the 9th day of Sept. A.D. 1839 Wm. W. Irwin Recorder -------------------------------- End of OH-FOOTSTEPS-D Digest V99 Issue #455 *******************************************