Runaway Slave Blog

One of my hobbies is researching my family genealogy. I've been successful in tracing my family back to the 1870 U.S. census. Records for many African-Americans in the southern United States prior to that decade are difficult to research being that many were not free. The "Slave" population was counted for census and property taxation purposes on a document called "Slave Schedules." These schedules listed the White owner's first and last name followed by first names of slaves. For the slave it gave each one's age, gender and racial identity (either black or mulatto). I've sometimes seen the slave's estimated book value listed in county records.

Yes, it was a sad and cruel time for Black people in the American south back in those days. Today I was reminded of that sad history while researching slave activities on a plantation I believe my family to have resided at in the post-civil war south. Funny how that word "resided" leaves much to be desired. Property is the correct word, but I just can't bring myself to label them in that way here.

Well, while searching the web today I came across a blog simply titled "Runaway Slave Blog." The blog is a compilation of runaway slave notices, many listing reward amounts, taken from eight Tennessee newspapers of the day. What struck me like a whip was not that an owner would post a lost property ad in a newspaper classified section offering a reward, but that almost half the ads were posted as "Jailor's Notices."

After reading some of the "Jailor's Notices" I realized that the jailor/sheriff could and would commit to his jail any negro who either could not produce a traveling pass from his master or did not have manumission papers on him to prove his freedom. For the jailed runaway slave it was an ordeal of complete fear; fear of what would happen if his master didn't come and claim him as well as fear of how the master would deal with him if and when he arrived.

For the free negro caught without his freedom papers the fear was not of a master but the racist prejudice and reward seeker's greed to profit from what was then southern justice. The southern judicial system for the jailed free negro was a system of guilty until proven innocent. And without proof of freedom many freed negroes in the south were captured and sold into slavery. There's a well documented case of a northern negro man (Solomon Northrup) from upstate New York who was kidnapped and sold into slavery in 1841. One jailor summed up his ad in the list as follows:

The owner is requested to come forward, prove property, pay charges and take him away, or he will be dealt with as the law directs.

Also included in this list of notices are ads for sale, hiring and estate auctioning of slaves. Think of it as the human craigslist of the 1800's south. I challenge anyone reading this to try reading some of these ads without feeling a knot form in your throat or gut. I believe any person of any race in today's society will agree that what these humans with dark skin suffered through was not only unjust but inhumane. Just because it was the law did not make it just.

My final thought was how could honest and respectable free citizens in a slave community argue that slavery was good for the negro, when the proof of the slave's discontent was staring them right in the face from their morning newspaper advertisement section? I don't think the slave was running away from a safe and loving home to say the least.

Here's the ad that my family search led me to:

13 MARCH 1840 : Memphis Enquirer

$30 Reward.

RANAWAY from the subscriber on the 1st instant, living in Desoto county, Mississippi, 35 miles south east from Memphis, a Negro Boy called PAUL, of common size, dark color, 5 feet 8 or 10 inches high, 21 or 22 years old, had on boots when he left. I suppose he is lurking about Skipwith’s in Memphis, as he came of the Carey family. I will give the above reward for him if delivered to me, or $20 for him if lodged in a jail so that I get him.

L.P.C. BURFORD