Originally published: Lancaster, Pa. : Office of the Journal, 1883.
Includes index.
African American resources at Lancaster County Historical Society.
Summary
This book was written in 1883 by Robert Clemons Smedley, a Chester County Pennsylvania physician who interviewed participants in the underground railroad. He was not a historian and was not unbiased. But he is considered to have been conscientious in his efforts to record the stories he was told. He wrote about events as described to him by person who themselves were involved, both those fleeing slavery and those assisting them.Topics in chapters 1 & 2 include William Wright and Columbia, PA. Chapter 8 is about the "Christiana Tragedy".
Gilbert family history : the story of John Gilbert who emigrated in 1682 from Cornwall, England to Bucks County, Pennsylvania and some of his descendants : including the Walton and Rakestraw families, and an account of the Indian captivity of the family of Benjamin Gilbert and Elizabeth Walton
Just over the line: Chester County and the underground railroad. A catalogue to accompany an exhibition organized by the Chester County Historical Society
"This catalogue accompanies an exhibition held at Chester County Historical Society February 7, 2002 to December 31, 2002."-- T.p. verso.
Summary
Although this resource is described as a "catalogue", its contents are a series of articles about the underground railroad in Chester County.
"Relates the exciting tales of the legendary Underground Railroad in Chester County, Pennsylvania, an area on the front lines of the antebellum struggle over slavery and black freedom. Examines the spectrum of opinion among Quakers, the prominence of black activists, and the interracial cooperation essential to the Underground Railroad's success." [from Worldcat.org]
Prior to 1813, these townships were actually in parts of Chester, Lancaster, and Dauphin Cos., Pa. These tax lists cover East Hanover, Hanover, and West Hanover Twps. for the period of 1750-1783 and for the Londonderry area during the years 1775 through 1783. Residents petitioned the courts for boundary changes in 1736 and 1737, and again in 1768, requesting divisions and changes in boundaries due to "inconveniences by largeness of the township(s)." Residents living there were assessed and tax lists were created during this period. [from the publisher]
