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Harriet Tubman on the grounds of the St. Catharines branch of the British Methodist Episcopal Church of Canada in July 1993. This writer was honoured to have been the keynote speaker on this occasion and has participated in all Tubman commemorations since that time. This would include anniversaries, special occasions, and the most recent honour for the Canadian home of Harriet Tubman, the national historic commemoration of Salem Chapel, British Methodist Episcopal Church in St. Catharines as a national historic site by the Government of Canada in May 2011. In ceremonies leading up to the unveiling, government officials, descendants of Freedom Seekers, and relatives of Harriet Tubman joined together to celebrate her achievements and her legacy of inspiration. Work is now being done to have a Canadian Commemorative Stamp issued in honour of Harriet Tubman. The American Presidential Medal of Freedom is also being sought by her supporters.
The Harriet Tubman monument in Boston.
Photograph courtesy Gregory Matthews.
Harriet Tubman’s dedication, commitment, and courage, her ability to “keep on going,” no matter what the obstacles, and her genuine concern for others show her to be a woman who made a difference — to blacks, to abolitionists, and to North American history. Her example compelled others to forge their own freedom train or assert themselves in dynamic ways, because if this woman could succeed, many felt that they could too.
The following priceless narrative was provided by a Canadian descendant of Harriet Tubman. It was kept safely among her family’s personal collection since it is the freedom story of their ancestors. If you map out the route, you will note that it was not direct to the shortest entry point into Ontario from West Virginia, adding to the duration and the stress involved in the escape. It is possible that routes were blocked, or that the freedom seekers needed to travel in the opposite direction to throw off suspicion that they were headed to Canada. You will note the strong motivation of the individuals to be together, to seek each other out, and to live in freedom no matter the cost.
The Underground Railroad escape story of Lucy Canada (born: July 10, 1813) and Steven Street, as told by their daughter Henrietta Street (a Canadian Tubman connection).
My mother was born in Parkers Burgh, W.V. in 1813. Her Father’s name was Arion Keneday and her Mother’s name was Milla Canada. Mother had Two Brothers and One Sister, her name was Melinda, Brothers were, William and George. Their owners name was Barnes Beckwith, he being the son of an English Gentleman, by the name of Sir Jonathon Beckwith, broken down by sporting with horses, hounds and cards, and the old man kept a lot of hounds at that time. Mother often said that they were not treated like slaves, but she could not bear the thought of not belonging to herself, especially we Three Children. Our names were, as follows: Henrietta Street, Ellen Elizabeth and Andrew Clarke. Clarke was a favored young “Doctor” of the young ladies. The lady was Miss Jane Beckwith, Miss Mary and Mandy and Penelope Beckwith and Two sons, Barnes and Albert, they were all very kind, but that did not suffice. Father belonged to another man, Billy Neil. I have heard him name two or three different ones, Jonas Lewis and Frank Keene, his home (that was Father’s home) was about seven miles from Mother’s. His master was about to sell him when he ran away, travelling under the name of Frank Hammond, fought his way out of the hands of the oppressor and fled to the Land of Freedom, landing in Canada, at Windsor. Father left his Master’s about six weeks before Mother and three children followed him, her two Brothers and a fellow servant named Nero Bansom, he being so white in complexion that he would venture out to the near by houses to seek aid while we lay in a hiding place while he found friends until we arrived at Astibula. There we got on board a schooner and landed at Point Albino, settled in the neighbourhood of Bertie, then Mother advertised for Father and he came at once. Her Brother George came with her and saw her settled but William went to Malden. In a short time we moved near St. Catharines on a farm of one Peter Smith. There they were converted and baptized by Elder Christian of Toronto and became members of the Zion Church in St. Catharines, so in time they moved to Grand River with the intention of making a home there. And here they found the same God that had brought them from the land of bondage and in that humble cabin they erected an altar to the Almighty God to whom they served with Four others, John Taylor, Rosana Allan, Robert Bailey and Kisie Allan. Then at the age of Nineteen, Mother and Father were married, he was Twenty-six years old.
— From the personal collection of Betty Browne, a Canadian descendant of Harriet Tubman
Epilogue
As one of the most successful black women to act as a conductor on the Underground Railroad, Harriet was able to guide perhaps as many as three hundred persons in a total of nineteen trips. While there is question about the exact number of persons that she conducted and the exact number of trips made, it remains that through her courageous activity, many others were inspired to attempt to become freedom seekers or freedom leaders for others.
In later life, Harriet Tubman hinted that she may have made more than nineteen rescue missions on the Underground Railroad. It may be that her method of travel involved adjusting her route if she sensed there was a problem. For example, if she saw someone give her a second look or a questioning glance and she was travelling north, she would change her direction and head south since a person seeking freedom would not be heading into the deep south. Harriet may also have doubled back in other directions due to patrols, weather conditions, or due to an expected contact not being available. Finally, while she never lost a passenger, she may have had to remain in hiding for an extended period.
As previously discussed, pro-slavery forces constantly tried to diminish the agency that black people had, instead wishing to see them as deficient as a group. How could this illiterate woman be so able to spirit away their property? Anti-slavery forces, on the other hand, would be more inclined to overstate the effectiveness and activity of the Underground Railroad to affirm the “created equal” idea of all of mankind.
The Underground Railroad was a secret system of people helping people to be free. It remained secret, save for the staunch advocates who had risked their lives to speak out about it, or write about it. For many who were involved, their stories were not recorded or their deeds not fully shared. They were acting on their conscience and may have chosen to go about their efforts quietly and steadily — or may have helped on a single occasion without a full sense of their contribution.
The cessation of the Civil War and the passage of the Amendments did not assuage the fears that some people had about retribution or punishment, and in fact some were charged with breaking the law since providing assistance to a runaway, a fugitive slave, was against the law. Enslaved Africans seeking their freedom were stealing themselves, stealing their labour from their owners, so being a part of this theft was punishable by law. This is the reason that there are few documents to attest to the authenticity of certain places being safe houses, for example, or for objective verification of individuals’ participation.
In the north, abolition took on a religious zeal, with those who were schooled in theology and well versed in the struggles of people to be free that they gave their lives in fighting slavery. It pitted north against south, blacks against some whites, the morally superior to the “others.” It framed the discussion in every household, whether slave owning or not, because slavery permeated society in a broad way. Every time that Harriet was able to secret out a slave, she was breaking the law and she was making an anti-slavery statement. Even if a person was not escorted by Harriet Tubman, that person may have been informed of the linked safe houses or of a trusted contact by Tubman or by other abolitionists or free blacks. Even if the person never met Tubman, the discussions about her success would have fuelled the imagination of freedom seekers and given hope and inspiration to those about to take that bid for freedom.
Her success was the legacy of hope, not how many exact full trips she was able to travel, and not just about the exact number of persons that she conducted personally to St. Catharines. The Tubman legacy is the legacy of the Underground Railroad — a regular person could successfully find freedom in the northern United States or in Canada, an enslaved person could be freed of their bondage. It