George Parsons and his Quaker neighbors played an active role in the Underground Railroad. Chapter X (pages 150-156) of "History of Morgan County, Ohio" tells a wonderful tale of the Underground Railroad, whereby slaves were secreted away from Virginia. The story is told of a "train" of passengers coming through Morgan county, pursued by slave hunters, and the clever efforts of Quakers in the region (use of the pronoun "thee" indicates that the speaker was a Quaker) to mislead and otherwise frustrate the slavers. At one point the train spends a night in the barn of George Parsons, demonstrating that his Quaker homestead was a "stop" on the railroad.
My favorite piece of the story involves Isaac Clendenin, where the townsfolk leave a false trail to his house, suggesting that the slaves are hidden there (the slaves are actually on the road, elsewhere). The slavers demand to search his house, but he insists they provide a warrant. So the slavers spend a damp and rainy night waiting for the warrant, then search his house and find nothing. So the slavers move toward the other house on the property, in order to search it. At this point Isaac stops them, in the beautiful vignette below:
" 'Thee has a warrant to search Isaac Clendenin's house, but that is my mother's house; thee has no warrant to search it, and thee shall not.' This, with increased taunts and jeers, so exasperated them [the slavers] that one of the hot-headed searchers indiscreetly presented a revolver in a threatening manner. The proposition was accepted by the drop of rifles from the shoulders of the squirrel-hunters [Isaac and friends] and the clicking of locks. This demonstrative argument was equally convincing. and with the oozing of courage from the slave hunter the pistol resumed its place in his pocket."
https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/MRJR-DW5
Contributor: ET (47514618) •
My favorite piece of the story involves Isaac Clendenin, where the townsfolk leave a false trail to his house, suggesting that the slaves are hidden there (the slaves are actually on the road, elsewhere). The slavers demand to search his house, but he insists they provide a warrant. So the slavers spend a damp and rainy night waiting for the warrant, then search his house and find nothing. So the slavers move toward the other house on the property, in order to search it. At this point Isaac stops them, in the beautiful vignette below:
" 'Thee has a warrant to search Isaac Clendenin's house, but that is my mother's house; thee has no warrant to search it, and thee shall not.' This, with increased taunts and jeers, so exasperated them [the slavers] that one of the hot-headed searchers indiscreetly presented a revolver in a threatening manner. The proposition was accepted by the drop of rifles from the shoulders of the squirrel-hunters [Isaac and friends] and the clicking of locks. This demonstrative argument was equally convincing. and with the oozing of courage from the slave hunter the pistol resumed its place in his pocket."
https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/MRJR-DW5
Contributor: ET (47514618) •
George Parsons and his Quaker neighbors played an active role in the Underground Railroad. Chapter X (pages 150-156) of "History of Morgan County, Ohio" tells a wonderful tale of the Underground Railroad, whereby slaves were secreted away from Virginia. The story is told of a "train" of passengers coming through Morgan county, pursued by slave hunters, and the clever efforts of Quakers in the region (use of the pronoun "thee" indicates that the speaker was a Quaker) to mislead and otherwise frustrate the slavers. At one point the train spends a night in the barn of George Parsons, demonstrating that his Quaker homestead was a "stop" on the railroad.
My favorite piece of the story involves Isaac Clendenin, where the townsfolk leave a false trail to his house, suggesting that the slaves are hidden there (the slaves are actually on the road, elsewhere). The slavers demand to search his house, but he insists they provide a warrant. So the slavers spend a damp and rainy night waiting for the warrant, then search his house and find nothing. So the slavers move toward the other house on the property, in order to search it. At this point Isaac stops them, in the beautiful vignette below:
" 'Thee has a warrant to search Isaac Clendenin's house, but that is my mother's house; thee has no warrant to search it, and thee shall not.' This, with increased taunts and jeers, so exasperated them [the slavers] that one of the hot-headed searchers indiscreetly presented a revolver in a threatening manner. The proposition was accepted by the drop of rifles from the shoulders of the squirrel-hunters [Isaac and friends] and the clicking of locks. This demonstrative argument was equally convincing. and with the oozing of courage from the slave hunter the pistol resumed its place in his pocket."
https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/MRJR-DW5
Contributor: ET (47514618) •
My favorite piece of the story involves Isaac Clendenin, where the townsfolk leave a false trail to his house, suggesting that the slaves are hidden there (the slaves are actually on the road, elsewhere). The slavers demand to search his house, but he insists they provide a warrant. So the slavers spend a damp and rainy night waiting for the warrant, then search his house and find nothing. So the slavers move toward the other house on the property, in order to search it. At this point Isaac stops them, in the beautiful vignette below:
" 'Thee has a warrant to search Isaac Clendenin's house, but that is my mother's house; thee has no warrant to search it, and thee shall not.' This, with increased taunts and jeers, so exasperated them [the slavers] that one of the hot-headed searchers indiscreetly presented a revolver in a threatening manner. The proposition was accepted by the drop of rifles from the shoulders of the squirrel-hunters [Isaac and friends] and the clicking of locks. This demonstrative argument was equally convincing. and with the oozing of courage from the slave hunter the pistol resumed its place in his pocket."
https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/MRJR-DW5
Contributor: ET (47514618) •
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