Beginning Date
Friday, August 15, 1856
Starting Point
Participants
Freedom Seekers Mentioned By Name
Nancy (age 16)
Slaveholders Mentioned By Name
W.T. Christy
UGRR Operatives Mentioned By Name
William Smith
Description
A 16-year-old enslaved woman named Nancy escaped from her enslaver, W.T. Christy of St. Louis, with the help of a white man named William Smith. The pair were captured on Illinois soil, four miles from Alton. Nancy was re-enslaved, and Smith was sentenced to five years in prison.
Escape Attributes
Escape Attributes
Single Slaveholder
Women and/or children runaways
UGRR Involvement
Arrests
Court Hearing
Imprisonment
Escape Numbers
1
Outcomes
Outcome
Recapture/Death
Sources
Notes on Sources
Blackett, The Captive's Quest, 148; St. Louis Missouri Republican, August 17, 18, 1856 (HMO)