Beginning Date
Friday, August 15, 1856
Starting Point
Freedom Seekers Mentioned By Name
Nancy (age 16)
Slaveholders Mentioned By Name
W.T. Christy
UGRR Operatives Mentioned By Name
William Smith
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
Single Slaveholder
Women and/or children runaways
UGRR Involvement
Arrests
Court Hearing
Imprisonment
Escape Numbers
1
Outcome
Recapture/Death
Notes on Sources
Blackett, The Captive's Quest, 148; St. Louis Missouri Republican, August 17, 18, 1856 (HMO)