The Underground Railroad in DeKalb County, Illinois

This book is about previously unidentified people who became Abolitionists involved in the antislavery movement from about 1840 to 1860. Although arrests were made in nearby counties, not one person was prosecuted for aiding a fugitive slave in DeKalb County, Illinois. First, the area Congregationalist, Universalist, Presbyterian and Wesleyan Methodist churches all had compelling antislavery beliefs. Church members, county elected officials, and the Underground Railroad conductors and stationmasters were all one and the same. Additionally, DeKalb County had the highest concentration of subscriptions to the Chicago-based Western Citizen antislavery newspaper. It was an accepted local activity to help escaped slaves. A biographical dictionary includes evidence and personal information for more than 600 men and women, and their families, who defied the prevailing Fugitive Slave Law, and helped the anti-slavery movement in this one Northern Illinois County. Unique photographs and illustrations are included along with notes, bibliography and index.

Author: Nancy M. Beasley
Publisher: McFarland and Company, Inc.
Published: 03/20/2013
Pages: 240
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.95lbs
Size: 9.80h x 6.90w x 0.70d
ISBN13: 9780786472000
ISBN10: 0786472006
BISAC Categories:
- History | United States | Civil War Period (1850-1877)
- Social Science | Ethnic Studies | American | African American & Black Studies

About the Author
Nancy M. Beasley is a civic and social organizer who has served on numerous boards including the Illinois State Police Merit Board. A graduate of Northern Illinois University in music and vocal performance, she lives in Portage, Wisconsin.