The Underground Railroad in Chester County

Chester County figured very prominently on the Underground Railroad, aided largely by its many Quaker inhabitants, many of whom worked diligently for the freedom of the slaves.

There were numerous routes through the county that were used to send the slaves northward to freedom. Many crossed the Susquehanna River at points near Havre de Grace and were forwarded by Lancaster County conductors; more still came through Wilmington. The northern route through Chester County generally involved the efforts of James Fulton, Gideon Pierce, Thomas Bonsall, Thomas Vickers, John Vickers, Esther Lewis and her daughters, Dr. Edwin Fussell, William Fussell, Norris Maris, Emmor Kimber, Elijah Pennypacker and Lewis Peart.
Elijah Pennypacker's White Horse Farm in Schuylkill township, built around 1770, became a major depot on the Railroad in 1840, aiding hundreds on their way to freedom. In many cases, Pennypacker personally carried fugitves on to Daniel Ross's place in Norristown and other points to the north and east.

In Vincent, Esther Lewis and her daughters not only provided a safe-house on the northern route, but also nursed many fugitives back to health if they were sick or worn out from their flight to freedom.

The more common southern route had several different branches, some of which intersected stations on the northern route, most often at the homes of Fulton or Pierce in Ercildoun, Esther Lewis or Elijah Pennypacker.

The main route from Wilmington led first to Allen and Maria Agnew's, then to Isaac and Dinah Mendenhall's, next to Dr. Bartholomew Fussell in Kennett, on to John and Hannah Cox or Sarah D. Barnard in East Marlborough, Eusebeus and Sarah Marsh Barnard were next in Pocopson, then to Issac and Thamsine Merdeith or Mordecai and Esther Hayes in Newlin, next to James Fulton and Gideon Pierce in Ercildoun, on to Zebulon Thomas and his daughters in Downingtown, next to Micajah and William Speakman in Uwchlan, on to John Vikers and Charles Moore in Lionville or Esther Lewis and her daughters, next to William Fussell, Dr. Edwin Fussell or Norris Maris in West Vincent and finally to Elijah Pennypacker's.

Another southern branch passed by way of Chandler Darlington's in Kennett, to Benjamin Price in East Bradford, then to the Darlington sisters and Abram D. Shadd in West Chester. Here the route branched, one prtion of it joining the middle route at John vickers and the other leading to Nathan Evans in Willistown. Nathan Evans was aided at times by Davis Garrett of Willistown.

At times, it was necessary to send fugitives slightly off the established paths, paticularly when there were slave traders in pursuit, In these cases, the northern route might branch to several other houses in the area to be aided by other knwon Abolitionists. These included Dr. Augustsus W. Cain, Joshua Brinton, Joseph Moore, Joseph Fulton, J. William Thorne, James Williams, William Trimble, and Louis Peart. Along the southern route were Amos and Mahlon Preston, and Benjamin and Hannah Kent in Penn township.

Though the route of the Underground Railroad was often very dangerous for both the fugitives and their carriers, with the exception of a few cases in York county in the very early period, no slave was ever captured while under the care or direction of the dedicated and resourceful 'railroaders'.

Below is a listing of known conductors on the Underground Railroad from Chester County:

Agnew, Allen.
Agnew, Maria.
Barnard, Eusebius
Barnard, Sarah D.
Barnard, Sarah Marsh.
Barnard, Simon.
Barnard, Wm.
Bonsall, Abram.
Bonsall, Thomas.
Carson, Cbarles.
Cain, Dr. Augustus W.
Coates, Levi.
Corson.
Cox, John.
Cox, Hannah.
Darlington, Chandler.
Darlington, Hannah M.
Darlington sisters.
Evans, Nathan.
Fulton, James, Jr.
Fulton, Joseph.
Fussell, Dr. Bartholomew.
Fussell, Dr. Edwin.
Fussell, Wm.
Groff, John A.
Haines, Joseph.
Hambleton, Charles.
Hambleton, Eli.
Hambleton, Thomas.
Hamer, Jesse.
Hayes, Esther.
Hayes, Mordecai.
Hayes, Jacob.
Hopkins, Thomas.
Jackson, Wm.
Kent, Benj.
Kent, Hannah.
Kimber, Emmor.
Kirk, Isaiah.
Lewis, Elizabeth.
Lewis, Esther.
Lewis, Grace Anna.
Lewis, Marianne.
Lindley, Jacob.
Maris, Morris.
Marsh, Gravner.
Mendenhall, Dinah.
Mendenhall, Isaac.
Meredith, Isaac.
Meredith, Thamazine.
Moore, Charles.
Moore, Joseph.
Painter, Samuel M.
Peart, Lewis.
Pennypacker, Elijah F.
Pierce, Benjamin.
Pierce, Gideon.
Price, George D.
Preston, Amos.
Preston, Mahlon.
Richards, Henry.
Shadd, Abraham D.
Speakman, Micajah.
Speakman, Wm. A.
Sugar, John.
Sugar, Wm.
Taylor, Wm. W.
Thomas, Zebulon.
Thorne, J. Williams.
Trimble, Wm.
Vickers, John.
Vickers, Parson.
Vickers, Thomas.
Walton.
Walker, Enoch.
Whitson, Moses.
Williams, James.
Williamson, Seymour C.
Wood. James.