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Basic sources on African American history in Delaware
- Peter T. Dalleo, “Selected Sources of African
American History in Nineteenth Century Delaware” (typescript, 1998)
- Patience Essah, A House Divided: Slavery and
Emancipation in Delaware, 1638-1865 (Charlottesville: University of
Virginia, 1996)
- William H. Williams, Slavery and Freedom in
Delaware, 1639-1865 (Wilmington: Scholarly Resources, 1996)
Published Sources on the Underground Railroad
- Charles L. Blockson, “Escape from Slavery: the
Underground Railroad,” National Geographic, July 1984, pp. 3-39
- Charles L. Blockson, The Underground Railroad
(New York: Prentice Hall Press, 1987)
- Catherine Clinton, Harriet Tubman: The Road to
Freedom (New York: Little, Brown and Co., 2004)
- James F. Conlin and J. Cornelius Desmond, “Land of
Boasted Freedom: The Life and Times of Thomas Garrett” (thesis—no
publication information)
- Peter T. Dalleo, “’Persecuted but not forsaken;
cut down but not destroyed’: Solomon and Thamar Bayley, Delawarean
Emigrants to Liberia,” Delaware History 31 (2006-2007): 137-77
- James H. Fairchild, The Underground Railroad
(Cleveland: Western Reserve Historical Society, 1895)
- Larry Gara, The Liberty Line: The Legend of the
Underground Railroad (Lexington, Ky.: University of Kentucky Press,
1961)
- William C. Kashatus, Just Over the Line:
Chester County and the Underground Railroad (West Chester, Pa.:
Chester County Historical Society in cooperation with Penn State
University Press, 2002)
- James A. McGowan, Station Master on the
Underground Railroad: The Life and Letters of Thomas Garrett
(McFarland Publishers, 2005)
- Pauli Murray, Proud Shoes: the Story of an
American Family (New York: Harper and Brothers, 1956). Part of the
book involves Wilmington and the Underground Railroad
- National Park Service, Underground Railroad:
Special Resource Study, Management Concepts/Environmental Assessment
(U.S. Department of the Interior, 1995)
- R.C. Smedley, History of the Underground
Railroad in Chester and the Neighboring Counties of Pennsylvania
(Lancaster, Pa., 1883); also a paperback reprint with an introduction by
Christopher Densmore (Stackpole Books, 2005)
- William Still, The Underground Railroad
(Chicago: Johnson Publishing Co., Inc., 1970), reprint of original 1872
edition
- William J. Switala, Underground Railroad in
Delaware, Maryland, and West Virginia (Mechanicsburg, Pa.: Stackpole
Books, 2004)
- Priscilla Thompson, “Harriet Tubman, Thomas
Garrett and the Underground Railroad,” Delaware History 22
(1986-1987): 1-21
- William P. Tilden, Thomas Garrett (1789-1871):
A Memorial Address (Wilmington: 1889)
- John W. Tillman, Biographical Sketch of the
Life and Travels of John W. Tillman, Doe Run, Chester County, Penna.
(1986)
Microfilm Resources
- U.S. Census, 1800-1930. Delaware’s 1790 census
was destroyed long ago; there are published reconstructions based on
other documents. 1850 is the first year that lists everyone in a
household by name; earlier, only the head of household was listed by
name and everyone else was listed by gender and age range. There are
slave schedules for 1850 and 1860, which are organized by the name of
the slave owner. Slaves are listed by age and gender, and their names
are not given.
- Conrad/Tubman. 2 reels with Earl Conrad’s
research notes and correspondence, 1939-1940, for his works on Harriet
Tubman. Inventory on first reel. From the Schomburg Collection.
- Siebert Collection. 8 reels of Wilbur Seibert’s (The
Underground Railroad from Slavery to Freedom, 1902) research
materials that include informatin on Tubman or Delaware. Printed
inventory available. From the Ohio Historical Society.
- Delaware Newspaper Project, Box 79 has 2 issues of
the Delaware Abolitionist from 1848, published by the Delaware
Antislavery Society. These are the only issues that survive.
Other
Sources
- Wilmington City Directories. First one 1814, next
one 1845, sporadically in 1850s, then become annual in 1860s. Last one
1986. 1814, 1845 have separate listing for black residents; 1857, 1859
have “col’d” by African Americans; otherwise, no racial designations.
- Newspapers. In this era, Wilmington papers were
published twice a week, with each issue being 4 pages. They carried
mainly national and international news with very little local news.
Papers had definite political affiliations. The main papers were the
Delaware Gazette (Democrat—more likely to have runaway ads), the
Delaware State Journal (Whig/Republican—more sympathetic to ending
slavery), and the Blue Hen’s Chicken (Aug. 1845-Aug. 1853; had
more local news than the other papers and was more sympathetic to
blacks). Relatively few papers were published in other towns, and they
have not survived very well. One exception is the Delawarean
(Dover) for 1859, 1860, 1861, and 1865. See the catalog of the
Historical Society of Delaware newspaper collection and the list of the
Delaware Newspaper Project for other titles.
- Manuscripts. This collection includes original
letters, diaries, business records, organizational records. Look in the
catalog under the name or subject in which you are interested.
- Maps. The most detailed maps for the Underground
Railroad period are Rea and Price (1848) for New Castle County, Byles
(1857) for Kent County, and Beers Atlas (1868) for the entire state.
- Photographs and other visual materials. The
catalog is arranged by topic. Begin by looking under People, Churches,
etc. Within each topic, photos are arranged alphabetically by the name
of the church, person, etc.
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