While doing a surname search for a friend, I ran across an ancestor in the 1860 Census living as a Free Person of Color (FPOC) in Ripley, Brown County, Ohio. Ripley was a very important 'stop' on the Underground Railroad (UGRR) and two of the more famous UGRR conductors located there were the Rev. John Rankin and John Parker, the Af-Am businessman, inventor and entrpreneur.

The interesting twist, other than this being the initial awareness, of this surname as FPOC's, but in Ohio and in Ripley. There were others with this surname found in KY as FPOC's in the 1860 Census, another surprise. This ancestor was living two houses from John Parker and her occupation was listed as a domestic servant. The Rankin House, a perserved landmark, has a picture of an Af-Am domestic AND her name is the same as that of my friend's ancestor. Could it be??

A note of information....When using the listing by Wilber H. Siebert of over 3,000+ UGRR Operators/Conductors by State and County do NOT despair if the individual you're seeking is not on this list. It is AMAZING that this listing (Ohio & Brown County) does NOT include Mr. John Parker. How can that be?

What a thrill to find not only my friends ancestors, but their FPOC status and the possibility of them being involved in UGRR activity.

Oh, BTW....my friend is very active in UGRR research as an Officer with the Friends of Freedom/Ohio Underground Railroad Association, a grass roots UGRR research group. She is also a re-enactor, that of a domestic during the antebellum period.

Art Thomas