I have documented evidence of slaves escaping from Virginia into Ohio who went to Canada as early as 1815! The name Underground Railroad appears sometime after 1820.

The first Federal Fugitive Slave Law was enacted in 1793! Slavery in then Upper Province of Canada (Ontario) was abolished by Lt. Gov. John Simcoe (Simcoe Act) in 1793, followed by the Lower Province (Quebec)in 1803.

Sometime around 1812 a few slaves had fled to freedom in Canada. This signeled the beginning of underground railroad activity. The term Undergroud Railroad was not used until after 1830, causing some researchers to erronously conclude that was when the underground railroad activity began.