This is not about the Underground Railroad, but I consider this important for understanding African American History. Many relatives of the enslaved African American buried in the Wiliamstown, West Virginia Cemetery did escape via the Underground Railroad!

We are in the final phase of planning to place a Historical Marker in the Williamstown, Wood County, West Virginia Cemetery to commemorate the interment of an unknown number of enslaved African Americans. For more detail please contact me.

Contribution of Enslaved African Americans in Williamstown, WV:
During their first winter season, (1788-1789) settlers of the first permanent settlement in the Northwest Territory located at Marietta, (Ohio), ran out of food. Isaac Williams, located across the Ohio River in Williamstown, (West) Virginia, had a large store of grain produced by the labor of his enslaved African Americans. At a reasonable price, Williams sold the settlers of Marietta enough grain to prevent starvation during their first winter in the Northwest Territory! This is another example of how the labor of African Americans contributed to the development of the United States!
The remains of these enslaved African Americans are among the group of enslaved African American buried in the Williamstown Cemetery in unmarked graves! All Americans, but especially those who live in the states made up from the Northwest Territory (Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and parts of Minnesota), owe a debt of gratitude to these enslaved African Americans!

Henry Robert Burke