Hello, I am an Underground RR researcher new to this forum.
I research UGRR activities of Free Frank McWorter and early abolitionists of Quincy, IL.
Free Frank was a former slave who bought his own freedom in 1819, moved to the free state of Illinois in 1830 with his family, and founded the town of New Philadelphia in 1836 (in Pike County). This is the first black-founded town in U.S. History.
I am Director of the Free Frank Quincy Abolitionist Project, which investigates links b/w Frank and Quincy abolitionist's UGRR activities during the 1830's-1850's. Quincy is approx. 30 miles from New Philadelphia.
The FFQAP is part of the Free Frank New Philadelphia Historic Preservation Foundation, see www.freefrank.org
The executive director of the foundation is Dr. Juliet E.K. Walker, author of Free Frank: A Black Pioneer on the Antebellum Frontier, and also the man's great-great granddaughter.
This is an exciting project with new revelations about Free Frank's life, and the story has strong ties to Abe Lincoln and Mark Twain, as if Frank's remarkable life wasn't enough.
I invite you to explore www.freefrank.org, and feel free to respond.
Thanks,
Heather Bangert