William Still
| William Still | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
October 7, 1821 Shamong Township |
| Died | July 14, 1902 (aged 80) |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Abolitionist |
| Known for | Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society, The Underground Railroad Records |
| Spouse(s) | Letitia George |
William Still (October 7, 1821 – July 14, 1902) was an African-American abolitionist in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, conductor on the Underground Railroad, businessman, writer, historian and civil rights activist. Before the American Civil War, Still was chairman of the Vigilance Committee of the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society, and directly aided fugitive slaves and kept records to help families reunite. After the war, he remained an important businessman and philanthropist, as well as used his meticulous records to wrote an account of the underground system and the experiences of many refugee slaves, entitled The Underground Railroad Records(1872).
William Still was born October 7, 1821 (or November 1819), in Shamong Township, Burlington County, New Jersey to Sidney (later renamed Charity) and Levin Still. His parents had come to New Jersey separately. First, his father bought his freedom in 1798 from his master in Caroline County, Maryland on the Eastern Shore and moved north to New Jersey.
His mother, Charity, escaped twice from Maryland. The first time, she and four children were all recaptured and returned to slavery. A few months later, Charity escaped again, taking only her two younger daughters with her and reached her husband in New Jersey. Following her escape, Charity and Levin had 14 more children, of whom William was the youngest. Though these children were born in the free state of New Jersey, under Maryland and federal slave law, they were still legally slaves, as their mother was an escaped slave. According to New Jersey law, they were free.
However, neither Charity nor Levin could free their older boys, who remained enslaved. Levin, Jr. and Peter Still were sold from Maryland to slaveowners in Lexington, Kentucky. Later they were resold to planters in Alabama in the Deep South. Levin, Jr. died from a whipping while enslaved. Peter and most of his family escaped from slavery when he was about age 50, with the help of two brothers named Friedman, who operated mercantile establishments in Florence, Alabama, and Cincinnati, Ohio. They were the subject of a book published in 1856. Peter Still sought help at the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society to find his parents or other members of his birth family. Thus he met William Still, but had no idea they were related. However, William listened to Peter's story, and recognized the history his mother had told him many times. After learning that his older brother Levin was whipped to death for visiting his wife without permission, William shouted, "What if I told you I was your brother!" Later Peter and his mother were reunited after having been separated for 42 years.
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