Table of Contents
- Who was Robert Burrell and what was his story?
- How did Robert Burrell connect with Levi Coffin?
- What role did Robert Burrell play in the community?
- Why did Robert Burrell and his family leave Fountain City?
- What were the legal risks faced by the Coffins and others aiding freedom seekers?
- Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Robert Burrell and what was his story?
Robert Burrell was an enslaved man from East Tennessee who escaped slavery to seek freedom. Married to a free woman with children, he came north hoping to earn money to buy his freedom. His journey eventually brought him to Levi Coffin’s community, where he found work and support.
How did Robert Burrell connect with Levi Coffin?
Levi Coffin owned several businesses, including a store, a pork house, and a mill. He hired Robert to work in the pork house, where meat was processed and sold as salted pork. Robert was reserved about his past but eventually shared his story with Levi, who recognized the risks Robert faced and sought help from abolitionist contacts.
Levi wrote to John Rankin, a fellow abolitionist in Ohio, who sent his son to Tennessee to locate Robert’s family and help bring them north. After a lengthy process, Robert’s family joined him in Fountain City, where Levi bought them a home and Robert established a barbershop.
What role did Robert Burrell play in the community?
Robert became a barber and a part of the community in Fountain City. His wife may have owned a bakery, though this is less certain. The community was supportive, offering a sanctuary where Robert and his family could live safely and contribute.
Why did Robert Burrell and his family leave Fountain City?
In 1850, the Fugitive Slave Act increased federal powers to capture and return escaped slaves, making places like Fountain City less safe. A posse of slave catchers even came armed to the town, heightening fears. For safety, Robert and his family moved further north to Canada, where they could live freely.
What were the legal risks faced by the Coffins and others aiding freedom seekers?
Federal laws from 1793 and 1850 made it illegal to aid escaped slaves, with penalties including fines up to $500 (about $30,000 today). The Coffins risked heavy fines for their involvement. Some Quakers who were caught helping faced fines they could not pay, but local communities sometimes raised money to cover these penalties.
Despite the risks, the Coffins and their community persisted in their efforts to resist slavery and provide sanctuary to those seeking freedom.
Frequently Asked Questions
Robert Burrell was an escaped enslaved man from Tennessee who found refuge and work in Levi Coffin’s community in Fountain City, Indiana.
Levi Coffin hired Robert to work in his pork house and helped reunite him with his family through abolitionist contacts in Ohio.
They left due to the increased danger from the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act and armed slave catchers, relocating to Canada for safety.
The Coffins risked fines up to $500 for aiding escaped slaves, but local communities sometimes helped pay these fines.
