THE PEOPLE: SAMUEL D. BURRIS

Samuel Burris was a conductor on the Delaware Underground Railroad. Born in 1801, he was a freeman in Kent County, Delaware. Later Burris moved with his family to Philadelphia, Pa. Samuel Burris aided many runaway slaves, including the Hawkins family, on their journeys to freedom.

In 1847, Burris was caught aiding a runaway and sent to jail in Dover, DE. After months in prison, he was tried, found guilty and sentenced to be sold into slavery for seven years. The Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society raised money privately and had their own man at the auction on the day of the sale to purchase Burris and set him free.

The Burris family moved to California and Samuel Burris continued to support the abolition movement by raising funds to help destitute African Americans during the Civil War. He died in San Francisco, CA in 1868.

Etching of Samuel D. Burris