THE PEOPLE: JOHN HUNN

Born in 1818, John Hunn was a Quaker abolitionist and stationmaster in the Delaware Underground Railroad. In 1845, he assisted the Hawkins family in their escape by giving them food, clothing, and shelter. This was the first time Hunn directly helped runaways.

In the Federal court trials of 1848, John Hunn, along with Thomas Garrett, were found guilty of aiding and harboring runaway slaves. Both men lost their properties, businesses, and personal properties. Hunn and his family were forced to move out of the neighborhood because of his Underground Railroad activities. During the civil War, Hunn and his son moved to Port Royal, SC to work in the US Government Freedman's Bureau, whose mission was relief work among the freed African Americans in the South. The family returned to Delaware in 1876. John Hunn died in 1894 and was buried in Camden, Delaware Friends Meeting Cemetery.

Portrait of John Hunn