The Journey: Camden, Delaware

Sam Hawkins acquired the assistance of Samuel D. Burris, a free Black conductor in the Delaware Underground Railroad. During a raging snowstorm, Burris lead the Hawkins and four other male runaways out of Maryland into Delaware. Emeline, Sam and the youngest children traveled in a wagon while the others walked. At Camden, Delaware free African […]

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The People: Samuel D. Burris

Samuel D. Burris (1813-1863), a free Black man from the Willow Grove area of Kent County, Delaware, risked his own welfare, and that of his wife and five children, while serving as a conductor on the Underground Railroad. Burris willingly assisted enslaved people to safely navigate through Delaware into Pennsylvania. During the 1830s and 1840s, […]

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