Conductors

By: Peyton

Conductors put their own freedom on the line to help others obtain theirs. The individuals known as conductors aided and guided runaway slaves on their path to liberation. All sorts of people of all walks of life contributed to the Underground Railroad, although it was only a select few who took on the risk in the job of conducting. John Fairfield, William Still, Levi Coffin, and Elijah Anderson were all vital conductors on the Underground Railroad. They helped thousands of slaves escape bondage in the mid 1800's.

John Fairfield

John Fairfield was one of the most well respected conductors on the Underground Railroad. Beginning his life, Fairfield loathed slavery. Growing up in a slaveholding family, he strongly disagreed with their beliefs. He began to disapprove more and more, and he finally released the family slaves behind their backs. Not only did he release them, he took them all the way to Canada. Taking the slaves he grew up with away from slavery really jump started his conducting career. Even when pro and anti slavery settlers were fighting, Fairfield’s nature and determination never wavered. He took his job very seriously. Masquerading as different people was his specialty. Fairfield could trick anyone with his costumes and acting skills. His disguises included being a slaveholder, slave dealer, and even a peddler. Along with this, he staged events as distractions. One of his most famous was a funeral, when he rescued 28 slaves right under the local slaveholders' noses. Some of the down sides were, “He was shot once, arrested several times, and imprisoned more than once. But he did not stop” (Haskins 38). Once well known, John Fairfield’s system had good results. Hiding his identity and falsifying who he was actually made aiding slaves less risky and more efficient. Fairfield's astonishing 1,000 slaves rescued goes to show he was undeniably amazing. People like John Fairfield really made a difference.

William Still

William Still was an inspiration to slaves, giving them hope and a will to survive. Against all odds, William Still stood up for what he believed in. Still was among the lucky ones and was born a free American. Helping slaves was his calling, so he joined the Underground Railroad. He wasn’t only a conductor, he also supported the Underground Railroad in other important aspects including, donating food, clothing, money, and more. Smuggling slaves to Canada was a big part of Still’s occupation. During that time, providing aid to slaves couldn’t have been easy, but William Still helped in more than one way. He published a book, which expressed the hardships of being a slave; he wrote the book because he had witnessed first hand the pain they went through. The book was titled Underground Railroad and was published in 1872. Keeping records seemed to have worked in William’s favor, because it shaped the book he wrote. On top of that, William participated in mass slave escapes, and did this with major figures like Harriet Tubman. To finalize, William Still had an astonishing legacy. With more than fourteen years of service, Still made quite the impact. 800 slaves were forever in debt because he had freed them. “The heroism and desperate struggle that many of our people had to endure should be kept green in the memory of this and coming generations" (pbs.org), this quote represents how people like William voiced their opinion on slaveholding. William Still devoted his life to making a difference.

Levi Coffin

A southern born quaker became one of the most remembered conductors on the Underground Railroad. Born in a slave state, Levi Coffin abandoned the way of his home and stood for what was right. After Coffin turned 15, he immediately joined the Underground Railroad and helped his family liberate slaves. Coffin grew up in North Carolina and witnessed what happened to slaves first hand, this molded his future as a conductor. Demanding freedom for slaves, Levi Coffin became even more motivated to help them. “President of the Underground Railroad” was one of the many names Levi Coffin was called, he was named this because of all the work he put into the movement. Slaves arrived at Levi and his wife Catherine’s house almost every week looking for a safe place to stay. The couple rescued over 3,300 slaves in only 20 years. An important figure, Coffin strived for equality for slaves. Opening a school for slaves in 1826, the only problem was slave owners would not allow their slaves to go to school, so the school was unsuccessful and was soon shut down. Levi was very outwardly anti-slavery and people knew about it, “The dictates of humanity came in opposition to the law of the land and we ignored the law” (history). He also raised money for food, clothing, and other supplies with the aim of supporting runaway slaves. Levi Coffin became a role model and an activist for slave rights.

Elijah Anderson

A blacksmith from Erie County, Ohio was also secretly a conductor in the Underground Railroad. The beginning of Elijah Anderson's life revolved around helping slaves. “Little is known about Anderson's life except for his Underground Railroad activities. He earned his living as a blacksmith but according to all accounts he forsook his trade to assist fugitive slaves” (ohiohistorycentral). Because of his commitment to the Underground Railroad, he was known as the "General Superintendent". Anderson owned a blacksmith shop in Madison, Ohio on the Ohio River. This was a common cross point for slaves on the run. Along with this, it was a border between a free and slave state. Anderson purposefully worked there so he could aid slaves coming across the Ohio River in search of freedom. Consequently, Elijah Anderson was never safe from harm or secure from the chance of death. The townsfolk in Ohio once attempted to drown Anderson, and he was forced to flee to Indiana. Another occasion when he faced harm was in 1846, when local police arrested him for aiding slaves and took him to prison. After his trial, when he was found guilty; Anderson was sentenced with 8 years in prison. On his release date, March 4, 1854, he was suspiciously found dead in his cell. The crucial individual, Elijah Anderson, had quite the record. Anderson helped over 1,000 slaves, and sometimes guided groups of 20 to 30 slaves at once. Levi Coffin, another important conductor, sometimes brought Anderson slaves and the two helped each other with mass escapes. Elijah Anderson helped slaves find a safe place to live.

John Fairfield, William Still, Levi Coffin, and Elijah Anderson were all key contributors on the Underground Railroad. Writing about these figures and publishing their stories on a website was really inspiring and gratifying. Legacies are sometimes forgotten, but these courageous conductors will always be remembered.

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