Complex sentence: From 1836 to about 1845, Brown made his home in Buffalo, New York, where he served as a conductor for the Underground Railroad and as a steam boatman on Lake Erie, a position he used to ferry escaped slaves to freedom in Canada.
Split into simpler sentences: From 1836 to about 1845, Brown made his home in Buffalo, New York, where he served as a conductor for the Underground Railroad. He worked as a steamboat man on Lake Erie, a position he used to ferry escaped slaves to freedom in Canada.