Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1937-04-01
HISTORY OF GAINESVILLE AND
MUSKINGUM COUNTY
(By Thomas w. Lewis)

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places for fugitive slaves-Wesley
Gazaway "Station Agent" here
Mrs. Deaver brought load of fleeing
blacks to GAINESVILLE under straw in
wagon-Gray of Deavertown sent
500 slaves on their way to Canada.
Chapter No. 1O3
A study of underground railroad
history yields interesting evidence
of the Importance of GAINESVILLE and
/ Putnam as stations thereon. Many
slaves crossed the Ohio at Parkers-
burg and Point Pleasant on their
way to Canada, and were helped by
the Abolitionists of the southeastern
Ohio. border to reach Morgan coun-
! ty.
! In the southern portion of Nor
gan there were two parallel under
ground lines, one running north
ward to Roscoe and the other to
Chester HILL The Roscoe line
branched at that point, one on the
west passing through Morganville
and the other following the boun-
Diary between Deerfield and Malta
townships in it's extension north
ward. Each Of these two routes
came together at Deavertown and
thence to GAINESVILLE there was but
one line.
The other line had three courses
northward from Chester Hill. These
met at Pennsville, whence the line
ran northwesterly to point just
east of Morganville, where it con-
nected with the course followed by
the line along the Deerfield-Malt
township boundary. Along the Nor
gan county underground routes this
referred to there where about 20
stations where friends of the slaves
were ever ready to help them north
ward toward freedom
Gray Freed 500
At Deavertown lived Thomas L.
Gray, who was one of Ohio's most
fearless and active foes of slavery.
During the period in which he be-
friended black fugitives from the
south, 500 of the latter were for
warded to his co-workers farther
north. 1t is assumed that all of
these were cared for in GAINESVILLE
and Putnam, probably far the great
er portion I'M Putnam, until it was
safe to get them off to stations be-
ground railroads shows that no line
ran due north from GAINESVILLE. One
extended eastward, however, to New
Concord and Cambridge whence
two parallel routes existed to Co.
shocton
Siebert's "The Underground Rail-
road" contains list of Muskingum
county Underground Railroad Op-
orators" which is made of 20 indi-
viduals and families. The number
of these is another proof of import
ance of local and neighborhood un-
derground stations The names of
these operators follow: 4
Bells, Brown family, Buckingham,
Elliott family, Emerson family,
Matthew Gillespie, Austin Albert
Guthrie. Hodly family, Harmon fam
lily, McAtier family, NARROW, Major
Horace Nye, Elwood Penock, Rob-
ert Speer, James Slit, sr., Adam
Terrell. NARROW Terrell, David Wal
lace, Hudons ChanfpIin Ward and
Levi Whipple.
Dawes Grandmother Prayed
From Marietta to Deavertown the
underground existed in two parallel
lines, and although a more direct
route northward from the mouth of
the MuSkingum ran through Sum-
merfield to Cambridge, the Putnam
operators must have taken care of
great many fugitives befriended in
Marietta.
In connection with the Marietta
activities, Siebert mentions that
Miss Martha Putnam of that city re-
ported having heard her father Dav-
id Putnam, jr., make the ''hootcali
hundreds of times as signal that
slaves had arrived on the shores of
the Ohio. Then follows corrobor-
ative statement made in Marietta on
August 21, 1892, by General Rufus
r. Dawes, father of the present Re-
publican candidate for the vice pres
idency
when I was boy at eight"
said General Dawes, 81 was visiting |
my grandfather, Judge Ephraim
Cutler. The place was called Con-
stitution. Somehow in the night,
was awakened up and wagon came |
down over the hill to the river. Then
a call was given, hoot-owl call,
and this was answered by a similar
boat went out and brought over the |
slaves. My mother got out of bed |
and prayed for them and had me
kneel with her,
Separation The Spectre
During the first decade of the |
9th century the Shareholders treat |
ment of his black chattels was such |
that flight to the north on their part |
didn't assume significant proper |
tions, but when in the next decade
the auction block and the brutal |
overseers multiplied, whole families |
of slaves as well as individuals be. |
gan to make their way toward Can !
ada, where no fugitive slave law |
could be invoked to carry them
back, and where ruthless separation
Of family members could not take
place.
To the auction block and the over.
seer was added the death Of an old |
master as reason for fight, since |
in the division of his property |
among the heirs the dreaded break |
ing up of slave families often oc. |
Cured. 1t is on record that men, |
bers Of family of seven fugitives |
whose northward fight took them
GAINESVILLE gave as a reason |
FOR their perilous journey, the fact
that the old master was about to /
die and they knew that would mean |
the breaking up Of the family.
The Muskingum county friends Of |
such fugitives may be set down as |
men and women Of supreme courage |
and conscience. Not only were the |
terms of the fugitive slave law Sc
we're, but the attitude of northern
friends of the shareholders was ex I
hostile toward those who |