How History Unfolds on Paper: Important Americana from the Eric C. Caren Collection, Part X

Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, November 2, 1839. Bifolium. Three-page autograph letter, signed by Timothy Hill to his brother John in Bangor, Maine, thanking him for money he had sent, recounting his studies, and notably, informing him about the arrival of an enslaved man seeking freedom. Addressed on integral leaf. Creasing from old folds; wear from removed seal when opened.

A Dartmouth student recounts the arrival of a runaway slave who made a long, arduous, and dangerous over-1,000 mile journey from the Deep South: "A few days ago a runaway slave made his appearance here, said he came from Alabama. The students had him go into the chapel and relate the story of his escape from his master and the reasons why. He said he had been the slave of a man in Virginia was kindly treated by him and lived well as long as he was with him, but he finally sold him and his family one in one direction and another in another, and he soon was away from his second master. He was helped on his way to Canada where he may be safe from the prospect being sold..."

Approximately 30,000 to 50,000 enslaved men and women fled bondage to reach Canada before the Civil War. While the Underground Railroad facilitated many escapes, journeys originating from the Deep South were rare due to the immense logistical hurdles and the extreme risks involved. Overland freedom seekers from these regions faced a grueling trek of 800 to 1,300 miles, requiring them to traverse multiple slave states while navigating a sparse and fragmented network of safe houses below the Mason-Dixon line. New Hampshire played a critical role as one of the final northern legs of this route. Hanover, located just 100 miles from the Canadian border, was one of many gateways for those arriving overland. While many enslaved opted for maritime routes, departing from coastal hubs like New Bedford, Massachusetts, to sail directly to Canadian ports, others, including the unnamed individual referenced here, seemingly undertook the arduous journey entirely by land, relying on the clandestine support of abolitionist networks to cross the final stretch into freedom.