Daniel Stanley (b. circa
1822 - d. ?)
MSA SC 5496-8042
Fled from slavery, Dorchester County, Maryland, 1857
Biography:
On October 24, 1857, Daniel Stanley escaped from the Cambridge District of Dorchester County with at least fourteen other slaves. He was owned by Robert Callender, a relatively poor farmer of that county.1 According to the 1850 Federal Census, Callender did not officially own any slaves, nor did he record the purchase of any in the subsequent years.2 Daniel described his master as being "pretty clever ... except when in a passion" but felt a strong impulse to liberate his family. Caroline Stanley, and six of the couple's seven children, also fled despite the increased difficulty for young fugitives. The rest of the family had been slaves of Captain Samuel Lecompte, from whom Joseph Cornish had successfully fled just two years earlier. Both adult runaways alleged that Lecompte had recently developed a penchant selling off his slaves, leaving their futures very much in doubt.3
They all made the journey as far as Philadelphia, where abolitionist operatives provided them further direction and monetary assistance. Unfortunately the whole family would not reach their ultimate destination. The 1861 Census of Canada lists Daniel as a widower, living with five of his children, ages 8 to 16.4 Caroline and the other Stanley child likely succombed to the harsh Northern winters or the treacherous conditions in which they were forced to travel. Such tragedies were not uncommon among fugitives who often left with literally just the clothes on their backs, relying on the support of railroad agents and friendly strangers along the way. Despite successfully tapping into a flourishing network of accomplices, Daniel Stanley was unable to bring freedom to his entire family. He would never remarry, but Stanley lived until at least 1881, when he is recorded as being a farmer in St. Catharine's, Ontario.5
Footnotes -
2. Ancestry.com. 1850 United States Federal Census. Dorchester County, Maryland, District 1, p. 112.
3. Still, p. 102.
4. Ancestry.com. 1861 Census of Canada, Lincoln, Canada West, p. 369.
5. Ancestry.com. 1881 Census of Canada, Lincoln, Ontario, St. Catharine's, p. 182.
Return to Daniel Stanley's Introductory Page
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