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Caroline Quarles: Hidden
in a Barrel
Quote:
Caroline
Quarles: written in Canada.
" I have a good living…but by working very hard. I am not very
happy…Perhaps if I had stayed [in slavery] until I came of age…I
have heard from St. Louis several times since I came away ….from
my cousin." Caroline wrote that her sister, mother, and
old Mistress were all dead. She never saw her family again. Perhaps that
is why she wrote, "I am not very happy."
In
Their Own Words: personal stories
Allen Watkins: Caroline Quarles was his second wife
In a letter written to Lyman Goodnow, a Wisconsin abolitionist who helped
Caroline escape.
"They sold my wife…after they sold her I resolved to go away.
That night I stole a boat and managed to get as far as the Ohio River….After
I crossed I hid…on a bridge that has two stories. My pursuers passed
right under me as I was lying on the top part and could hear every word
they said."
The Underground Railroad helped Mr. Watkins get to Canada. Some years
later he met Caroline Quarles and married her. He ended his letter to
Lyman Goodnow by writing:
" I will always be ready and willing to speak up a good word
for those glorious abolitionists….I should be very much pleased
to hear from you at any time and if any of your family ever comes here
I should be happy to have you call… Your Well wisher,
Allen
Watkins, Sandwich, Ontario”
Let’s Talk About It
- Today, some people
are slaves in the African country of Sudan. The American government
hasn’t done anything to stop it. Some people say it isn’t
our business what goes on in a different country. Other people think
America can’t stop what happens so far away. What do you think?
Could American people help stop slavery in Sudan? How?
For any remarks, suggestions, or broken links:
Please email us at:
history@tds.net
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